Maytag (dryer) repair question.... works but no heat

[Richard]

The rest of the story....

I pulled out my 8-3 wire... WHAT? Doesn't EVERYONE have a 50' run of 8-3 wire for circumstances just like this????!!

So I pulled it out. Went into town to get a new outlet. (30 miles round trip). Got a new outlet, got a plastic box for it and a new cover. I wanted to be able to hobble along with this in the event I need to rip into walls.

Got the thick wires cut down to fit things for a trial run.....and it didn't work. The LIGHTS worked but the heater didn't.

WHAT?

Get my circuit tester out (the beeper not DVM) and don't you know one wire was beeping.....the other.....not.

Double WHAT??

I'm immediately suspecting things....but need to rule out others. Pull out the DVM and test each circuit at the outlet. Indeed, red wire, hot, black wire dead.

My breaker is bad.

Well, I can test for that.... it's a 40 amp and I just happen to have an extra 50 amp in the garage....WHAT, doesn't everyone have an extra 50 amp double pull laying about??!

Get the 50 amp out and now I'm convinced enough that this is indeed the problem (in spite of all the testing/probing I did earlier) I put it into the box, wired it up. Disassembled the new outlet hanging on my fancy extension cord.... went to the laundry room and without bothering to test things, wired it up, closed it up (put cover plate on) and turned dryer on.

As it happens, my wife was there during this when I told her it was going to work.

She thinks I walk on water. (it might only be a damp sidewalk but hey, water is water!!!!)

She's back in business although I need to head BACK into town to get a 40 amp and swap it out.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Yes, I keep wire and breakers hanging around, lol. As soon as you said new wire didn’t work, I thought, breaker.

 

[ustmd]

I am betting either the over temp thermocouples or just the temp thermocouples have bit the dust.

I have had good luck with the info and parts from repairclinic.com

https://www.repairclinic.com/RepairHelp/How-To-Fix-A-Dryer/8-4-91489-/New/Maytag-Dryer-Not-Heating-lde8904ace

 

[Richard]

Yes, I keep wire and breakers hanging around, lol. As soon as you said new wire didn’t work, I thought, breaker.

I've never seen a breaker go bad in my life. Guess I can't say that any more!

I've never had one apart (I'm a curious type that loves to see how things work)

I would have....no, I DID presume that if it shows continuity from where the wire attaches to the spade for the buss bar (I think that's what it's called) There's no way I'd think it would be bad if that tested good.

Shows what I know. I DID however, dodge a bullet as she was singing the praises of buying a new set (presuming that would fix this issue)

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Like everything else, there are counterfeit breakers out there that look like the real thing, but not inside.

 

[kenmac]

Being in the A/C bus. for many years.......Always, always check for power FIRST !!!!

 

[Midniteoyl]

1. I've got power at the breaker (pulled out, checked for tight wires, continuity through the breaker and then after reinstalled, repowered and checked each leg and they both are 120 volts)

You checked that both sides of the breaker had voltage, but then *didn't* have voltage later after you tried the dryer, correct?

Breakers can test 'good' with just the voltage (since its a 'potential'), but 'open' as soon as any current (and thus heat) is applied. Can be frustrating if you haven't seen it before. At least you didn't start tearing into the walls

 

[California]

I've never seen a breaker go bad ...

I envy your innocence.

I plugged in a 1500 watt heater on each of the two separate circuits in my ranch guest cabin. The panel at the cabin didn't trip. Instead, after an hour this burned up the 100 amp 220V master input breaker on the panel in the barn, where the cabin is fed from.

All, 50 year old Federal Pacific breakers, which are off the market because they sometimes don't.

 

[grsthegreat]

first off, you never test a 2 pole breaker by attaching a probe to ground and touching each side of breaker. You are supposed to place a probe on each side of breaker and verify 240 volts. Reason being you could see 120 on each individual side against ground when breaker is bad as power from other good lead is traveling thru appliance and giving false reading. Seen it many times. Same when testing dual fuses in things like a/c units, air compressor, etc.

second thing, breakers fail all the time. Ive seen them fail right out of the box. Always check power source first.

but bottom line, congrats on repairing it. Always nice to fix something, especially when being watched.

 

[Richard]

At least you didn't start tearing into the walls

Amen!!

Since I'm sharing my innocence and humility.... I drove into town specifically to pick up the breaker....and to buy a loaf of bread.

I was / am aware enough to know that there are different designs. Mine is a Square D (Homelite or something like that?) None the less, I knew to observe the mounting method. Took me a few minutes to find them. Grabbed one... paid, got my loaf of bread.... and drove home.

Only to find out I grabbed a 40 amp. I was so busy checking the fit I didn't double check that it was in the correct bin.

Fortunately, wife isn't using washer/dryer today AND by happenstance is planning on driving into town tonight.

I'll have her pick up the correct one with pictures for her on her phone to compare.


Oh, and what's up with this??? Going into town this morning, I stopped by Hardee's to get a bacon/egg biscuit (they stuck cheese on it which I don't necessarily care for but I wasn't going to fight the line again, so I ate it)

None the less, while at the window, I asked the gal what time they stop serving breakfast tomorrow (I was specifically going to drive into town and grab a bacon/egg/cheese biscuit for a 77 year old friend of mine).... She told me they are NOT opening on Sundays "for a while".

I would think with summer breaking upon us that would help their traffic. I got a bad feeling about her comment and what that might imply for their longevity. Hope I'm as wrong on that as I was the cause of this issue!!