On Mon, 10 Oct 2005 12:21:58 GMT, "ameijers"
wrote:


"tslemmons" wrote in message
...

Hi, I was wondering if anyone could suggest my next step (whether to get
the dryer fixed or electrical fixed).

I have a nearly new GE electric dryer and it works great for the most
part. When I use the "fluff" dry cycle it never flips the breaker. If I
turn it to the "low heat" setting, it sometimes works OK, but I have to
have a pretty small load and the clothes have to be somewhat dry
already. If I turn it on any heat setting with a wet load, the breaker
flips almost immediately. I try to dry clothes using the "fluff" cycle
until I can turn it on to low heat.

It has a double 50 AMP circuit breaker for the 220 line. I don't know
if the dryer had this problem before I moved here because I just bought
it (and it was used, but again, it's not more than a year or two old).
I'm thinking it might be a weak breaker, but if there's some sort of
diagnostic I can do to see if it's the dryer or the electrical, that
would be great. My dad brought his voltage meter with him and it
doesn't seem to be pulling too much current. He's an electrician. I
think he said that it must be the breaker, but I'm just not sure who to
call to get a final fix on this.

Does this sound like just a breaker problem? (It's really hard to get
my landlord to fix things.) Or is it my dryer?

I'd try the cheap stuff first, seeing as how you have a free electrician.
First, pull out the dryer, pull the vent hose off the back, and maybe the
back panel. I've had dryers where the hose and most of the shell were full
of lint, which increases the current draw a bunch. If the dryer , and the
vent line all the way to the outside, are clean, have him switch the
breakers, if he can find the same brand. (what landlord doesn't know won't
hurt him, and new breakers are cheap.) If neither of those fix it, the wire
between the panel and the dryer may be too small, or have other problems.
That is landlords problem.

aem sends...


That 50 AMP Breaker for a residential dryer circuit is very suspicious
and might be cause for alarm. Higher amperage circuits cost
electricians more to install and they don't generally do things like
that if the code specifies a circuit of lessor Amperage for a specific
purpose. What if the wire to the outlet was only #10 (for a standard
30A Dryer circuit and it is "protected" by that 50 amp breaker? This
would be almost like having no protection at all and the wire could
overheat and start a fire. It is certainly worth checking out for the
safety of yourself and others in your building.

Beachcomber