So my damn Cloths dryer quit

And I went out side to hang up my laundry.

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And then I found this. Now I am Glad the dryer quit. All is good

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At least it's sunny out!
I guess you're dryer shopping now or will you just use the clothesline?

He's got him one of those newfangled SOLAR dryers!

HG, there aren't too many things that can go wrong with a dryer.

1. Circuit breaker at fuse panel.
2. Internal fuse (mine is behind the back panel)
3. Switch on the door. (That is what my problem was)
4. Dial controls.
5. Heating element.

Most of those things can be checked with an Volt/ohmmeter.

Thank Will do. I think I have another one in the garage. I am a red Neck ya know LOL

hallmarkgrad wrote:

Thank Will do. I think I have another one in the garage. I am a red Neck ya know LOL

HG, when you turn the dryer on if the drum does not spin, but you can hear the motor running, then the belt is likely broken. If the drum does spin, but does not put out any heat, then your heating element is bad or like Eric said the fuse is open. I have done appliance repair in a previous life and the best place to get parts here in Pensacola is Marcones' on Pace Blvd.

I thinking door switch right now I will look at it later. thanks for all the tips. Youse guys is ok..

There is a place on Old Corry Road a block or two North of Jackson on the West side of the road. I cannot remember the name of the place, but when I called the part number for the switch, the guy on the phone didn't have to check. He promptly said, "Yeah, we have plenty of them." It seems to me it was about $20.

I think it is Panhandle appliances. Good people thanks

Years ago my heating element went out in my dryer. I went to the Sears warehouse to look in the scratch and dent section for a new dryer....a young girl working there said if it is the heating element I could buy one and install it myself; she said she had replaced hers. Hmmm....if this really young kid could replace one then so could I....I remembered when the belt on my washer broke Sears sent out a service tech that looked like he was 12 and charged me $85.00 for 5 minutes of work.

I bought the heating element....got home unboxed this 6"x25 " oblong thing and I turned the dryer around. Dammit, the round hole on the back of the dryer was about 6-7 inches across....and I couldn't see a damn thing. I turned the dryer upside down and still couldn't figure out a way to get to it. I tried to take the back panel off....couldn't do it. I tried to get into the hole inside the dryer, couldn't do it. I spent all afternoon trying to get it done. Hubby (absolutely not a handy-man) got home and saw the mess I had so he called a young man he knew that worked on stuff like that....he came over and spent 5 hours trying to get the element in. He finally got it in but it wouldn't heat up. I called by brother in law the next day.... after several hours he figured it out. My dryer had been wired backwards by the manufacturer.....he hooked the element up backwards and it worked. The dryer only lasted another 6 mos.

The moral is.....when it breaks buy a new one.

Joanimaroni wrote:

The moral is.....when it breaks buy a new one.

Why would anyone want to spend 300 plus for a 5 dollar part that be installed in 5 minutes. I have a Maytag washer and dryer that is at least 15 years old and both still work just like the day they were purchased. Combined, I have probably less that 100 dollars in them.

What I found ridiculous is how people can be talked into purchasing a service contract. As far as I'm concerned, those things are useless and a waste of money.

I never purchase service contracts. But I've never seen a $5 part either. lol.

I bought my first clothes dryer, a Whirlpool, in 1975 for $175 at Lowes when it was on N. Davis Hwy. just north of I-10.

Since then it has dried clothes and moved with me from many states and around the world a on vans, ships and trailers. It has been installed in a San Francisco skyscraper and a jalousied porch overlooking Pearl Harbor to name a few.

At one time or another, I have removed or chased off from the back...mice, cane spiders, toads and geckos. Once I moved it out to the back patio for six weeks during a late and snowy Kansas spring while a starling finished raising her five babies in the back of it. Yes...while she raised her babies, I raised mine and kept right on drying clothes.

Today my beloved dryer has cometic scratches, the temperature knob is loose and sometimes the belt screeches..but it has been running for 28 years and has dried over 20,000 loads of laundry. That comes down to eight tenths of a cent per wash.

If it croaks tomorrow, I may just throw it a funeral as it has been one of the best investments and loyal relationships I have had in my life. (Pass the tissues, )

hallmarkgrad wrote:

Thank Will do. I think I have another one in the garage. I am a red Neck ya know LOL

LOL... You "think"... that's classic. Wonder what ELSE is in there?? 57 more bicycles no doubt! lol

I "know" I have another one in my garage, but the rollers are f*ed in it and you can hear the damn thing all over the valley! Drove me INSANE... Love me my peace and quiet.

SheSurfs wrote:

I bought my first clothes dryer, a Whirlpool, in 1975 for $175 at Lowes when it was on N. Davis Hwy. just north of I-10.

Since then it has dried clothes and moved with me from many states and around the world a on vans, ships and trailers. It has been installed in a San Francisco skyscraper and a jalousied porch overlooking Pearl Harbor to name a few.

At one time or another, I have removed or chased off from the back...mice, cane spiders, toads and geckos. Once I moved it out to the back patio for six weeks during a late and snowy Kansas spring while a starling finished raising her five babies in the back of it. Yes...while she raised her babies, I raised mine and kept right on drying clothes.

Today my beloved dryer has cometic scratches, the temperature knob is loose and sometimes the belt screeches..but it has been running for 28 years and has dried over 20,000 loads of laundry. That comes down to eight tenths of a cent per wash.

If it croaks tomorrow, I may just throw it a funeral as it has been one of the best investments and loyal relationships I have had in my life. (Pass the tissues, )

Whirlpool/KitchenAid has been my choice since that Kenmore appliance. Kenmore use to make a product that would last 25 + years but... not anymore.

Joanimaroni wrote:

SheSurfs wrote:

I bought my first clothes dryer, a Whirlpool, in 1975 for $175 at Lowes when it was on N. Davis Hwy. just north of I-10.

Since then it has dried clothes and moved with me from many states and around the world a on vans, ships and trailers. It has been installed in a San Francisco skyscraper and a jalousied porch overlooking Pearl Harbor to name a few.

At one time or another, I have removed or chased off from the back...mice, cane spiders, toads and geckos. Once I moved it out to the back patio for six weeks during a late and snowy Kansas spring while a starling finished raising her five babies in the back of it. Yes...while she raised her babies, I raised mine and kept right on drying clothes.

Today my beloved dryer has cometic scratches, the temperature knob is loose and sometimes the belt screeches..but it has been running for 28 years and has dried over 20,000 loads of laundry. That comes down to eight tenths of a cent per wash.

If it croaks tomorrow, I may just throw it a funeral as it has been one of the best investments and loyal relationships I have had in my life. (Pass the tissues, )

Whirlpool/KitchenAid has been my choice since that Kenmore appliance. Kenmore use to make a product that would last 25 + years but... not anymore.

My folks only recently replaced the original Maytag washer and dryer that my dad bought for my "real" mom in the early 70s... And those babies washed and dried clothes for six grubby kids and two hard working adults. Gotta be some kind of a record. lol.

EE, *some* of the Kenmore appliances are made better than others... you have to find what you like then look up the model numbers to see who really makes them and where they're made. Some are made in China w/chintzy China parts, others are still made in the USA w/high-quality parts and labor. Also, some Kenmore appliances are actually made by Whirlpool.

This site is not all-inclusive, but I use it a lot when I shop...

http://www.stillmadeinusa.com/

Joanimaroni wrote:

Whirlpool/KitchenAid has been my choice since that Kenmore appliance. Kenmore use to make a product that would last 25 + years but... not anymore.

Joani are you aware that Whirlpool used to make the appliances that were Kenmore branded. I say used to because I am not positive anymore.

nekochan wrote:

I never purchase service contracts. But I've never seen a $5 part either. lol.

Ever replaced a thermal fuse? A repairman may charge you $10.00 for the fuse, but I can buy them all day long for less than $3.00. Dryer door switches can be purchased individually for less that $5.00 but a repairman's markup will put it at about $20.00.

There are a number of parts available for less than $5.00, but it will take some research. I dropped the agitator of my washer and broke one of the fins off. I priced one at Marcone and Panhandle and they both wanted $72.00 for it. I searched the internet and found the exact same one for $21.00, shipping included.

So cheap parts are out there, you just have to know where to look.

Yes, I am sure that I don't know where to look and the prices that I am always quoted are retail+ markup. lol. The thing is, I don't know where to look and furthermore, it's not worth my time to look because I don't know what I'm looking for and wouldn't know when I found it! And when I have a broken washer or dryer I want it fixed yesterday, lol.

But I completely understand what you're saying about paying a few dollars for a part to fix it yourself vs buying a new machine.

We bought our first washer and dryer in the early 80s....they were both Kenmore. They lasted a long time and in fact we only got rid of the washer because the tub rusted while it was in storage. I think it's not good for machines to be put in storage but there have been times where it was the only or best option. The 2nd Kenmore washer we bought was a piece of crap. We now have both a Maytag washer and dryer, which so far I'm happy with.

GR....yes, some of the Kenmore brands were made by Whirlpool or GE. I started with Kitchen Aid in the late 70's then they merged with Whirlpool.

So many of my relatives had Sears appliances.....but like I said not anymore unless it is the high end. Of course now I think most parts are made in China.

Joanimaroni wrote:

GR....yes, some of the Kenmore brands were made by Whirlpool or GE. I started with Kitchen Aid in the late 70's then they merged with Whirlpool.

So many of my relatives had Sears appliances.....but like I said not anymore unless it is the high end. Of course now I think most parts are made in China.

That is not very far-fetched.

Ghost_Rider1949 wrote:

Joanimaroni wrote:

GR....yes, some of the Kenmore brands were made by Whirlpool or GE. I started with Kitchen Aid in the late 70's then they merged with Whirlpool.

So many of my relatives had Sears appliances.....but like I said not anymore unless it is the high end. Of course now I think most parts are made in China.

That is not very far-fetched.

Yes, I posted this on the previous page:

Quote :

EE, *some* of the Kenmore appliances are made better than others... you have to find what you like then look up the model numbers to see who really makes them and where they're made. Some are made in China w/chintzy China parts, others are still made in the USA w/high-quality parts and labor. Also, some Kenmore appliances are actually made by Whirlpool.

This site is not all-inclusive, but I use it a lot when I shop...

http://www.stillmadeinusa.com/

**Note that the stillmadeintheusa site needs updating and does not reflect the current status of Kenmore appliances, but is still pretty handy if you are interested in such things.

nekochan wrote:

We bought our first washer and dryer in the early 80s....they were both Kenmore. They lasted a long time and in fact we only got rid of the washer because the tub rusted while it was in storage.

We had a washer tub rust out when we were first married. I bought a gallon or two of some kind of really thick clear rubbery gunk and poured it in the tub and it set up inside the tub. We got another 5 years or so out of the washer.

We wuz so poor we couldn't afford to pay attention. It was a cheap repair.

Wow, we didn't think of that!
They don't rust anymore, lol. Most are made of plastic or something.

nekochan wrote:

Wow, we didn't think of that!
They don't rust anymore, lol. Most are made of plastic or something.

My folks did similar to E² and touched up not rusted spots, but places where the enamel chipped because both after my "real" mom died and while Mom was driving a fuel truck for a HeliTack crew for USFS he'd left various screws, bolts, etc. in his pockets and the enamel chipped off. So he touched-up the enamel in the spots where it had chipped off... would also work to repair rust if you used a small piece of fine-grain sandpaper to carefully sand off the rust, then apply the enamel.

Regarding those new plastic tubs... I hate those and I hope w/all of my wee lil heart they never stop making washers with the metal tubs. An errant screw left in a pocket will crack one of those newfangled plastic tubs in a heartbeat.