How to Repair a Dryer


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Drying up clothes is one of the required household chores. It is very important that clothes are dry enough before we use them. Aside from the fact that it is very uneasy to wear semi-dry clothes, they also cause odor to occumulate faster. Whether we live in a place where we get enough heat of the sun or those places where the sun is rarely seen, it is still important to have a working dryer especially for emergency purposes. Well, a defective dryer is not what we need. We need something working and performing well. It is also difficult to detect what part of the dryer is causing it to not work so we need to inspect each and every part and see which one is defective. Here are some problems that are causing your dryer to be defective and some steps on how to repair them.

How To / Instruction

Difficulty: Normal

  • Step

    1

    If you're dryer takes too long to dry up clothes check Lint Trap , this should be cleaned up once in awhile. Check for too much lint that had been accumulated and removed them. This will increase the drying capacity. Also check the Air Flow/Venting Hose, an air pathway might be blocked thus reducing air flow out of the dryer and will not dry clothes fast. Lastly, check the Heating Element and thermostats. They might already be burnt out thus resulting to a faulty drying performance. A replacement is recommended if this is the case.

  • Step

    2

    Another problem that might occur with your dryer is it will not start. Check for proper voltage from the house, it may be getting inadequate supply of electricity that may cause the problem. Also check the start switch for any defects. The thermal fuse can also be one that might be causing the problem. Its a heat-sensitive fuse attached to your dryer's exhaust duct that is designed to blow if the dryer overheats, a blown one will cause the dryer to not heat. You can also check the thermostat, the timer motor and the motor itself, if they are malfunctioning then, they are causing the problem.

  • Step

    3

    Another one is that your dryer may not be tumbling well. Check the belt, some dryers have belts that turns the drum, if its worn out or breaks, the tumbling motion of your dryer will be affected. If the motor is also defective, your dryer will not tumble. Inspect the dryer's idler pulley wheel, it normally wears out together with the belt, so if the belt is worn out and needed to be replaced, most likely the idler pulley wheel needs the same thing. Lastly, check the door switch, if its defective, it might be interfering with the dryer's tumbling motion.

  • Step

    4

    Is your dryer tearing up your clothes? Check the front and rear seal, they might be worn out. These two keeps your clothes from getting between the drum and the front or rear wall of the dryer. Since the drum is turning, a worn out front and rear seal will no longer keep your clothes protected against the drum that will tear your clothes off. Also check the dryer drum glides, the glides support the drum towards the front of the dryer so a defective one will cause the drum to slump or sag toward the front of the dryer thus tearing your clothes. Lastly, check the drum support rollers, these support the drum in the back of the dryers so a worn out one will cause the drum to slump or sag in the back that will also tear up clothes.

  • Step

    5

    Another possible defect of a dryers is it will not heat up. Check for proper voltage if its getting enough. Make sure the dryer is plugged in and check the circuit breakers to make sure they are in the correct positions. Also check the dryer's heating element, the thermal fuse, the thermostat and the timer motor. If they are defective then they are the cause of the problem. A replacement might be needed to improve performance.

  • Step

    6

    If all the steps above doesn't work at all, you might want to consult a technician. Someone who has enough experience in repairing dryers. Their knowledge will better improve the performance of your dryers because sometimes repairing on our own will cause the appliances to not work at all and thus complicate things.

Tips and Warnings

  • For best drying results, clean the lint filter before each load.

  • Toss only a few items of varying size for a good tumbling and drying results. For dryers with an auto-dry cycle, drying will not perform well with a very small load.

  • Use a storage drawer below to raise the dryer 6-12 inches high to keep the door at opening level and thus reduces bending when using it.

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