HarvDog Posted March 28, 2007 Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 My dryer isn't drying clothes like it use to. It takes a very long time with light-weight clothes and really never thoroughly dries heavier clothes. I've checked the filter and vent and tested the switch and heating element and everything seems fine. Before I bite the bullet and call a repairman, I thought I would check for any recommendations from the RT crew. Anyone have any expertise or thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dg Posted March 28, 2007 Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 Re: Electric dryer taking too long to dry clothes Did you pull out the schematic and find and check the fuses? Mine went bad and I traced it to a $11 fuse. Just put an ohmmeter on them and check for resistance (or lack of). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarvDog Posted March 28, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 Re: Electric dryer taking too long to dry clothes [ QUOTE ] Did you pull out the schematic and find and check the fuses? Mine went bad and I traced it to a $11 fuse. Just put an ohmmeter on them and check for resistance (or lack of). [/ QUOTE ] I didn't think to check fuses since it does dry a little. Nevertheless, I will definitely check them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowtechTurkeyHunter Posted March 28, 2007 Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 Re: Electric dryer taking too long to dry clothes Harv what model dryer ... if its a Sears/Whirlpool with the lint filter on top ... the bottom of that lint tube is probably full of lint inside the dryer ... let me know what brand you have ... Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarvDog Posted March 28, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 Re: Electric dryer taking too long to dry clothes [ QUOTE ] Harv what model dryer ... if its a Sears/Whirlpool with the lint filter on top ... the bottom of that lint tube is probably full of lint inside the dryer ... let me know what brand you have ... Steve [/ QUOTE ] It's a Kenmore Model #110629421 and the lint filter is inside the door at the bottom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowtechTurkeyHunter Posted March 28, 2007 Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 Re: Electric dryer taking too long to dry clothes Kenmore/Whirlpool ... about the same thing ... the lint filter in the bottom of the fryer is probably full .. if it is just clean it out ... the other thing to do is to discconnect the lint filter off the tube going outside and make sure there is hot air coming out of the dryer ... not warm ... it should be realtively hot ... if its not then deffinately a plug inside the dryer ... if it was a fuse/breaker only half of the dryer would work ... on fuse on the 220 is for the elmenet the other 110 is for the motor and controls ... thats how that works ... very common for there to be a lot of lint in the bottom of the dryer ... if that isnt it ... you probably have a limit switch that is tripping turning your dryer element off prematurely thus shortening the dry time of the element thats not as common but deffinately cant rule it out ... the limit would be on the back of the drum assembly or down by the lint filter inside the dryer ... is a protection device ... Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlriggins Posted March 28, 2007 Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 Re: Electric dryer taking too long to dry clothes does it tend to give you a little shock almost like static if so check the heating element they have a tennancy to burn out and short to the body of the dryed giving them about 1/3 the heat to dry your clothes this part is available at almost any sears or other appliance store just pop the top and take a good look this sounds like a problem I had with mine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snapper Posted March 28, 2007 Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 Re: Electric dryer taking too long to dry clothes Although the lint trap gets cleaned everytime at our house...our dryer started doing the same thing. After checking everything....I found that lint over time built up inside the vent outside the house. Took the screen off of the bottom of the vent and cleaned out the lint....whaaaaalaaaaaaa! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted March 28, 2007 Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 Re: Electric dryer taking too long to dry clothes Harv, I took our kenmore apart and cleaned the lint out of the bottom like Steve suggested, and it did better just for a little while. That is a job to get the thing apart and back together right, especially if you work on it by yourself in a cramped laundry room. Our dryer is back to taking almost 2 hours to dry a normal size load of clothes again, where it used to take less than an hour. We will probably be getting a new dryer soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkrie1357 Posted March 28, 2007 Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 Re: Electric dryer taking too long to dry clothes I'm with Snapper Check the vent where it dumps Outside. Stephen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnf Posted March 28, 2007 Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 Re: Electric dryer taking too long to dry clothes Don't be afraid to tear the whole thing down. They aren't that complicated. I took ours apart and put and ari hose through the whole thing. I put it back together and it worked like new. If you're any good with tools at all, do it yourself. Dryers are relatively simple. It's not rocket science. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TreeWalker Posted March 28, 2007 Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 Re: Electric dryer taking too long to dry clothes [ QUOTE ] Although the lint trap gets cleaned everytime at our house...our dryer started doing the same thing. After checking everything....I found that lint over time built up inside the vent outside the house. Took the screen off of the bottom of the vent and cleaned out the lint....whaaaaalaaaaaaa! [/ QUOTE ] Not only that, we had the same problem, but it was vent tube/hose that had become restricted over time.......nearly three feet of it had enough buildup in it to where it was trestricted down to the size of a silver dollar !! They say one of the largest contributing factor to housefires is lint buildup in a dryer....and the venting......it pays to periodically check it. If it wouldn't have happened to me once, i probably still wouldn't be chekcing mine..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buckee Posted March 28, 2007 Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 Re: Electric dryer taking too long to dry clothes My guess is, it's the thermostat. I have the same problem with our 25 year old Maytag, but haven't fixed it yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarvDog Posted April 1, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 1, 2007 Re: Electric dryer taking too long to dry clothes Today, I disconnected the vent hose and test dried some damp clothing. I also checked the temperature of the air coming out of the vent (suppose to be between 120-160 degrees). Mine was 160 degrees and the clothes dried normally. I figured it most be the vent hose so I blew it out for about 30 minutes with my leave blower. A lot of stuff came out! Afterwards, I reconnected the vent hose and did a test dry again. The clothes dried normally. So...we'll see for sure during the week with a normal load. I'll be sure to let you know. Thanks for the help thus far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.