Saw a post in a homeowner group about a guy trying to fix his own dryer for 3 days

He said he watched a bunch of YouTube videos and replaced the thermal fuse twice, but it still wouldn't heat. The comments were full of people guessing wrong parts, and it made me wonder how often you all see DIY attempts that just make the service call more expensive. What's the most common mistake you find customers have made before calling you?

4 comments

4 Comments

torres.blair1mo ago

Dryer guy probably missed the heating element itself, that's the usual suspect. People get stuck on the fuses because videos make them look easy. Seen a few where they bent the element coil putting it in, so it shorts out right away.

the_claire16d ago

Watch a guy try to fix his dryer and you'll see a masterclass in making things worse. He'll spend an hour fighting with a fuse, then slam the new heating element in like he's mad at it. Of course it shorts out, and now he needs a whole new part he just bought.

nancy_wood1mo ago

Oh yeah, the "watched a bunch of YouTube videos" part is so real. I've seen people cross-thread a whole new part they installed, which basically doubles the repair cost.

charles_baker281mo ago

Totally get that. Watched a neighbor try to replace his own dryer belt once and he routed it completely wrong, shredded the new one in two minutes. Those videos make it look like you just drop the part in, but there's always some trick they don't show. Ends up costing way more to fix the new damage than the original problem.