No heat in dryer

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Joey Bloggs's picture
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Any one have a quick answer to this - electric HE dryer turns on and spins but the air is not hot only cool inside.I have called a repair and they won't be out for a week, it is under warranty - meanwhile it is laundry mat again I guess.

Any suggestions on things to check?

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 I have been selling appliances for about 15 years at THE big dept store. A couple of notes re dryer. The front load HE's do have a back flow sensor too much back pressure they will not dry right. Check the breaker. If it is electric flip the breaker a couple of times. More often than not one of the contacts fails and only gives you 110 v instead of 220v. Smelly washers: Logically the only things left in the washer at the end of the cycle are water and clean clothes. Anything else will cause mold. You must use HE detergent, liquid or powder, doesn't matter. The HE detergent is a different chemistry than the top load style. If you have a water softener or use borax cut back in the amt of detergent. Liquid fabric softener: Old top load style machines use about 21- 45 gal of water per load. Frontloads use 7 - 11 gal per Load. Concentrations are different. Dilute the liquid fabric softener by 1/2 before putting in the front loaders. 

 

My 2 cents. Hope it helps

BBBBOB

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My bad......we have Frigidaire

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Not saying leave the door wide open.....just close it so that latch holds it in place.....this allows air to circulate.....you close it completely shut....it's sealed.....right?

I've got whirlpool.....year and a half.....Mom (bless her) does some kind of wash every day....from 1 to several washes.......I susspect she is doing this.....so that she doesn't forget how to......I'd always check the machine at night, making sure the door was not completely closed

Joey Bloggs's picture
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One Day wrote:

Not saying leave the door wide open.....just close it so that latch holds it in place.....this allows air to circulate.....you close it completely shut....it's sealed.....right?

I've got whirlpool.....year and a half.....Mom (bless her) does some kind of wash every day....from 1 to several washes.......I susspect she is doing this.....so that she doesn't forget how to......I'd always check the machine at night, making sure the door was not completely closed

Well you can't beat open/open and the mold still grows.  

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Front load washers.....if you don't completely close the door....you wont have the boot mold problem

Joey Bloggs's picture
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One Day wrote:

Front load washers.....if you don't completely close the door....you wont have the boot mold problem

ha ha yeah righton, I leave the door open after every single load it is a hazard to walk past. I wash in only cold water and add vinegar to every single load.  I have had it for 4 years and have had mold from year one and have always left the door open AND wiped the glass even underneath and the boot dry.  I only use the recommended detergent too.  Kenmore Elite Series HE are rubbish!  I will say DON'T BUY THEM!

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How is the catching up on the piles of laundry going now??  I hope that you're getting to the bottom of things!

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Joey Bloggs's picture
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Boot = The front loader rubber door seal. The worst part of the mold is beneath it where you cannot get to it.  AND I wash every load is cold now. 

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What is the boot?

Joey Bloggs's picture
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My first load of towels is washing, can you see me doing the happy dance? You should have seen the line or chairs outside just to dry the guest towels from the rooms when I stripped the rooms.   The heating coil was actually snapped off/broken, from use, not abuse.  

He asked me to go and submit feedback - I told him my feedback the Kenmore HE front loaders are crap! Don't buy them.  Besides the worst mold issue on the boot of the washer, inside, behind all around where I cannot get to it.  I wash EVERY load with vinegar in the fabric softener compartment.

Well I am back to it, you know what I will be doing ALL DAY EVERY DAY this week.

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 ...Besides the worst mold issue on the boot of the washer, inside, behind all around where I cannot get to it.  I wash EVERY load with vinegar in the fabric softener compartment.

Is that supposed to keep the mold down in the boot?  our Maytag rarely develops mold in the boot (I think I have only had to clean it twice in the 6 years we've had it) but mold develops in the fabric softener cup all the time....I'm guessing the fabric softener residue is some kind of breeding ground for it. Sad  Fortunately the cup is removeable and pretty easy to clean ... Id much rather have to clean that than the boot.

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YAY!  The dryer is working!

Boo hoo....laundry catch up!

Hang in there! Smiling

Joey Bloggs's picture
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Tuesday the repairman comes - since it is still under warranty. All the linens from this weekend will bury the laundry room by then.  But we can make it, we will make it!

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I love to line dry sheets and cases.  They smell good and all cotton don't need much ironing. But dh does laundry and he only uses the dryer.  It is bummer hauling all that laundry to the laundromat!!! I feel sorry for you.

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We were on the isle of Crete a few years back where we rented a villa with another couple.   The owner of the villa, and our host, lived just up the road and invited us over for coffee one afternoon.  We were surprised to see drying racks all over the house where she was drying her clothes. This was a bit unusual because these people were very well off.   We asked if she had ever heard of this new-fangled appliance called a clothes dryer and she said that she owned a dryer, but it had never been used...she was a little bit afraid of it.  We explained the advantages of using a dryer and she indicated that she would have to try it.

Just thought it was interesting how different cultures think about stuff we take for granted.

 

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Oh I understand the faults with the idea of line drying. I was just thinking that in her time of need, it might be an option.

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I think he is in an historic area where line drying is a no-no.

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I don't know where Joe is located, but with the weather we've been having in Ohio, it's be gorgeous to line dry everything. All my stuff (except for unmentionables) go out on the line. I just love the way it smells. Crisp sheets, smell of sunshine and fresh air! I bet you don't have to iron them if they've been out on the line!

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penelope wrote:

I don't know where Joe is located, but with the weather we've been having in Ohio, it's be gorgeous to line dry everything. All my stuff (except for unmentionables) go out on the line. I just love the way it smells. Crisp sheets, smell of sunshine and fresh air! I bet you don't have to iron them if they've been out on the line!

  We hang them from the outside corners and not over the line.   We very rarely have to iron. 

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Proud Texan wrote:

We very rarely have to iron. 

That's kind of what I figured. Smiling

gillumhouse's picture
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Except when it is raining or during the winter, I line dry everything (hate to pay the gas company what GOD gives me for free) but i can only do so much a day due to line space. Some inns are in areas that do not allow line dry. With 3 rooms (and Joe has more I believe), I have a hard time line drying that much laundry in one day if I have 3 flips.

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Can you hang any of it on a clothes line??? Maybe the blankets or the innkeepers jeans?

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penelope wrote:

Can you hang any of it on a clothes line??? Maybe the blankets or the innkeepers jeans?

 We line dry everything.  With the Texas heat, it dries quickly.

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In some areas, restrictive covenants don't allow you to hang laundry outside.  We can't where we are.

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Samster wrote:

In some areas, restrictive covenants don't allow you to hang laundry outside.  We can't where we are.

We've been hanging stuff down here since the lynchings started right after the Civil War!

Joey Bloggs's picture
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Thanks.  Fyi $40 to do that laundry in the photo.  I put two $20 bills in the change machine. 

Joey Bloggs's picture
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Off to the laundry mat and I have been wearing the same skivvies since saturday...just kidding.

People have NO IDEA how much laundry innkeepers do every single day...no idea. 

Morticia's picture
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Looks familiar! I was doing all of the sheets last summer but I think the most I spent in one day was under $20 for 8 washers & 4 dryers. Thank goodness we had the one washer & dryer here that still worked for towels & our stuff.

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Samster's picture
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Poor, poor Joe!!  I feel so bad for you that your dryer isn't working   I hope it gets fixed soon.

catlady's picture
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yep..sounds like the heating element to me as well.

swirt's picture
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Make sure your outgoing vent is clear...if it can't move enough air it may disable the heating element

If that is fine then I would look at the heating element.

 

Joey Bloggs's picture
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swirt wrote:

Make sure your outgoing vent is clear...if it can't move enough air it may disable the heating element

If that is fine then I would look at the heating element.

 

 Did that first off.  Air coming through great.  So now I get to bring all these room linens to laundry mat, how fun.

Joey Bloggs's picture
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 We think it is the heating coil as well, without pulling it all apart.  Thanks.

Samster's picture
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The heating coil or element, I guess?  My dh has replaced this a couple of times on various dryers.  He also just replaced the igniter element or something on our gas dryer.  I think he used his electric tester thing and found out that was the culprit.  Fortunately, he can figure out simple things like that.  Refrigerators are not his specialty at all. 

Man, that stinks!

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