Clothes dryer fix

[coach]

My 34 year old clothes dryer quit working the other day so I wasn’t to upset since I felt I got my money’s worth. Then later it worked but would shut off after a while. It seemed like it was getting hot, then I remembered Bogus Bill (I think) tell a story about buying a new dryer only to find out the vent was clogged. I pulled it out today and gave the dryer and vent a good cleaning. I found a sock and a good clog of lint in the dryer. The vent pipe wasn’t too bad and now it’s all cleaned out and seems to be working fine. Thanks for the heads up about a clogged vent. You never know what you might learn on the Ruger forum.

 

[caryc]

I had a girlfriend once that purchased a double wide mobile in a nice neighborhood. When she moved in she brought with her a washer and dryer. There was no vent for the dryer so she had a handyman come and install it.

What he did was just cut a hole in the floor and run the vent pipe to it. So, the dryer was just blowing the vent on whatever was under the mobile home. I always thought that was a good way to build up good fire starting material. I did not stay with her long enough to find out if she ever got it fixed right.

 

[bogus bill]

I am sure we gave away a good working dryer! To recap again, wife said the old dryer wasn't getting hot. I am not mechanical to start with plus I still am recovering from a hip replacement and was about 95% disabled at the time, a month ago. We bought a new speed queen dryer to match the speed queen washer we bought a couple years ago. (My deceased uncle used to be the General Manager for Speed Queen years ago). The new dryer also wouldn't dry. We went back with the complaint. The store owner said to get the duct cleaned. That did it! Was about $90s to get a guy on the roof and do the service. Lets see. $1,100 + for the dryer,
+ $90. My dad and three uncles worked for speed queen at various times. They are all long gone, or I wouldn't live this down! In fact I had a cousin that was once the western half of the US factory Rep too! Do I get a kickback?
Back about 1948 my Ma had a old washing machine with a wringer. You could pull a lever and swing it like a machine gun. Pull another lever and the machine would chatter. I was seven years old and was mowing down a bunch of krauts. I caught my hand in the wringer and it shoved a lot of meat up my forearm. Dad was laid up and couldn't get out of bed. Mom ran over and hit a release. Folks were broke and took me to a Buster Brown shoe store, Had me lay my arm in a old fluoroscope X-ray machine they had before they were outlawed for radiation to check for brakes. I carry a scar and my wrist glows in the dark! Check it out!
https://tonilynntrottier.wordpress.com/2010/11/08/do-you-remember-the-x-ray-machine-that-allowed-you-to-see-whether-or-not-your-shoes-fit-properly/

 

[caryc]

I am sure we gave away a good working dryer! To recap again, wife said the old dryer wasn't getting hot. I am not mechanical to start with plus I still am recovering from a hip replacement and was about 95% disabled at the time, a month ago. We bought a new speed queen dryer to match the speed queen washer we bought a couple years ago. (My deceased uncle used to be the General Manager for Speed Queen years ago). The new dryer also wouldn't dry. We went back with the complaint. The store owner said to get the duct cleaned. That did it! Was about $90s to get a guy on the roof and do the service. Lets see. $1,100 + for the dryer,
+ $90. My dad and three uncles worked for speed queen at various times. They are all long gone, or I wouldn't live this down! In fact I had a cousin that was once the western half of the US factory Rep too! Do I get a kickback?
Back about 1948 my Ma had a old washing machine with a wringer. You could pull a lever and swing it like a machine gun. Pull another lever and the machine would chatter. I was seven years old and was mowing down a bunch of krauts. I caught my hand in the wringer and it shoved a lot of meat up my forearm. Dad was laid up and couldn't get out of bed. Mom ran over and hit a release. Folks were broke and took me to a Buster Brown shoe store, Had me lay my arm in a old fluoroscope X-ray machine they had before they were outlawed for radiation to check for brakes. I carry a scar and my wrist glows in the dark! Check it out!
https://tonilynntrottier.wordpress.com/2010/11/08/do-you-remember-the-x-ray-machine-that-allowed-you-to-see-whether-or-not-your-shoes-fit-properly/

Yep, I remember those machines !

 

[Colonialgirl]

HMMMM;
Plugged ducts.
I had an experience with my vacuum cleaner; it quit sucking up any thing. So, I took off the tank and emptied it, cleaned the filter, etc etc; STILL no luck; Finally I started taking it apart starting at the brush level and THERE I discovered a flexible plastic hose that went from the front/brush suction area to a fitting in the back where you could switch from front brush to hand brushes, etc. That plastic hose from front to back was PLUGGED SOLID with lint, dog hair, etc etc. Finally got it all cleaned out and reassembled and the vacuum SUCKED ( :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :wink: :wink: :lol: :lol: ) again.

 

[coach]

I’ve had things like bobby pins and other stuff lodge in the vacuum cleaner tube and collect dust until it clogged. Sometimes an easy fix to clear it out.

 

[blume357]

As a chimney sweep, one of the things we are supposed to sell folks on is annual dryer vent maintenance... I really don't but will do it when asked by a customer... most are not that dirty.... I've been to seminars and most of the fires from dryers are because of the dryer over heating which could be from a clogged duct or something in the dryer.... I did go to a house once and turned the dryer on to see how much was coming out of the termination outside... nothing. ... when back inside and you could not touch the dryer it was so hot... there are safety thermostats (which coach's must have) that are supposed to shut the heater coil or burner off if the unit gets too hot but it seems some of these will fail too. Another problem, the biggest one I've seen around here, is not only homeowners but most contractors don't have a clue as to how to properly run a dryer vent.

Coach, keep that 34 year old drying as long as you can... the new ones might last you 10 years if you are lucky. Manufacturing as pretty much perfected 'planned obsolescence'.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

Running a dryer vent out the roof is a sure way to have problems. I have seen contractors do that a lot. Dryers should be vented horizontal not more than 10' and using metal vent pipe. Check the outside termination often.

 

[Kevin]

Bogus Bill:
When they installed the new Speed Queen dryer, did they not put in a new vent tube? Every time I’ve bought appliances at Home Depot, they make a big deal about requiring me to buy new hoses, and power cords and vent tubes etc. All these seem to be “required” for washing machines, or dryers or clothes washers.

 

[CGDustDevil]

Running a dryer vent out the roof is a sure way to have problems. I have seen contractors do that a lot. Dryers should be vented horizontal not more than 10' and using metal vent pipe. Check the outside termination often.

Absolutely correct! Also - Don't vent it beside your outdoor condenser unit if you have an AC split system.

 

[bogus bill]

Kevin, yes they did. It`s vented through the roof. It had to be cleaned out from the roof and works fine now. We were told to have the vent cleaned every two to three years. This house was built in the 1992. We bought it in 2005 and had never had the vent cleaned. We no doubt junked a perfectly good dryer!

 

[powder smoke]

'planned obsolescence'.
Yup they got us where the want us. Dependant

 

[blume357]

Was at a good customer's house earlier in the year and he mentioned wanting help on seeing how to revent his dryer which was upstairs and vented out of the roof... which a normal person would never go on... seems every month or so he would run a snake 'through' the vent from the bottom and that would get him back a 'normal' hour and a half cycle to dry cloths... I went up on the roof just to check... his vent termination had a screen on it that had about a 1" thick 'filter' built up... I don't know how he was getting his clothes dry... probably leaks in the vent pipe is all I can figure.

And yes, terminating near an outside condensing/compressor unit is not good... I learned that the hard way...