what causes a heating element to burn out in a dryer?
Dryer heating elements burn out when they overheat. Commonly causes are poor airflow, faulty temperature shut-off switches, and power surges. To prevent burn down out, ensure proper and regular dryer and duct maintenance, avoid overloading the circuit, replace faulty switches, and install surge protectors.
Your dryer heating element is an integral part of your dryer. Without it, your wearing apparel will non be dry by the end of the cycle. For this reason, it is important to keep up with dryer maintenance to keep your dryer working at its best.
Dryer heating elements burn out due to overheating. Overheating is caused past various situations, some of which can exist prevented by regular maintenance and some of which are difficult to avert, just there are preventative measures too as solutions to them.
How Long Should a Dryer Heating Chemical element Last?
It is possible that your dryer heating chemical element will concluding as long as the entire appliance, but if the dryer is run often and isn't well-maintained, it is possible that you may take to supervene upon your heating element before the dryer itself has given upwardly the ghost.
As long equally your dryer is used sparingly and is well-maintained, your dryer heating element should last between 8 and 18 years.
If your dryer is beingness run daily, which is viewed as very often for single-residence homes, and then the dryer is put under more stress, making information technology more likely for the heating elements to burn out.
Information technology is possible, though, for routine maintenance to prevent your dryer heating element from called-for out. Not cleaning the lint trap and frazzle vents can cause your dryer heating element to burn out, even if the dryer is being used sparingly.
Heating Elements Burn out Due to Overheating
The structure of a heating element contains an uninsulated metal conductor. It works similarly to a coil in an electrical heater. An electric current passes through the conductor and the resistance of this usher is what generates oestrus.
The conductor is not indestructible, though, and large amounts of heat tin can suspension information technology for expert. This is what happens when your heating element burns out.
Overheating of your heating element can be preventable in the case of a lack of maintenance of your dryer and its ventilation. Simply overheating can also exist from causes y'all tin can't control, such as ability surges and faulty dryer parts.
3 Common Causes of Element Overheating
ane. Poor Airflow
The about common cause of your dryer's heating element burning out is blocked ventilation.
If you don't clean out your lint traps after each dryer load and also don't clean out your dryer vents yearly, it is probable that the organisation will become blocked with lint. This volition atomic number 82 to the overheating of your heating element.
Airflow in dryers includes both intake and exhaust. Air is normally taken in at the back of the dryer and the exhaust must vent exterior. Both aspects of airflow must be operational for a dryer to exist working at its all-time and to prevent the element from overheating.
With lint traps being full and your frazzle vents total of lint as well, this blockage of frazzle would atomic number 82 to a situation where exhaust couldn't get out the dryer fast enough. Since this exhaust is fairly hot, this could cause overheating. Lint build-up is one of the reasons why you can't employ foil ducting for dryers.
If the intake vent is blocked off, fresh and cool air would not exist able to enter the dryer to help control its temperature. This could besides lead to overheating.
Additionally, when the air cannot menses properly the blower has to work harder to push button it through the organisation. This fan motor can likewise overheat nether such circumstances contributing to the overall temperature edifice up in the dryer.
Solution
In order to solve the problem, the source must first exist found.
If the back of your dryer is likewise close to the wall, this could cause bug with airflow into the dryer. If this is the case, you tin can forbid hereafter element burnouts by shifting your dryer frontwards and so that at that place is more infinite between the dryer and the wall for airflow.
If your intake vent has enough space and is performing well, then the problem is virtually probable the exhaust vent. In this case, you will have to make clean out your dryer ducts.
Household items such equally a dustpan brush and a shop vacuum tin can do some of the cleaning for you but they just extend so far. A dryer vent-cleaning kit may be necessary so that you tin can accomplish far enough into the vent.
I recommend the Smart House Inc. Dryer Vent Cleaning Kit (amazon link) for its high ratings and ease of apply.
Future Prevention
The burning out of your dryer heating element can be prevented by but placing your dryer in an advantageous position and by cleaning your dryer's vents and lint trap regularly.
Information technology is important to have enough space between the wall and the back of your dryer so that the intake vent has a big enough supply of air.
Cleaning your dryer'southward lint trap may be a difficult addiction to begin, just information technology is a very simple way to not merely increment the longevity of your heating element but also to prevent fires in your home.
Dryer vents are a bit more of a hassle to clean but they only accept to be cleaned about once a twelvemonth. Past doing this maintenance, you are preventing dryer fires in your home and increasing the working ability of your dryer.
2. Faulty Temperature Shut-off Switch
Even if the conditions of the dryer should lead to your heating elements called-for out, it is possible that your heating element can exist saved.
Most modern dryers are equipped with a temperature close-off switch. This is a device that senses temperatures and if they go also high, it automatically inactivates the heating chemical element so that information technology cannot burn out.
Not only tin can a temperature shut-off switch protect your heating element from overheating, but information technology can too prevent fires since the switch also protects against the entire dryer overheating.
If this switch is faulty and so it will not discover the increases in temperature or it will non switch off in response to these atmospheric condition. This leads to the heating element burning out.
Solution
Earlier purchasing and installing a new temperature shut-off switch, information technology is wise to make sure that the problem is the switch and not the vents, for example.
A way to do this involves taking out the switch and testing information technology with a multimeter then on a heated pan.
After removing the switch, affect i probe of the multimeter to one prong of the switch and the other probe to the other prong. If the multimeter reading is 0, and so the switch is definitely faulty and needs to exist replaced.
If the switch passes this test, estrus a pan on your stove to a temperature that is 25 ℉ college than the cutoff temperature printed on the switch. Place the switch on this heated pan so that the prongs are facing up.
Bear on the probes of the multimeter as you did in the previous step. When the temperature of the pan reaches inside 5% of this cutoff temperature, the multimeter should read ane. If information technology does this, it is functional. If the multimeter reads 0 passed this cutoff temperature, it is likely faulty and needs to exist replaced.
I recommend the SUMNEW Cut-Off Switch (amazon link) for its high reviews and compatibility with a range of different dryers.
Futurity Prevention
A faulty cut-off switch is not something that can be easily prevented since the fault lies with the product and not your maintenance. Since these switches often come up with heating elements, though, information technology is wise to invest in a quality product to avert faulty appliances.
Information technology is as well of import to notation that a cutting-off switch is not needed as long as the heating chemical element doesn't overheat. If the heating element can avoid overheating, the cutting-off switch would but be needed for events out of your command.
This is why it is important to requite your dryer intake vent enough space, clean your lint trap, and clean your dryer exhaust vents.
If the switch was faulty when you lot bought the dryer, its replacement may exist covered nether the warranty.
3. Power Surges
A ability surge is an event where more than average voltage comes through the wires and into the devices they are connected to. Typical voltage levels are often between 110 volts and 220 volts. Voltages college than this range would indicate a power surge.
Ability surges can occur from electric overload, bad wiring, lightning strikes, and a spring in current due to the restoration of ability after a blackout.
Your dryer heating element burning out can be acquired by a power surge because this high amount of voltage would generate a high amount of estrus in the heating element, causing it to fail.
Solution
The best solution for ability surges, other than having to replace your heating element, would be to try to prevent damage in the future and check your dryer and other electrical appliances after the power surge has occurred.
The best class of action for responding to a power surge is to reset what devices you can, unplug them, and so plow them on. It is also important to check for damage such every bit burn marks or active fires.
Doing this cannot save a burnt-out heating element simply tin check the functionality of appliances like your dryer.
It is also important to understand the alarm signs of a power surge for your own safety.
Dimming and flickering of lights, odors around electric outlets, and smoke coming from outlets tin all be warning signs. If these are occurring, it is best to move away from electric appliances in instance of a burn down. Turn the excursion off at the billow and call a professional person for assistance.
Future Prevention
Utilizing surge protectors, peculiarly with expensive electronic appliances, is important considering they can protect against certain voltages of ability surges.
Each surge protector comes with a voltage limit. If the power surge's voltage exceeds this, the surge protector, unfortunately, cannot help. Despite this, they are still very valuable assets in this situation.
For gas dryers, I recommend the Belkin Power Strip Surge Protector (amazon link) for its customizability as well as its high ratings. For electric dryers, y'all need something that can handle a higher voltage like the CARMTEK RV surge protector (amazon link) .
Faulty wiring and electrical overload are two causes of ability surges that tin can exist prevented.
If y'all discover that a wire is fraying, this tin can cause a power surge within this device. It is wise to supersede wiring when it is in this condition.
Electrical overload occurs when an outlet has far as well many appliances plugged into information technology. It can likewise occur from too many electric appliances using the aforementioned circuit. Ability surges can happen to each of these appliances, so it is wise to non overload outlets, extension cords, and circuits.
A broken heating chemical element can cause your clothing to come up out of the dryer with burn down marks.
Sources
https://homeguides.sfgate.com/check-resistance-igniter-dryer-31689.html
https://homesteady.com/13410698/how-long-should-dryer-elements-last
https://taraenergy.com/blog/power-surge-how-they-happen/
https://homeguides.sfgate.com/heating-elements-out-dryers-62381.html
Source: https://hvac-buzz.com/dryer-heating-element-burning-out-common-causes/
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