Kitchen Aid Dryer broke last night, still produces heat, but doesn't spin
 

Hello
I have an electric Kitchen Aid 'heavy duty' washer and dryer in my
garage.
They came with the house, they could be 10 yrs old, but I'm not sure.
Last night the dryer broke.
It still produces heat, the light still goes on when you open the
door, but they barrel doesn't spin.
I reached in and turned it by hand and it does move, so its not
obstructed.
It just seems like the gears/belt/chain or whatever is the drive
mechanism has broken.
A year or two ago something similar happened with the washing machine
and I was able to fix it with the help and parts provided by someone
on this forum, so I'm hoping to get lucky again.
Thanks.

Kitchen Aid Dryer broke last night, still produces heat, butdoesn't spin
 

On Oct 4, 9:18*am, X wrote:
Hello
I have an electric Kitchen Aid 'heavy duty' washer and dryer in my
garage.
They came with the house, they could be 10 yrs old, but I'm not sure.
Last night the dryer broke.
It still produces heat, the light still goes on when you open the
door, but they barrel doesn't spin.
I reached in and turned it by hand and it does move, so its not
obstructed.
It just seems like the gears/belt/chain or whatever is the drive
mechanism has broken.
A year or two ago something similar happened with the washing machine
and I was able to fix it with the help and parts provided by someone
on this forum, so I'm hoping to get lucky again.
Thanks.

Sounds like the belt broke. I'm surprised it would still produce heat.
Usually there is a tensioner pulley connected to a switch. When the
belt breaks it opens the circuit, preventing the dryer from even
coming on at all.

Kitchen Aid Dryer broke last night, still produces heat, butdoesn't spin
 

On Oct 4, 9:28*am, Mikepier wrote:
On Oct 4, 9:18*am, X wrote:

Hello
I have an electric Kitchen Aid 'heavy duty' washer and dryer in my
garage.
They came with the house, they could be 10 yrs old, but I'm not sure.
Last night the dryer broke.
It still produces heat, the light still goes on when you open the
door, but they barrel doesn't spin.
I reached in and turned it by hand and it does move, so its not
obstructed.
It just seems like the gears/belt/chain or whatever is the drive
mechanism has broken.
A year or two ago something similar happened with the washing machine
and I was able to fix it with the help and parts provided by someone
on this forum, so I'm hoping to get lucky again.
Thanks.

Sounds like the belt broke. I'm surprised it would still produce heat.
Usually there is a tensioner pulley connected to a switch. When the
belt breaks it opens the circuit, preventing the dryer from even
coming on at all.

Belt broken or off. Front or top of the drier should come off. Top
id the more common access for front loaders. Might have clips that
you need to release with a thin screwdriver.

Not many have a switch on the tensioner. Most rely on a heat
activated safety switch.

Kitchen Aid Dryer broke last night, still produces heat, butdoesn't spin
 

On Oct 4, 8:18*am, X wrote:
Hello
I have an electric Kitchen Aid 'heavy duty' washer and dryer in my
garage.
They came with the house, they could be 10 yrs old, but I'm not sure.
Last night the dryer broke.
It still produces heat, the light still goes on when you open the
door, but they barrel doesn't spin.
I reached in and turned it by hand and it does move, so its not
obstructed.
It just seems like the gears/belt/chain or whatever is the drive
mechanism has broken.
A year or two ago something similar happened with the washing machine
and I was able to fix it with the help and parts provided by someone
on this forum, so I'm hoping to get lucky again.
Thanks.

As others have said, it's almost always the belt. It's a simple
repair, but I'd always replace the drum pads with the belt. It's
pretty easy and you're in there anyway. For instructions and parts do
a web search using the dryer's make and model number. You should find
everything you need. If you're at all handy, the repair might take an
hour the first time you do it.

Kitchen Aid Dryer broke last night, still produces heat, butdoesn't spin
 

On Oct 4, 9:18*am, keith wrote:
On Oct 4, 8:18*am, X wrote:

Hello
I have an electric Kitchen Aid 'heavy duty' washer and dryer in my
garage.
They came with the house, they could be 10 yrs old, but I'm not sure.
Last night the dryer broke.
It still produces heat, the light still goes on when you open the
door, but they barrel doesn't spin.
I reached in and turned it by hand and it does move, so its not
obstructed.
It just seems like the gears/belt/chain or whatever is the drive
mechanism has broken.
A year or two ago something similar happened with the washing machine
and I was able to fix it with the help and parts provided by someone
on this forum, so I'm hoping to get lucky again.
Thanks.

As others have said, it's almost always the belt. *It's a simple
repair, but I'd always replace the drum pads with the belt. *It's
pretty easy and you're in there anyway. *For instructions and parts do
a web search using the dryer's make and model number. *You should find
everything you need. *If you're at all handy, the repair might take an
hour the first time you do it.

The hardest part of this is getting the front loose, usually the top
pops off being held by two clips at the front left and front right-
hand corners. Lift the top while pushing a thin screwdriver into the
clips. Once the top is up, you will need to prop it against something
to avoid it going completely back and breaking whatever serves for
rear hinges. The front just pulls forward, when you do that the drum
will likely fall down with no front support. I use a couple of 2x4
scraps to hold the drum up. The belt is easy to replace, the only
problem is getting it to go around the tensioner pulley correctly. I
am sure someone here can better describe how to do this. But don't be
afraid to tackle the job, it is really very easy compared to what you
did on the washing machine.

Kitchen Aid Dryer broke last night, still produces heat, but doesn't spin
 

"X" wrote
It just seems like the gears/belt/chain or whatever is the drive
mechanism has broken.


Probably the belt. Get some info at www.repairclinic.com

Kitchen Aid Dryer broke last night, still produces heat, butdoesn't spin
 

I just ordered the parts. Thanks all.


On Oct 4, 10:55*pm, "Ed Pawlowski" wrote:
"X" wrote

It just seems like the gears/belt/chain or whatever is the drive
mechanism has broken.

Probably the belt. Get some info atwww.repairclinic.com*

Kitchen Aid Dryer broke last night, still produces heat, butdoesn't spin
 

By the way, there is no such thing as a heavy duty washer or dryer.
This is a marketing gimmick. To you, it means stronger components for
greater durability, while to the retailer it means the capacity of the
machine. As long as the buyer keeps thinking the former, the retailer
will content.

Kitchen Aid Dryer broke last night, still produces heat, butdoesn't spin
 

On 10/10/2010 10:46 AM, AE Todd wrote:
By the way, there is no such thing as a heavy duty washer or dryer.
This is a marketing gimmick. To you, it means stronger components for
greater durability, while to the retailer it means the capacity of the
machine. As long as the buyer keeps thinking the former, the retailer
will content.

Actually there is such a thing, but it's not the consumer machines that
have "Heavy Duty" stamped on them, it's the commercial machines that you
can't buy at Sears, Home Depot, or Lowes. You can buy them, but you have
to go to a distributor of commercial equipment. These are machines
designed for continuous use, and they go into laundromats, military
bases, etc. You can get them with or without bill and coin acceptors.
They are very expensive. A top load washer is over $1000, and a front
load is over $2000. Of course in household use they will likely never
require repair or replacement. I put a pair into a rental unit I own
because I don't want to have to deal with repairs. 12 years and counting.

Kitchen Aid Dryer broke last night, still produces heat, but doesn't spin
 

In article ,
SMS wrote:

On 10/10/2010 10:46 AM, AE Todd wrote:
By the way, there is no such thing as a heavy duty washer or dryer.
This is a marketing gimmick. To you, it means stronger components for
greater durability, while to the retailer it means the capacity of the
machine. As long as the buyer keeps thinking the former, the retailer
will content.

Actually there is such a thing, but it's not the consumer machines that
have "Heavy Duty" stamped on them, it's the commercial machines that you
can't buy at Sears, Home Depot, or Lowes. You can buy them, but you have
to go to a distributor of commercial equipment. These are machines
designed for continuous use, and they go into laundromats, military
bases, etc. You can get them with or without bill and coin acceptors.
They are very expensive. A top load washer is over $1000, and a front
load is over $2000. Of course in household use they will likely never
require repair or replacement. I put a pair into a rental unit I own
because I don't want to have to deal with repairs. 12 years and counting.

Hmm, good idea. Isn't that roughly the price of the current crop of
designer homeowner units? Did you buy yours locally, or online?