I have a Whirlpool thintwin washer/dryer combo. I was moving it back
into place when I dragged part of the frame over the power cord. I was
holding it from the front, but I heard a pop and saw sparks. coming
from the right, bottom side of the dryer (assuming you're looking at it
face on). The circuit breaker hadn't tripped, but the power cable had
gash and a scorch mark on the floor.

The cord was easy enough to replace and I tried that. The unit isn't
responding now. The dryer won't even start, for example. While I was
checking behind the unit, I found what I think is the thermal fuse. If
that's working, it should come up like a short, right? There were some
round electrical devices that I think are the thermostats. I don't know
a way to test with the multimeter, but they didn't look burst at all.
In fact, I couldn't find an origin for the sparks at all.

Is there anything else to check?

Updating my own threads as usual. I checked the outlet and I'm not
getting any voltage across any of the terminals. The circuit breakers
are clearly on; they had never reset. The only thing I can think of is
to go reset it manually anyways. I don't have all my breakers labelled
(find them as I go) so I'm waiting for everybody to go to bed before I
start randomly turning off parts of the house. That just seems strange
though...

turn circuit breaker all the way off and back on. sometimes they pop
halfway.
isn't now a great time to buy a $25 digital multimeter and continue
troubleshooting?
see also:
http://fixitnow.com/

buffalobill wrote:
turn circuit breaker all the way off and back on. sometimes they pop
halfway.
isn't now a great time to buy a $25 digital multimeter and continue
troubleshooting?
see also:
http://fixitnow.com/


I'm ahead of you on both accounts. I've been testing the circuits with
a multimeter. I don't think I got a forums account on fixitnow, but I
have asked questions on applianceblog from time to time. Somehow I
think I was navigating one site and wound up on the other.

On Tue, 17 Jan 2006 06:18:18 GMT, Adam Preble
wrote:

buffalobill wrote:
turn circuit breaker all the way off and back on. sometimes they pop
halfway.
isn't now a great time to buy a $25 digital multimeter and continue
troubleshooting?
see also:
http://fixitnow.com/


I'm ahead of you on both accounts. I've been testing the circuits with
a multimeter. I don't think I got a forums account on fixitnow, but I
have asked questions on applianceblog from time to time. Somehow I
think I was navigating one site and wound up on the other.

If turning is all the way off, and back on again dont solve the
problem, replace the breaker. It probably fried.
The good news, its easier to fix than the dryer, Probably cheaper
too.

http://www.repairclinic.com/0047_11.asp

wrote:
On Tue, 17 Jan 2006 06:18:18 GMT, Adam Preble
wrote:

buffalobill wrote:
turn circuit breaker all the way off and back on. sometimes they pop
halfway.
isn't now a great time to buy a $25 digital multimeter and continue
troubleshooting?
see also:
http://fixitnow.com/


I'm ahead of you on both accounts. I've been testing the circuits
with a multimeter. I don't think I got a forums account on fixitnow,
but I have asked questions on applianceblog from time to time.
Somehow I think I was navigating one site and wound up on the other.

If turning is all the way off, and back on again dont solve the
problem, replace the breaker.

Or replace the outlet.


It probably fried.
The good news, its easier to fix than the dryer, Probably cheaper
too.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

Adam Preble wrote:
buffalobill wrote:
turn circuit breaker all the way off and back on. sometimes they pop
halfway.
isn't now a great time to buy a $25 digital multimeter and continue
troubleshooting?
see also:
http://fixitnow.com/


I'm ahead of you on both accounts. I've been testing the circuits with
a multimeter. I don't think I got a forums account on fixitnow, but I
have asked questions on applianceblog from time to time. Somehow I
think I was navigating one site and wound up on the other.
Did you try pluging the washer/drier into a different, working, outlet?
I just fixed a problem like this in a ladies garage. She had shorted
out the vacuum cleaner using an outlet in the garage. The breaker
didn't trip but I found an open electrical junction further up the
circuit. It was so badly made that it worked like an inline fuse.
Another guy was out and told her the feed to the garage was out and she
needed the yard dug up and the feed replaced ~ $1500.
Richard

It's an electric dryer that requires a 220V socket; there's no other
sockets in the house that'll do.

I tested the circuit breaker today and it looks like all the breakers
are supply power. I had no voltage across the bare wires of the main
outlet. I had taken it out of the wall and tried measure across its
wires to no affect. This is very strange to me. My circuit breaker
box doesn't have any tied breakers, and I only have 20A breakers in
there. When I got the house back in July, the inspector alerted me
that I should change that so that I don't have only half the circuit
break on me. We never determined which circuit breakers were actually
handling the dryer, and I'm starting to think none of them are doing
that. The house was built in the late 70's, and I doubt its had a
second panel installed someplace. I'm a little confused.

I will test the breakers again tonight, but I might need an electrician
find the path of that circuit for me. The dryer outlet and breaker box
are both in the garage, along with my gas heaters. Is there any place
else I should be looking to find the source of this circuit?

According to :
It's an electric dryer that requires a 220V socket; there's no other
sockets in the house that'll do.

The dryer will have three or four prongs on its cord. What did you test?
Only voltage between the two "blade" connectors, or did you test
between the blade sockets and the ground hole?

If you don't have tied breakers, one half may have tripped, and measuring
across the 240V won't show anything. But measuring between each of
the 240V pins and ground may show something on one of them.

I tested the circuit breaker today and it looks like all the breakers
are supply power.

Did you test for voltage on the breaker where the wires are connected?

I had no voltage across the bare wires of the main
outlet. I had taken it out of the wall and tried measure across its
wires to no affect.

_All_ the wires?

I will test the breakers again tonight, but I might need an electrician
find the path of that circuit for me. The dryer outlet and breaker box
are both in the garage, along with my gas heaters. Is there any place
else I should be looking to find the source of this circuit?

There may be a pony panel somewhere. Look in the garage where the wires
enter it.
--
Chris Lewis, Una confibula non set est
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.

On Tue, 17 Jan 2006 17:57:56 -0000, (Chris
Lewis) wrote:

There may be a pony panel somewhere. Look in the garage where the wires
enter it.

I never heard that expression before "pony panel", but I agree. There
has got to be another box somewhere if a every breaker is live in the
main box. -OR- the wires feeding the dryer outlet are spliced
somewhere (hopefully in a box) and there is a bad connection. The OP
needs to start at the dryer outlet, make sure all the wires are
attached to it, then work backwards, following the cable all the way
to the main panel. -OR- Just run completely new wiring.

I don't quite understand why the OP can not find the dryer breaker.
There are most likely only 2 or 3 Dual Breakers (240volt) ones in the
panel. That is assuming this dryer is an electric dryer (I am not
sure what he has)....

Dryer should be a double 30 amp breaker.

wrote in message
ups.com...
It's an electric dryer that requires a 220V socket; there's no other
sockets in the house that'll do.

I tested the circuit breaker today and it looks like all the breakers
are supply power. I had no voltage across the bare wires of the main
outlet. I had taken it out of the wall and tried measure across its
wires to no affect. This is very strange to me. My circuit breaker
box doesn't have any tied breakers, and I only have 20A breakers in
there. When I got the house back in July, the inspector alerted me
that I should change that so that I don't have only half the circuit
break on me. We never determined which circuit breakers were actually
handling the dryer, and I'm starting to think none of them are doing
that. The house was built in the late 70's, and I doubt its had a
second panel installed someplace. I'm a little confused.

I will test the breakers again tonight, but I might need an electrician
find the path of that circuit for me. The dryer outlet and breaker box
are both in the garage, along with my gas heaters. Is there any place
else I should be looking to find the source of this circuit?

wrote:
I don't quite understand why the OP can not find the dryer breaker.
There are most likely only 2 or 3 Dual Breakers (240volt) ones in the
panel. That is assuming this dryer is an electric dryer (I am not
sure what he has)....

It's an electric dryer. The problem is that there are no dual breakers
in the circuit breaker box. There are no 30A breakers for that matter.

On Tue, 17 Jan 2006 03:58:28 GMT, Adam Preble
wrote:

The cord was easy enough to replace and I tried that. The unit isn't
responding now. The dryer won't even start, for example. While I was
checking behind the unit, I found what I think is the thermal fuse. If
that's working, it should come up like a short, right? There were some
round electrical devices that I think are the thermostats. I don't know
a way to test with the multimeter, but they didn't look burst at all.
In fact, I couldn't find an origin for the sparks at all.

Is there anything else to check?

Yes, nothing in the dryer should be damaged by sparking in the cord.
Verify that the receptacle is still working. It probably sacrificed
itself to save the circuit breakers. (Receptacles are very brave, and
have received more Medal of Valor's than any other electrical device.
Viva la receptacle! Viva la outlet!!)


Remove NOPSAM to email me. Please let
me know if you have posted also.

On 17 Jan 2006 14:48:55 -0800, wrote:

wrote:
I don't quite understand why the OP can not find the dryer breaker.
There are most likely only 2 or 3 Dual Breakers (240volt) ones in the
panel. That is assuming this dryer is an electric dryer (I am not
sure what he has)....

It's an electric dryer. The problem is that there are no dual breakers
in the circuit breaker box. There are no 30A breakers for that matter.

Except for carefully testing whether you have power, you had better
stop working with 220 until you are able to disconnect the power,

I don't do this for a living, so bear that in mind but last year
my dining room chandelier stopped working. I spent a lot of time
measuring the voltage in the socket that the lighbulb fit, and after
there was no voltage, I spent a lot of time checking for continuity
from the wall switch and the neutral wire in the switch box, to the
socket. And I just got more and more confuse.

Finally I had the sense to check for voltage at the base of the
lightbulb socket, where the wires come in and are riveted, with those
rivvets that have a hole in the middle, to the socket. There was
voltage there, but none inside the socket. Something was wrong with
a rivet.

So don't assume that if you put the meter probes in the slots or the
other holes and get no voltage, that you can safely touch the entire
outlet.

It can still be very hot in the back.

But once you find that it is hot in the back and not int the front,
you've found your problem.

And it's likely that an outlet would fail when there has been a short
circuiit in a cord and high current through it.


But before you do all this, look for that second breaker box. Maybe
you just need to reset the breaker.


And while your at it, turn on all the lights and something in every
other outlet and have your wife help you find out which one is
which. You're young, you're still in love, now is the time to do it.
Just kidding.

Remove NOPSAM to email me. Please let
me know if you have posted also.

Final update on my own thread. I found a second breaker box. It was
outside. There was a 30A breaker in it that was tripped. I reset that
and now everything works again. Thanks to everybody for the help.

On 17 Jan 2006 14:48:55 -0800, wrote:

wrote:
I don't quite understand why the OP can not find the dryer breaker.
There are most likely only 2 or 3 Dual Breakers (240volt) ones in the
panel. That is assuming this dryer is an electric dryer (I am not
sure what he has)....

It's an electric dryer. The problem is that there are no dual breakers
in the circuit breaker box. There are no 30A breakers for that matter.

OK, then you MUST have another panel somewhere. You have to have 220
to run the thing. Unless some idiot used 2 separate breakers (bad
thing to do).
Can't you trace the wire from the outlet back, or is it all buried in
walls and stuff? The cable SHOULD be a 10-3. Is it? Can you read
anything on it?

Is there a 10-3 cable at your main breaker box?

I know if I was there I could figure it out in no time, but it's hard
to do online. Whatever you do, dont start tearing things apart till
you know it's shut off. OR, pull your MAIN disconnect, and BE SURE
there is only ONE Main. 220 is nothing to mess around with.
However, nothing will get hurt if you start following that wire back
from the outlet. Look in basement under it, or attic above it, etc.
Assuming its a 10-3 cable, it should be easy to spot, because thats
likely the only 10-3 cable in the house unless you got a central air
conditioner or electric water heater. You probably do not have the
new color coded cable (which 10-3 is orange), but the older white
cables always had different manufacturing marks on them, so try to
find cable that matches throughout the house. If you see ANYTHING
that looks like a breaker or fuse box, investigate it.

When you are looking to trace a wire, always point from the outlet
toward the main breaker box. While some electrician may have done
something goofy, it's most likely that the wire goes in the direction
of the main panel.
10-3 is quite a bit thicker than most other wire, so look for THICK
!!!

Mark

On Wed, 18 Jan 2006 02:41:35 GMT, Adam Preble
wrote:

Final update on my own thread. I found a second breaker box. It was
outside. There was a 30A breaker in it that was tripped. I reset that
and now everything works again. Thanks to everybody for the help.

Glad you got it working. Why is the box outside? I suppose you have
the same question..... Thats a weird place for it. I hope its a
weatherproof box. You may want to consider moving it indoors in the
near future.