Dryer won't Dry-UPDATE ON BOTTOM

My dryer is not drying. I tried to take the back off to replace the heating element (if that is the problem) and it won't come off. I bought it 2 years ago at home depot for $325 (admiral). My question is do I have a repair man come to fix it or just buy a new one? If it costs more than $100 to fix I would rather buy a new one. I live in Huntington if someone knows a repairman.

TIA

Just checked paid $239 for dryer so I don't think it is worth fixing.

Message edited 2/20/2012 1:18:00 PM.

Re: Dryer won't Dry

I would check for the very cheap, easy, most common things first. The vast majority of the time, when a dryer won't dry, it's because of a clog. It could be in the exhaust tube coming out of the dryer and going to the wall, or it could be inside. What type of exhaust tube do you have? Metal or plastic? If it's plastic, it should be replaced anyway. If it's metal, you can clean it out to allow the exhaust air to vent.

Re: Dryer won't Dry

I would have a vent company come and clean out the dryer vent to the outside of the house.

Thats your first step. Should cost around $100.

Re: Dryer won't Dry

my first thought was the vent too

Re: Dryer won't Dry

It is not the vent, went and checked outside and air is coming out plus all tubing is new.

Re: Dryer won't Dry

I agree if it is more than $100 to get a new one. We decided when ours would not dry anymore to get a new dryer. We also bought a washer to match as we knew that one would not go more than a few years and figured it would be better to get it now to match. It cost a lot (IMO) but it is totally worth it. It takes no time to do clothes now.

Re: Dryer won't Dry

Do you clear out the trap after each use? Did you over load it? Are the knobs put into the correct settings? Does it make any noises that are unusual? Does it turn on? If you put in one shoe with nothing else, can you hear it make a revolution?

Re: Dryer won't Dry

We had the same exact problem and called Sears and a repairman came and said it needed a new coil and replaced it on the spot. I do think it cost a little over $100 for parts and labor, however buying a new dryer will be several hundred plus delivery and installation costs plus the pain of scheduling to be there, getting rid of the old one, etc. So in my opinion it was totally worth it.

Re: Dryer won't Dry

We had the same problem, and it was the breaker.

Electric Driers are typically 220V. The motor is powered by half of the circut and the heating element is powered by the other.

You need to check that both "legs" of the 220 circut are providing power.

In our case half of the breaker for the drier was fried.


Replacing the breaker resolved the prb.

Re: Dryer won't Dry

I ended up ordering a Kenmore Elite dryer that has the remote diagnosis feature which we will pick up on Friday (save on delivery fees).

So when I went to take the power cord off the dryer I discovered that one of the cables looked like it had caught on fire (the black one). I don't know what would cause this to happen but maybe it is better that I am getting rid of my cheap dryer.

Re: Dryer won't Dry-UPDATE ON BOTTOM

Then chances are your drier is fine. Check the breaker if good, cut that "burned" wire, re-strip it and reconnect it to the drier.

When they come to hookup new drier that is exactly what they are going to do.
Odds are your old drier is fine, its just the electrical connection was likely loose and arcing (or overloaded)

Re: Dryer won't Dry-UPDATE ON BOTTOM

I cannot re-strip the wire. The black wire (which found out was red) burned completely off (about 2 inches damaged) and damaged the terminal block. To buy the materials for this and to have someone install the terminal block will cost almost what I paid for it.

Message edited 2/20/2012 3:57:07 PM.

Re: Dryer won't Dry-UPDATE ON BOTTOM

I would have an electrician check the outlet to make sure it is not faulty. You do not want this happening again or something worse.

Re: Dryer won't Dry-UPDATE ON BOTTOM