We have an electric clothes dryer that isn't drying any more...Takes
forever for the load to get done...The Q. is, do these things go bad, as
in the element?

Or could, as they say, it be blocked with so much lint that it's being
impeded by lint and not efficient as it could be?

I clean the lint trap, have a long brush to fish out the lint, and so
on. Could this be plugged up deep inside? We are on the 2nd floor of a
condo. Is there a fire hazard, like these guys say, that want to clean
out the line of lint?

Any comments would be much appreciated... TIA.

"Paddy Waggin" wrote in message
...
We have an electric clothes dryer that isn't drying any more...Takes
forever for the load to get done...The Q. is, do these things go bad, as
in the element?

Or could, as they say, it be blocked with so much lint that it's being
impeded by lint and not efficient as it could be?

I clean the lint trap, have a long brush to fish out the lint, and so
on. Could this be plugged up deep inside? We are on the 2nd floor of a
condo. Is there a fire hazard, like these guys say, that want to clean
out the line of lint?

Any comments would be much appreciated... TIA.


The element can go bad. Run the dryer for about 5 minuits and open the door
and see if it is warm inside.

If it is warm, you may have a stopped up vent line and that will cause the
element to burn out at some time. YOu may be able to open the door and hold
down the safety switch and start the dryer without anything in it.
Becareful of the rotating drum and see if you can see the heating element
turning red. or feel the heat from it.
If no heat, you probably need a new heating element.

Paddy Waggin wrote:
We have an electric clothes dryer that isn't drying any more...Takes
forever for the load to get done...The Q. is, do these things go bad,
as in the element?

Or could, as they say, it be blocked with so much lint that it's being
impeded by lint and not efficient as it could be?

I clean the lint trap, have a long brush to fish out the lint, and so
on. Could this be plugged up deep inside? We are on the 2nd floor of a
condo. Is there a fire hazard, like these guys say, that want to clean
out the line of lint?

Any comments would be much appreciated... TIA.

There is no fire hazard. Even if the lint caught fire, there's not much fuel
and it's in a metal pipe.

Don't worry about it.

As to whether the vent line is clogged, run the dryer and look at the vent
as it leave the building. Is a goodly volume of air coming out? If so, the
vent's not blocked.

On 3/11/2011 9:32 PM, Paddy Waggin wrote:
We have an electric clothes dryer that isn't drying any more...Takes
forever for the load to get done...The Q. is, do these things go bad, as
in the element?

Or could, as they say, it be blocked with so much lint that it's being
impeded by lint and not efficient as it could be?

I clean the lint trap, have a long brush to fish out the lint, and so
on. Could this be plugged up deep inside? We are on the 2nd floor of a
condo. Is there a fire hazard, like these guys say, that want to clean
out the line of lint?

Any comments would be much appreciated... TIA.


the best way to diagnose if the vent tube is the problem, is to just run
the dryer with it not hooked to it. If it does better, then it's time
to swab out the duct to the outside.

--
Steve Barker
remove the "not" from my address to email

On Mar 11, 10:41*pm, Steve Barker wrote:
On 3/11/2011 9:32 PM, Paddy Waggin wrote:

We have an electric clothes dryer that isn't drying any more...Takes
forever for the load to get done...The Q. is, do these things go bad, as
in the element?

Or could, as they say, it be blocked with so much lint that it's being
impeded by lint and not efficient as it could be?

I clean the lint trap, have a long brush to fish out the lint, and so
on. Could this be plugged up deep inside? We are on the 2nd floor of a
condo. Is there a fire hazard, like these guys say, that want to clean
out the line of lint?

Any comments would be much appreciated... TIA.

the best way to diagnose if the vent tube is the problem, is to just run
the dryer with it not hooked to it. *If it does better, then it's time
to swab out the duct to the outside.

--
Steve Barker
remove the "not" from my address to email

I would disconnect the vent to the outside and see if there is a good
volume of hot air blowing out of the pipe from the dryer. If you are
worried about too much lint in the exhaust getting into the room, put
a nylon stocking over the exhaust. That will filter out the worst of
the lint, but not block the air flow. The exhaust should be hot
(assuming you have the heat control set to high heat) and blowing a
fairly strong volume of air. If the air flow is too low, the heating
element overheat thermostat may be kicking in to limit the heat, and
the lack of air flow will slow down the drying process. You have to
find out if the air flow is normal or not, and let us know here for
further ideas.

Paddy Waggin wrote:
We have an electric clothes dryer that isn't drying any more...Takes
forever for the load to get done...The Q. is, do these things go bad,
as in the element?

Or could, as they say, it be blocked with so much lint that it's being
impeded by lint and not efficient as it could be?

I clean the lint trap, have a long brush to fish out the lint, and so
on. Could this be plugged up deep inside? We are on the 2nd floor of a
condo. Is there a fire hazard, like these guys say, that want to clean
out the line of lint?

Any comments would be much appreciated... TIA.

This same question gets asked/answered about every week or 2 recently. Clean or
blow out every air passage and around the drum, and all the ducting with an air
compressor of leaf blower. Search on Google groups for the previos discussions.

On Fri, 11 Mar 2011 20:32:14 -0700, (Paddy
Waggin) wrote:

We have an electric clothes dryer that isn't drying any more...Takes
forever for the load to get done...The Q. is, do these things go bad, as
in the element?

Or could, as they say, it be blocked with so much lint that it's being
impeded by lint and not efficient as it could be?

I clean the lint trap, have a long brush to fish out the lint, and so
on. Could this be plugged up deep inside? We are on the 2nd floor of a
condo. Is there a fire hazard, like these guys say, that want to clean
out the line of lint?

Any comments would be much appreciated... TIA.

Do you have a belt-driven drum?

I think it's also possible the belt that spins the basket is loose and
the basket is not turning much. It won't dry if it doesn't turn. I'm
almost sure -- does anyone know -- that this would be worse the more
weight, the more clothes and the wetter they are, is in the dryer.

My mother's whirlpool needed a new belt in the 60's when it was less
than 3 years old -- now that I think about it, it probably just needed
tightening**, but I was 12 -- but never needed one again. My
whirlpool now is 32 years old and still doesn't need a new belt, nor
has this one ever been tightened. So there is some variability in
life span.

**Nonetheless, my mother and I fixed it. I told her what to do and she
did it. Maybe we did just tighten it, because getting the belt off
requires loosening and moving something that goes through the center
of the belt. I don't remember doing that part.

You can probably see how fast the drum is turning by putting a quarter
or three in the dryer and listening. Hmmm. Even with my normal
dryer, the clothes keep the change from making noise much of the time.
You could also run it for 2 seconds and see if the clothes are
tumbling down as you open the door.

We have an electric clothes dryer that isn't drying any more...Takes
forever for the load to get done...The Q. is, do these things go bad, as
in the element?

Or could, as they say, it be blocked with so much lint that it's being
impeded by lint and not efficient as it could be?

I clean the lint trap, have a long brush to fish out the lint, and so
on. Could this be plugged up deep inside? We are on the 2nd floor of a
condo. Is there a fire hazard, like these guys say, that want to clean
out the line of lint?

Any comments would be much appreciated... TIA.


*I was working on the outside electric service of a multi-story condo
building two years ago. About 20' above me were the dryer vents lined up in
a row. Every so often I would look up to see a little bird with a twig in
its mouth fly into one of the vents. In that particular complex they
require that the owners have their vents cleaned once a year. Other
communities that I work in require it done every two years. I do my own at
least once a year.

I know of one couple in a condo that were about ready to buy a new dryer,
but had the vent cleaned first. They didn't need to buy a new dryer after
that. If you have not had someone come in and shove a rotating brush
through the entire length of your dryer exhaust pipe, then I suggest that
you do that. There still could be something else wrong with your dryer, but
you need that pipe clean for it to function properly. If your clothes are
getting dry, but it is taking a long time, a clogged vent could be the
problem.

The common problems are
* Not getting 240 volt power
* Heater element burnt out
* Thermal overload safety switch opened
* Burnt wire some where

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"Paddy Waggin" wrote in message
...
We have an electric clothes dryer that isn't drying any
more...Takes
forever for the load to get done...The Q. is, do these
things go bad, as
in the element?

Or could, as they say, it be blocked with so much lint that
it's being
impeded by lint and not efficient as it could be?

I clean the lint trap, have a long brush to fish out the
lint, and so
on. Could this be plugged up deep inside? We are on the 2nd
floor of a
condo. Is there a fire hazard, like these guys say, that
want to clean
out the line of lint?

Any comments would be much appreciated... TIA.

Paddy Waggin wrote:
We have an electric clothes dryer that isn't drying any more...Takes
forever for the load to get done...The Q. is, do these things go bad,
as in the element?

Turn the dryer on for a half a minute when there are no clothes in the
dryer. Did the inside of the dryer get warm?

If so, the dryer is working, and you might have a plugged up duct.

If the dryer did not get get warm, something is amiss. Usually it is a
thermostat or the thermal safety, but sometimes it is the element. You can
test these components with a multimeter after you unplug the dryer and
remove the back cover.

Jon

On Sat, 12 Mar 2011 03:03:32 -0500, mm wrote:

On Fri, 11 Mar 2011 20:32:14 -0700, (Paddy
Waggin) wrote:

We have an electric clothes dryer that isn't drying any more...Takes
forever for the load to get done...The Q. is, do these things go bad, as
in the element?

Or could, as they say, it be blocked with so much lint that it's being
impeded by lint and not efficient as it could be?

I clean the lint trap, have a long brush to fish out the lint, and so
on. Could this be plugged up deep inside? We are on the 2nd floor of a
condo. Is there a fire hazard, like these guys say, that want to clean
out the line of lint?

Any comments would be much appreciated... TIA.

Do you have a belt-driven drum?

I think it's also possible the belt that spins the basket is loose and
the basket is not turning much. It won't dry if it doesn't turn. I'm
almost sure -- does anyone know -- that this would be worse the more
weight, the more clothes and the wetter they are, is in the dryer.

My mother's whirlpool needed a new belt in the 60's when it was less
than 3 years old -- now that I think about it, it probably just needed
tightening**, but I was 12 -- but never needed one again. My
whirlpool now is 32 years old and still doesn't need a new belt, nor
has this one ever been tightened. So there is some variability in
life span.

**Nonetheless, my mother and I fixed it. I told her what to do and she
did it. Maybe we did just tighten it, because getting the belt off
requires loosening and moving something that goes through the center
of the belt. I don't remember doing that part.

On the driers I've worked on, the belt just goes around a motor pulley and the
drum (there is a tensioner on the back side of the belt). There is no reason
to remove anything to replace the belt. If you're in there, the pads the
front of the drum rests on should be replaced, too.

You can probably see how fast the drum is turning by putting a quarter
or three in the dryer and listening. Hmmm. Even with my normal
dryer, the clothes keep the change from making noise much of the time.
You could also run it for 2 seconds and see if the clothes are
tumbling down as you open the door.

On 3/12/2011 11:45 AM, zzzzzzzzzz wrote:
On Sat, 12 Mar 2011 03:03:32 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 11 Mar 2011 20:32:14 -0700, (Paddy
Waggin) wrote:

We have an electric clothes dryer that isn't drying any more...Takes
forever for the load to get done...The Q. is, do these things go bad, as
in the element?

Or could, as they say, it be blocked with so much lint that it's being
impeded by lint and not efficient as it could be?

I clean the lint trap, have a long brush to fish out the lint, and so
on. Could this be plugged up deep inside? We are on the 2nd floor of a
condo. Is there a fire hazard, like these guys say, that want to clean
out the line of lint?

Any comments would be much appreciated... TIA.

Do you have a belt-driven drum?

I think it's also possible the belt that spins the basket is loose and
the basket is not turning much. It won't dry if it doesn't turn. I'm
almost sure -- does anyone know -- that this would be worse the more
weight, the more clothes and the wetter they are, is in the dryer.

My mother's whirlpool needed a new belt in the 60's when it was less
than 3 years old -- now that I think about it, it probably just needed
tightening**, but I was 12 -- but never needed one again. My
whirlpool now is 32 years old and still doesn't need a new belt, nor
has this one ever been tightened. So there is some variability in
life span.

**Nonetheless, my mother and I fixed it. I told her what to do and she
did it. Maybe we did just tighten it, because getting the belt off
requires loosening and moving something that goes through the center
of the belt. I don't remember doing that part.

On the driers I've worked on, the belt just goes around a motor pulley and the
drum (there is a tensioner on the back side of the belt). There is no reason
to remove anything to replace the belt. If you're in there, the pads the
front of the drum rests on should be replaced, too.

You can probably see how fast the drum is turning by putting a quarter
or three in the dryer and listening. Hmmm. Even with my normal
dryer, the clothes keep the change from making noise much of the time.
You could also run it for 2 seconds and see if the clothes are
tumbling down as you open the door.

You'll play hell getting that belt around that drum without taking
SOMETHING apart. duh.

--
Steve Barker
remove the "not" from my address to email

On Sat, 12 Mar 2011 12:55:07 -0600, Steve Barker
wrote:

On 3/12/2011 11:45 AM, zzzzzzzzzz wrote:
On Sat, 12 Mar 2011 03:03:32 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 11 Mar 2011 20:32:14 -0700, (Paddy
Waggin) wrote:

We have an electric clothes dryer that isn't drying any more...Takes
forever for the load to get done...The Q. is, do these things go bad, as
in the element?

Or could, as they say, it be blocked with so much lint that it's being
impeded by lint and not efficient as it could be?

I clean the lint trap, have a long brush to fish out the lint, and so
on. Could this be plugged up deep inside? We are on the 2nd floor of a
condo. Is there a fire hazard, like these guys say, that want to clean
out the line of lint?

Any comments would be much appreciated... TIA.

Do you have a belt-driven drum?

I think it's also possible the belt that spins the basket is loose and
the basket is not turning much. It won't dry if it doesn't turn. I'm
almost sure -- does anyone know -- that this would be worse the more
weight, the more clothes and the wetter they are, is in the dryer.

My mother's whirlpool needed a new belt in the 60's when it was less
than 3 years old -- now that I think about it, it probably just needed
tightening**, but I was 12 -- but never needed one again. My
whirlpool now is 32 years old and still doesn't need a new belt, nor
has this one ever been tightened. So there is some variability in
life span.

**Nonetheless, my mother and I fixed it. I told her what to do and she
did it. Maybe we did just tighten it, because getting the belt off
requires loosening and moving something that goes through the center
of the belt. I don't remember doing that part.

On the driers I've worked on, the belt just goes around a motor pulley and the
drum (there is a tensioner on the back side of the belt). There is no reason
to remove anything to replace the belt. If you're in there, the pads the
front of the drum rests on should be replaced, too.

You can probably see how fast the drum is turning by putting a quarter
or three in the dryer and listening. Hmmm. Even with my normal
dryer, the clothes keep the change from making noise much of the time.
You could also run it for 2 seconds and see if the clothes are
tumbling down as you open the door.

You'll play hell getting that belt around that drum without taking
SOMETHING apart. duh.

The front of the case has to come off, obviously, and that's simple. Nothing
else, other than what is required to get the case apart, needs removal. It
really is an easy job.

On Mar 11, 9:32*pm, (Paddy Waggin) wrote:

Any comments would be much appreciated... TIA.

In my experience lack of heat is usually caused by one of two things:

1. Heating Element
2. Thermostat that is screwed or clipped to the duct or heating
element housing.

Usually #1 and both are pretty easy to replace.

If you are not getting heat, I doubt if it has much to do with plugged
vent plumbing. However, it is always good to check for lint build up
and clean from time-to-time. Lint burns very easy. When I was a Boy
Scout leader it was the fuel of choice for training fire starting.
Get a spark in it, blow and you have fire and burned fingers if not
careful.

RonB

In my experience lack of heat is usually caused by one of two things:

1. Heating Element
2. Thermostat that is screwed or clipped to the duct or heating
element housing.

Usually #1 and both are pretty easy to replace.

If you are not getting heat, I doubt if it has much to do with plugged
vent plumbing. However, it is always good to check for lint build up
and clean from time-to-time. Lint burns very easy. When I was a Boy
Scout leader it was the fuel of choice for training fire starting.
Get a spark in it, blow and you have fire and burned fingers if not
careful.

RonB


*The OP states in his first two broken sentences: "We have an electric
clothes dryer that isn't drying any more...Takes
forever for the load to get done..."

From that I am not sure if it isn't drying at all or if it is just drying
very slowly. We may never know.

On Sat, 12 Mar 2011 17:37:46 -0500, "John Grabowski"
wrote:

In my experience lack of heat is usually caused by one of two things:

1. Heating Element
2. Thermostat that is screwed or clipped to the duct or heating
element housing.

Usually #1 and both are pretty easy to replace.

If you are not getting heat, I doubt if it has much to do with plugged
vent plumbing. However, it is always good to check for lint build up
and clean from time-to-time. Lint burns very easy. When I was a Boy
Scout leader it was the fuel of choice for training fire starting.
Get a spark in it, blow and you have fire and burned fingers if not
careful.

RonB


*The OP states in his first two broken sentences: "We have an electric
clothes dryer that isn't drying any more...Takes
forever for the load to get done..."

From that I am not sure if it isn't drying at all or if it is just drying
very slowly. We may never know.

Yes, the question is, if it dries after forever, is that slowly or not
at all. The fact that it does get done seems to me that it's very
slowly.