Thread: Whirlpool Dryer gets Warm not Hot, Takes long to Dry

Hello Jake and Dan-O,

It been a while since I posted, it looks like my document on the front loader bearing replacement is getting a lot of use. I hope it has not generated too much traffic (ie work) for you guys !!

I was visiting a friend this weekend and his wife was mentioning that their dryer seems to be taking longer and longer to dry clothes. I thought i'd take a crack at the problem. I read your site on the topic and have done the following problem determination and wanted to see if you thought I was right.

The unit is a 12-13 year old Whirlpool, electric dryer (I do not have the model # with me at the moment)

1) A voltage tester indicates that there is 220V at the outlet and at the terminals at the dryer end of the line cord.

2) The exaust port is clean and only goes about 18" from the back of the dryer to the vent opening thru the wall.

3) The blower impeller is not blocked and blows lot of air

4) There is some heat being generated, and pretty consistently. A kitchen thermometer (digital) runs at about 100DegF when inserted into the exhaust port. (This seems low doesn't it?)

When I removed the heater element from the chimmeny stack, it got very warm, but did not glow red at any time. The coils seemed to have a black oxidation on some of the coils.

I did not have an ohm meter with me to test the thermostat cut offs, etc, but I figured that they were working since the coil was getting warm, and the temp at the exhaust was not going up or down but was running at a steady 100Deg.

SO my conclusion was that the heater element was worn out after 13 years of use for a family of 4. I had heard that heater elements can 'wear out' after some time. We ordered a new element and will see if it works, but I wanted to see your thoughts. What do you think the problem could be ??

ALSO another strange issue that came up. The Dryer has a 3-prong 220V outlet. When I was getting out from behind the dryer, I was lifting myself out from behind the washer and dryer, I was pushing off the top of the washer and dryer and got a small shock (If I could guess, about 40V). When I unplugged the dryer and tried again no shock. I recalled reading some of the posts saying to check the heater element for a short to ground, but the dryer was in the off position on the timer, so there should not have been any power going to the heater element to be able to short to ground. I was thinking that perhaps since a 3 -wire dryer does not have a real ground (just a common) that there could be a voltage differential between the common wire coming out of the dryer (also chassis?) when compared with the real ground of the ground wire and water/plumbing attached washing machine (chassis?).

Thanks in advance for your feedback !

-John