Got a call for a dryer that wouldn't heat, the thermal fuse tested fine but the motor was pulling way too many amps

It was a 5 year old Whirlpool, customer said it just stopped drying. Checked the usual suspects, fuse, element, thermostat, all good. On a hunch, I pulled the drum and found the blower wheel packed solid with what looked like dryer sheet lint and dog hair. Cleared it out, motor amps dropped right back to normal and the heat came on. Has anyone else seen a blocked blower cause a no-heat condition like that? It fooled me for a good twenty minutes.

3 comments

3 Comments

jessica92113d ago

Wait, isn't it crazy how that one blocked part messes up the whole system? I had the exact same call last month, a dryer that just wouldn't get hot. I checked everything twice before I finally looked at the blower housing. It was completely stuffed with that thick, felt-like lint. Soon as I cleaned it, the thing fired right up. Makes you feel a bit silly for not checking it first, right?

lewis.gray13d ago

Oh man, that's a classic. I mean, it makes total sense when you think about it. That motor has to move air past the heater, and if the blower's choked off, the whole system overheats and shuts down. It's easy to miss because you're focused on the heat circuit itself. I've been fooled by that same thing before, it's a real head-scratcher until you find it.

pat_murray5312d ago

Check the vent hose too, @lewis.gray. A kinked or crushed hose will cause the same overheat even with a clean blower.