freaky dryer problem

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Hmm...I've yet to see a 220v breaker for a dryer not have both switches tied together (dual breaker) so if one broke it'd take the other with it.

Amazing what people will do to save $25.

 

[calmloki]

Hmm...I've yet to see a 220v breaker for a dryer not have both switches tied together (dual breaker) so if one broke it'd take the other with it.

Amazing what people will do to save $25.

Agree. Some original to the building early '40s breakers at the apartments aren't tied together for the 240v, but i haven't seen any code installation dating in the last 40 years that didn't have the breakers pinned or clipped together.. if you're working on a dryer or stove or water heater you kinda like to know that ALL the power is off to the unit with one click.

 

[ronin]

Living in a semi-arid climate, I air dry all my clothes. I figure it saves energy and some wear and tear since all that lint comes from being beaten out of the garments.

I have a little test light screw driver that I use to verify that the breaker has indeed turned off the juice if there isn't a power cord to unplug. When I was in the biz, I just touched it with my finger tips. You kind of get used to it.

Dryers are about as easy to fix as an appliance comes. I've got 25 yrs on my current Maytag and have only had to change the glow bar igniter once.

Here's a tip: make sure the polarity is correct at the outlet. Reversed polarity is not so good for the lifespan of those glow bar type igniters and for some other electronic components. Suprising how many dyslexic electricians there are out there.

 

[calmloki]

...

I have a little test light screw driver that I use to verify that the breaker has indeed turned off the juice if there isn't a power cord to unplug. When I was in the biz, I just touched it with my finger tips. You kind of get used to it.

....

I've been using the back of my finger quickly dragged across a wire - someone smarter than i pointed out that you don't want muscle contraction causing you to grab and hold a hot circuit. Have had a couple cheap meters lie to me about current. Boy that angers a person! Gets the day started...

 

[ronin]

My dad was an electrician at the Uniroyal tire plant back when they manufactured tires around here. He was working on a huge fan on the roof (I forget if it was 440v or what) and got ahold of a live wire. It blew him back onto a skylight. He crashed through and fell on top of a secretary's desk. Dusted off the glass and went back to work. He was a pretty tough dude. I guess if the Germans didn't get him on the way through France, a little jolt of juice wasn't going to stop him.

 

[Nords]

Hmm...I've yet to see a 220v breaker for a dryer not have both switches tied together (dual breaker) so if one broke it'd take the other with it.
Amazing what people will do to save $25.

In our panel it's two breakers next to each other with a metal clip around their switches. If you move one switch then the metal clip drags the other along with it.

But if one trips the switch doesn't move enough to drag the other into tripping as well.

Fixitnow.com Samurai Appliance Repair Man » Blog Archive » Mailbag: Electric Dryer not Heating

a common problem is for one leg, L1 or L2, of the 240v supply to open.

 

[OAG]

Pretty good site to bookmark Appliance Parts, Repair Help and Service Referral

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

But if one trips the switch doesn't move enough to drag the other into tripping as well.

Hey, just spray it with some wd-40...

 

[calmloki]

Hey, just spray it with some wd-40...

Flame on Johnny Torch!

(like Mr. Submariner is gonna try that)

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Yeah, I should have put a disclaimer on that one.

By the way, anyone with an old mercedes turbo diesel? Open up the air cleaner and shoot a little wd-40 down the air intake. Not too much...

 

[Nords]

Flame on Johnny Torch!

(like Mr. Submariner is gonna try that)

You have far more faith in my fellow submariners than I do...

Besides everyone knows that you're supposed to spray gasoline inside those breaker panels to take off the old lubricant first. (Then you can hit it with WD-40.) I like to use a pump-up pesticide sprayer to get a real fine mist on the bus bars so that I don't have to use too much.*

Anywhere on a submarine when I hear the words "Hey, guys, check this out!" I've learned to duck & cover first.


(Per Justin's disclaimer, this is an example of submariner humor. Please don't try this at home... or even at work.)

 

[calmloki]

You have far more faith in my fellow submariners than I do...

Besides everyone knows that you're supposed to spray gasoline inside those breaker panels to take off the old lubricant first. (Then you can hit it with WD-40.) I like to use a pump-up pesticide sprayer to get a real fine mist on the bus bars so that I don't have to use too much.*

Anywhere on a submarine when I hear the words "Hey, guys, check this out!" I've learned to duck & cover first.


(Per Justin's disclaimer, this is an example of submariner humor. Please don't try this at home... or even at work.)

As a veteran of multiple viewings of "120 volts - your deadly shipmate!" who still manages to add the odd milliamps to my personal electrical system decades later... Guess i was just attributing some added caution levels to the submarine/nuke/officer.
I always proceed with caution, including the last time i cleaned some grease from a stove gas orifice with spray carb cleaner, while bending over it. Good thing i was wearing glasses, so i only lost mustache and nose hair. Did i mention it was a standing pilot light stove? Smart!

 

[Nords]

As a veteran of multiple viewings of "120 volts - your deadly shipmate!" who still manages to add the odd milliamps to my personal electrical system decades later... Guess i was just attributing some added caution levels to the submarine/nuke/officer.

Caution? Definitely, especially if it involves procedures and/or compliance. Common sense? Not so common, especially with liberal doses of fatigue & stress and communicating through sound-powered phone circuits.

We used to receive regular updates of a multi-volume book called "Naval Reactors Training Bulletins" that chronicled the Hall of Fame of Screwing Up. Electricians working on hot gear but forgetting to take off their metal-frame reading glasses or in a hurry and grabbing cables with two hands. Electronics techs accidentally grounding out a circuit that powers the reactor protection equipment (e.g. reactor scram plus extensive fried-gear troubleshooting). Lots of people opening the wrong valves (bonus points for venting pressurized systems to atmosphere). It got to the point where, for almost every step in a common procedure, you could say "Remember when Schmuckatelli thought this step meant to...? I wonder how he's doing now..."

I had my share of screwups, usually including flipping switches or turning valves that I really should've left to someone else to flip/turn. It took me a long time to learn that not all advice I received was good, let alone informed.

But my favorite was overhearing a leading petty officer admonish one of his junior techs "Now, we'll replace this multimeter for you, but you know better than to let an officer touch it. If he tries that again you smack his hand and come running straight to me!"