HELP! Electric appliances failing...

[Kage_ar]

So, a month or so ago, our electric dryer stopped working. It would come on, but, heat would never go on. DS ordered a new heating element and installed it, the problem persisted. Assuming it was the dryer, I bought a new dryer which was to be delivered on Saturday.

Came home from work on Thursday, the fridge stopped working.

What sort of luck is that???

So, on Friday we bought a little dorm fridge until we can go shopping - physically I need to be able to reach things in a new fridge. We have a deep freeze already.

Saturday, Lowe's delivers the new dryer, installs it. Turn it on and it runs. Guys leave. The heat never comes on in the dryer.

Now, we are thinking maybe this is an electrical problem? Other things in laundry room, washer, lights, deep freeze, work fine. Same goes for the kitchen, other things on that wall work fine.

Central AC works fine. DS has replaced the fuses, no avail.

It will be NEXT week until DS has a day off to meet an electrician at the house.

Anyone have ideas?

[Kage_ar]

DS is a smart man, but, he is NOT a "fix it diy" guy.

[zeno]

You said he replaced the fuses ...I assume that means he reset the breaker to the dryer specifically. Sometimes they sort of half trip so they look fine but aren't. Turning it off and back on again can sometimes fix this problem.

[Kage_ar]

You said he replaced the fuses ...I assume that means he reset the breaker to the dryer specifically. Sometimes they sort of half trip so they look fine but aren't. Turning it off and back on again can sometimes fix this problem.

Because they are located in a place where I can never see them, I know not much beyond our old house has screw in fuses. I do not know if there are breakers along with the fuses or not. Can houses have both?

This is all stored in the "things Brad knew but he died and left me with no idea about" log

[zeno]

Screw in fuses are an indication the wiring is pretty old. I think it's probably best to have a pro look at it.

[peregrinator]

I am not a fix it guy either but from what I'm reading it could also be either a faulty power cord or a clogged vent. Did they replace the power cord when they installed the new dryer? Sometimes new appliances don't come with cords.

I think it's a bit weird that the installation crew didn't check to see if it got warm. Honestly I would call Lowe's.

[Kage_ar]

I am not a fix it guy either but from what I'm reading it could also be either a faulty power cord or a clogged vent. Did they replace the power cord when they installed the new dryer? Sometimes new appliances don't come with cords.

I think it's a bit weird that the installation crew didn't check to see if it got warm. Honestly I would call Lowe's.

New cord, new vent hose.

[Kage_ar]

Screw in fuses are an indication the wiring is pretty old. I think it's probably best to have a pro look at it.

Yep. There was a major wiring electrical upgrade back when Brad with us, brought it all up to code. We have had some serious storms lately, the office and church building lost random things (computers mostly) from a lightening hit. The Bldg and Grounds manager here at work suspects we may have had a hit at my house.

Will be waiting until next week to have electrician come in, sigh. Meanwhile, the house looks like a refugee settlement with clothes hanging to dry all over the place! (I've suggested talking loads to the laundromat or even here to the office to use the dryer, DS does not find that idea of interest - he is just fine with crunchy towels)

[Obi-Wan Kenobi]

Have you tried blaming gherkin?

[gherkin]

Dryer running but not heating up sounds like the thermal fuse. Of course, it is funny that this happened both with the old dryer and with the new one. That does raise the question of whether there's some kind of electrical issue that's causing your thermal fuses to blow. But I would say the first move when you've got a dryer that won't heat is the thermal fuse.

Although if that dryer was just delivered by Lowe's, I'd actually say the first move would be to call Lowe's.

[peregrinator]

Although if that dryer was just delivered by Lowe's, I'd actually say the first move would be to call Lowe's.

gherkin peregrinator

[gherkin]

Although if that dryer was just delivered by Lowe's, I'd actually say the first move would be to call Lowe's.

gherkin peregrinator

Don't let Father see that. Actually, the clogged exhaust vent is one reason the thermal fuses will blow, so I also agree with you on checking that. It can be a pain.

[Kage_ar]

Although if that dryer was just delivered by Lowe's, I'd actually say the first move would be to call Lowe's.

gherkin peregrinator

Never mind, I gotta get to some beeswax candles 'cause this is one of the signs of the end of days prophesied by Nostradamus

[Obi-Wan Kenobi]

Et tu, peregrinator?

[Tired]

Most dryers in people's homes are powered by a 240VAC power source (lots of power is used to run the heating element, followed by some lower amount of power to run the motor that spins the dryer. a very small amount of power is used to run the dryer's control panel).

If the dryer is turning on and spinning but just not getting hot, then it seems it must be one of these items...

1. the heater element is bad (which you replaced)
2. one of the bimetallic thermostats on the heating element is bad
3. there is a problem with the wiring inside the dryer
4. the control panel circuit board is bad.

If you replaced the dryer with a new one and you see the same thing (the dryer turns on and spins but doesn't heat), you likely just got a lemon.

BTW - if the heating element you removed was truly bad, it would be pretty obvious as the heating element wire would have a visible break in it.

[Kage_ar]

Spoke with the electrician yesterday (he is the one our church uses for everything). He believes it is a fuse problem in the house because the likelihood of two dryers having the same fault is astronomical. He will be at the house on Wednesday.

[Tired]

Curious... what did they find?

[Signum Crucis]

And did you get the beeswax candles?

[Obi-Wan Kenobi]

100% beeswax only.

[Kage_ar]

Curious... what did they find?

The electrician is coming today.