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Fix My White Goods

posted by [personal profile] bugshaw at 10:37am on 03/09/2010
Tumble dryers - it's 6-7 years old, and stopped working properly. I cleaned out all the filters and condenser unit on Wednesday (plenty of lint felted with cat fur on the condenser fins).

Today it tumbles, it blows air, but it's not heated air any more so clothes don't dry.

Is this likely to be something a [livejournal.com profile] bugshaw could fix by taking the back off and refujugating the sirimbulator or something? Or is it likely to be a mechanic jobbie or a new dryer jobbie? I will investigate more at t'weekend but pointers would be appreciated if you have any.
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There are 11 comments on this entry. (Reply.)
 

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posted by [identity profile] woodpijn.livejournal.com at 09:50am on 03/09/2010
We had this problem. The filter gets clogged up, and this trips some kind of safety switch on the heater. So even if you clean out the filter, it won't start heating again until that switch is reset.

How easy it is to find depends on your make of dryer. With our old one, I took the back off and couldn't find it, and had to call the repairman out. He said they deliberately make them hard to find so that users can't reset it themselves and have to call them out - ostensibly so the repair people can verify the filter is cleared and it really is safe to restore the heating function, but I suspect also as a way to make money. But he kindly said that he couldn't actually stop me watching how he did it so I'd know for next time ;)

You might be able to Google for instructions on how to find the switch for your make of dryer.
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posted by [identity profile] gummitch.livejournal.com at 10:40am on 03/09/2010
Our tumble drier (in a washer-dryer) stopped heating, but in our case the heating element had actually burned out. So I'd certainly try the above, but you might need a repairman.

I've read something somewhere about a software bug in some models of dryer, so the repirman can fix it with a firmware update.
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posted by [identity profile] bugshaw.livejournal.com at 12:23pm on 04/09/2010
I am mightily pleased with myself for putting the dryer on an upside-down piece of carpet - it slides out easily. But the fixings on the back are a rounded hex on the outside, and a six pointed star inside, which do not look designed for removal by the casual user :-/ Ah well, it was worth a look at.

Also it's 8.5 years not, not just six!
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posted by [identity profile] alexmc.livejournal.com at 10:21am on 06/09/2010
> six pointed star inside

That is still a "standard" for security screws. I bought myself a set of those when I needed to open my Sky Plus box to replace the hard disk. - oh and I've just found the spare set . The six sided star is called a T15, T20, or T25 depending on the size.
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posted by [identity profile] bibliogirl.livejournal.com at 09:51am on 03/09/2010
We had this, or something very similar, with our tumble dryer a couple of years back, and it turned out to be related to a fuse in the heating circuit which had died. It was repairable with a bit of Googling for the relevant part and then applying a screwdriver -- wasn't _hugely_ tricky as far as I remember. That said, our dryer is vented rather than condensing; I have no idea if that might make a difference.
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posted by [identity profile] watervole.livejournal.com at 10:17am on 03/09/2010
I gave away my tumble drier. After a year of experiment I found I could live quite happily without it by drying stuff on the washing line or on a clothes horse indoors.

They eat electricity.
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posted by [identity profile] bugshaw.livejournal.com at 10:28am on 03/09/2010
Good for you. I however find dryers fabulously useful and such an improvement to my clothes/life over indoor drying that I will continue to use one.
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(no subject)

posted by [identity profile] woodpijn.livejournal.com at 11:01am on 03/09/2010
Me too.

When the tumble dryer isn't working, I have the spare room filled with two large clothes-horses, and still can't dry things fast enough to keep up with the washing, so a backlog of wet things accumulates, which I put into the dryer with great relief when it's fixed again.

Also, drying things on a clothes-horse makes them go hard and stiff.
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posted by [identity profile] inulro.livejournal.com at 10:30am on 03/09/2010
I haven't used a tumble dryer, except on holiday, since the 1980s. For many years I was too poor, then I realised I hadn't used one in so long that I didn't need one (and probably still couldn't pay the electricity bill anyway).
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posted by [identity profile] marcushill.livejournal.com at 01:39pm on 03/09/2010
If it does turn out to be the element and need the attentions of a qualified person, it may be more economical to buy a new drier than pay the call out costs, parts and so forth, so check before calling someone out.
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(no subject)

posted by [identity profile] bugshaw.livejournal.com at 12:20pm on 04/09/2010
Cheers - £99 to repair, but I realise it's actually 8.5 years old so replacement might be appropriate by now!
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