Dryer heating element

[Soonrboy]

Are they difficult to install? Can a nimrod like myself do it?

[My Opinion Matters]

As long as you remember to unplug the dryer first you'll do fine.

[olevetonahill]

I never had a problem changing one .

[OU4LIFE]

alot depends on th model of the dryer, SOME require that you remove the tub to get to them.

if it's accessible from the back (teehee), then you should be fine. Easy Peasy. If it's removing the drum, then that's a whole other story.

[colleyvillesooner]

dude if I can change out the hose valve on my washer, you can do this. And post pic as you go. Makes for a good read.

[yermom]

i think i need a belt in my dryer. it seems it's way too hard to get to

[Fraggle145]

I've resurrected my dryer like 4 times... and I suck at tools. Helen Keller could fix a heating element...

If I ever have belt go tho, I say **** it.

[yermom]

a belt is worse than a heating element?

[Soonrboy]

We've been running the dryer 3 or 4 times to get the clothes dry, so I know we've been using the electricity. The element is only 40 bucks. I'm goign to try it this weekend. Watch the news for a house buring down by Sunday night on the norman east side.

[olevetonahill]

We've been running the dryer 3 or 4 times to get the clothes dry, so I know we've been using the electricity. The element is only 40 bucks. I'm goign to try it this weekend. Watch the news for a house buring down by Sunday night on the norman east side.

If thats the Case I dont think its the element Bro .
Check the Lint trap system From the Filter on thru the Wall .

[LoyalFan]

a belt is worse than a heating element?

I've done two belt replacements on older Kenmore dryers over the past 20 years. I don't know about other makes but I assume they are similar.
If so, there is a belt, of course, and another part called an "Idler wheel". If the drum is sagging and/or making a racket, the idler wheel may be worn or cracked.
To replace either part requires turning the dryer upside down but not too much mechanical skill. The hitch for me was that, after ordering the parts I discovered there were no instructions included therewith. That's a strategy on the part of Sears designed to make you pay, via credit card, in order to have a technician talk you through the replacement process. This was not the case when I did only the belt, circa 1980, but WAS the case when I needed to replace both parts later on (different unit.)
Luckily for me, on the most recent occasion, the Sears dude I'd spoken with actually put his a55 on the line by calling me from his home and talking me through the drill at no cost to me. His reason? Well, he said I'd mentioned another form of idler wheel...that being the one on either side of a tank, the one that is in front of and above the first "road wheel", that's "where the rubber meets the road". He too had been a tanker so he wanted to help a fellow horse soldier...Schweet! He even jokingly "forgave" me for being an officer.
Anyway, if the dryer has many miles on it, inspect the idler wheel for travel and condition. If it's even slightly cracked, wobbles, or appears at all cracked, replace it!
The front end of the drum actually rides on the idler wheel and thus the wheel is essential to drum alignment within the shell of the dryer. Lack of proper alignment explains "The Mystery Of The Disappearing Socks" since idler wheel failure creates a gap between the drum and the "chassis". The excess gap may also damage items that are caught between the drum and shell.
When I inverted the beast to work on it I found several socks and some other items as well wallowing in the dust and lint beneath the dryer.
Enjoy and report progress!

LF

[LoyalFan]

Well, I tried to delete one of the double-posts. I hope I succeeded.

[olevetonahill]

So LF you Finally found proof that Dryers Do in fact eat socks .

[LoyalFan]

So LF you Finally found proof that Dryers Do in fact eat socks .

Yais, I did. I discovered too that certain expensive items of female intimate apparel are subject to devouring too. I had no idea how shrill a woman could be until a lady-type weekend guest retrieved half a bra from the dryer one fine AM.
It was my earnest desire to mollify the delectable morsel that prompted me to A: Take her to an obscenely pricey boutique and fund the purchase of TWO similar items and B: To replace the idler wheel. (BTW, OV, the idler wheel on a dryer and on a tank both serve to provide appropriate "track tension. I felt right at home, even a bit nostalgic.)

LF

[olevetonahill]

:D :D :D :D :D :cool:

[BudSooner]

Heh, good stuf LF.
As far as the heating element...yeah, I would check the lint trap/vent at the back of the dryer..then replace..clean the tube leading outside and also clean the vent where the tube attaches to the house.
You would be surprised how much lint gets trapped in there, and pretty easy to start a house fire with it like that.
If your getting ANY warmth, it's generally not the element, could be the thermostat.
Look up the mfg website and look for a diagram, then Google dryer repair/troubleshooting...there are a number of good sites that can offer tips on checking for bad parts on a dryer. It can save you a boatload of cash and time.

[olevetonahill]

Like Bud said that Lint system can get clogged , Especially If its vented thru the roof .

[BudSooner]

Like Bud said that Lint system can get clogged , Especially If its vented thru the roof .
The ROOF?? Hmmmmm, never saw one vented thru the roof before...usually thru an exterior wall.
Sometimes if the dryer is in a basement, you can have a rigid(no jokes plz)vent pipe that will go up a wall then exit out of the above floors wall...but i've never heard of a roof type setup.


Is that what y'all hillbillies do down south? :D

[olevetonahill]

The ROOF?? Hmmmmm, never saw one vented thru the roof before...usually thru an exterior wall.
Sometimes if the dryer is in a basement, you can have a rigid(no jokes plz)vent pipe that will go up a wall then exit out of the above floors wall...but i've never heard of a roof type setup.


Is that what y'all hillbillies do down south? :D

If the dryer is Located On an Interior wall They do vent thru the roof

[olevetonahill]

Here's a Link to a site that discusses it
http://www.askthebuilder.com/228_Clothes_Dryer_Vents_-_Simple_Solutions.shtml

[Soonrboy]

Yeah, ours is vented up through the roof.

The clothes do eventually dry, like I said after about 3 runs of the dryer. When I get home, I will suck out the lint line going to the roof with the shopvac.

[olevetonahill]

If you've Nevar cleaned it Ill bet thats your Prob.
Did this Just start or has it been getting Gradually worse ?

[BudSooner]

If the dryer is Located On an Interior wall They do vent thru the roof
Pretty cool, and a damn good idea when it comes to wood rot...I never knew that.

But your still a hillbilly. :D

[olevetonahill]

Pretty cool, and a damn good idea when it comes to wood rot...I never knew that.

But your still a hillbilly and Damn proud of it. :D

Had to fix fer ya . :D

[Soonrboy]

If you've Nevar cleaned it Ill bet thats your Prob.
Did this Just start or has it been getting Gradually worse ?

It's gradually been getting worse. Do heating elements die all at once or do they die gradually?

[olevetonahill]

It's gradually been getting worse. Do heating elements die all at once or do they die gradually?

All at Once they are just an electric coil that heats up as the lectricty passes thru. Ive patched a few By just pulling em back together and then turning it on , an Instant weld. Get you thru a weekend till you can get parts :cool:

[BudSooner]

All at Once they are just an electric coil that heats up as the lectricty passes thru. Ive patched a few By just JB welding them back together and then turning it on. Get you thru a weekend till you can round up a horse to take you to town, that and to get parts to fix the still:cool:


Sorry Vet, it had to be done. ;)

[olevetonahill]

Sorry Vet, it had to be done. ;)

:D ;)

[BudSooner]

I can't say I haven't used JB weld.
Actually it's pretty good, back in the day I used it to patch a muffler I had a pinhole in, fixed a broken handle on a vac, used it to fix a busted stud on a manifold(rethreaded it afterwards..worked great)and a control on a lawn mower.