Do-It-Yourself Dryer Repair Tips

Fire departments all over the country report that one of the leading causes of house fires across the country have been the result of dryers that weren’t properly vented. These particular house fires could have been easily prevented if the homeowners had simply taken the  time to make sure they were using a venting system deemed fire safe. Read our blog here…

You shouldn’t allow yourself to be intimidated by your dryer. Believe it or not it’s one of the least complicated appliances in your house. There’s no reason why you can’t provide the maintenance it needs, as well as handle a great deal of the repairs. Despite all the bells and whistles that some models feature, most dryers have the same basic parts. The average dryer consists of a drum, a belt, a motor and heat source. As soon as you get comfortable working with the dryer, you’re going to find that more often than not, repairing your dryer will make more sense than replacing it with a newer model. Read another topic here…

You should know that manufacturers use three kinds of thermostats when they create your dryer. The types of thermostats include;

• The cycling thermostat
• The hi-limit thermostat
• The non-resettable thermal fuse

Dryer Doesn’t Tumble

When you’re dryer no longer seems to be tumbling your clothing properly, there are a few things that you should check out. The first thing you need to look at will be your belt, and make sure it’s not broken. This won’t take you long at all to check out. The belt should still be wrapped around the drum. Even if you see it, you shouldn’t assume that the lack of tumble was caused by something else. Take a few minutes and make sure that the belts in good shape and doesn’t have any frayed or thin bits. Read another topic here…

If the belt seems to be in good shape, you’ll want to remove it and check out the motor, which can be done by starting the dryer and listening. If the motor seems very noisy and lacks the power to turn the drum, you’re going to want to start shopping for a new, replacement motor.

By running some continuity tests you’ll be able to confirm that the thermal fuse is operating properly.

Noisy Dryer

The most common sign that your dryer’s in need of repair tends to be an excessive amount of noise. This can be caused by:

• Idler pulley
• Rear drum rollers
• Drum front slide kit

If you have a Maytag or Magic Chef dryer, you’re going to want to check out the blower wheel.

If your dryer is making a thumping noise, you’ll want to make sure it’s still properly balanced.

If your dryer has started making a high-pitched squeal, it’s likely that the problem is the idler pulley.

Clothes Take Too Long to Dry

If you notice that your clothes don’t seem to be drying properly, you’ll want to make sure that the vent hasn’t gotten kinked. You also need to make sure you’ve cleaned any lint, which is highly flammable from the vent. You need to check out the entire vent, including the exterior vent. More information about it in this article here…