Whirlpool Vent less dryer WHD560CHW2 Stops working mid-cycle

[neverwpool]

Model Number

WHD560CHW2

Brand

Whirlpool

Age

Less than 1 year

Hello,

Very frustrated with this machine and wouldn't recommend a ventless dryer despite some of the nice features (gentler drying, softer clothes, no need for exterior venting). It just seems too poorly built.

Recently I received some guidance on this forum to replace the drain pump assembly of my nearly brand new (about 4 months old when it stopped working) Whirlpool ventless dryer, which solved that problem. It ran great for..a month or so? I'm pretty sure my new issue is unrelated, as the drain pump is working fine. I can hear water going down the drain periodically.

Now, the past 3 times I've run it I'm experiencing a new issue. The dryer will run for approximately an hour, then the drum stops spinning. The control panel still shows an accurate time, and continues counting down towards zero, but the dryer is otherwise not working. It sounds like the compressor, or maybe motor is running at low power (something is running with a low hum, and it sounds kind of like when my outdoor heat pump is on). After a couple minutes of humming, a fan kicks on. If I try to turn it off and back on, the hum goes away and the only thing on is the control panel timer - the dryer makes no attempt to start spinning again. I get no error codes (I've done the diagnostic steps in the tech manual) - only thing that may be different than when it is running normally is that the 2 LED on the far left of the machine will flash 3-4 times before the machine turns off when I hit the power button. If I turn it off and wait an hour or two it'll usually fire back up and finish the load.

Right now it is doing the humming thing and I'm letting it go for 10-15 minutes to see if it starts back up or not.

I have a few guesses, curious what you think would be the best place for me to start on this hunk o' junk:

1) overheating? I have the dryer in a small 3rd bathroom with poor airflow. I run it at the lowest of the 4 temperature settings, but the room still warms up a fair bit.
2) jostled something loose? I just had to unplug the dryer and move it out of the way to repair the water pump on my really old washing machine. This issue started the first load after I got the machines back in their normal spots. I'm guessing this is coincidence.
3) control panel failure? Long story..but I have a spare. Should I swap and see if it works better?
4) moisture sensor? This seems to be mentioned in several parts of the tech manual when talking about dryer stopping randomly

Please let me know your best guesses so I can try to fix this cursed dryer yet again.

 

[neverwpool]

Immediate update!

Right after posting, the dryer stopped humming and started drying my clothes again. I'm very suspicious that this is an issue where it's getting too warm in my bathroom. I'm going to increase the temperature setting to the second, or maybe 3rd dot to see if that changes anything with the next load. I wonder if the intake air is getting too warm for the "low" heating option.

As before, if I seem way off on my guess, please guide me to a better next step.
Thanks!

 

[Jake]

Hi,

I haven't had any training or work experience on these ventless dryers.

Hopefully another tech that has, can answer those questions for you.

All I can do is refer you back to this post here:

FIXED - WHD560CHW2 Whirlpool Ventless dryer F9E2

Hi everyone, first post here. I'll try to keep it on point for you :) I purchased Whirpool model WHD560CHW2, a ventless dryer, about 6 months ago. The installation crew did not install the power cord correctly, crossing 2 of the wires in the terminal. The first few times I tried using it, it...

www.applianceblog.com

Which I posted the service manual and tech. data sheet in.

Its under warranty, so I'd contact Whirlpool at 1-866-698-2538 and have a tech come out, the tech can call the factory on a special HOTLINE tech number from your house, and the factory can get involved in investigating what the problem could be.

Jake

 

[neverwpool]

Jake,

Funny you posted that specific thread, as that was my first thread when this machine first broke. I have downloaded the books you linked for future use.

My warranty is actually no longer valid - I had a service tech come out when the drain pump broke and he misdiagnosed it as the main control board, which was on long-term backorder (and still is). After months of waiting for the backordered part (and drying clothes outside all winter) whirlpool gave up on finding me spare parts and gave me a refund, so I do not have a warranty to lean on anymore as it's been "used up". After this I bought a control panel online (not sure why they couldn't buy me one, they're somewhat easy to find) and it didn't help. This was when I discovered the drain pump was the actual issue.

I'm thinking most likely this is a heat issue. When I put everything back after fixing my washing machine, I think I positioned the dryer slightly closer to the wall (when looking at the machine from the front, the right side was a little closer to the wall, and this side of the machine was very warm to touch). After it kicked back on it ran for 20 minutes, then shut back down again doing the same thing. I'll see if having it in it's more normal position helps reduce the risk of it shutting itself down mid-cycle.

 

[Jake]

Ok, let us know how it goes.

Jake

 

[Nash]

Are you still experiencing the issue or have you gotten any closer to solving it? I'm having the exact same problem with mine.

 

[neverwpool]

Are you still experiencing the issue or have you gotten any closer to solving it? I'm having the exact same problem with mine.

Nash,
I've been too busy to pull it apart and look at the guts since my last post. Fortunately, it seems to be working pretty well recently.

I repositioned my dryer to have as much of an "air gap" between it and the walls and washing machine and it runs much better. It still rarely will stop running and if I had to guess it's so that it doesn't overheat. My bathroom can get very warm while the dryer runs (which has been unpleasant during the hottest part of the summer). If I give it 20 minutes or so, it'll turn back on and finish the load. I've been making a concerted effort to run laundry early in the morning, or later at night, when I can run the bathroom exhaust fan and crack a few windows to try to pull some cooler outdoor air into the room.

As the weather is cooling off, I can't say I've noticed it crap out during a load for the past 1-2 months.

There are a few things I'd try before pulling it apart:
1) clean the lint screens really well. Check behind the secondary lint filter to see if the grates are gummed up. I've noticed this area will sometimes get clogged with lint...gotta get on your hands and knees to see this area.
2) reposition if possible so that heat can dissipate better. Next time it runs down, try to get in there right away and feel around on the machine for hot areas. As I noted in an earlier post, the right side of my machine was very hot -- almost too hot to touch.
3) see if pointing a fan at the dryer while it runs helps - maybe this will help confirm an overheating issue?

I've read some of these ventless models have issues with lint buildup inside the dryer, and some folks tear their dryers apart yearly to deal with this. I hope this isn't a model affected by this, but wouldn't be surprised based on the plethora problems it seems to have.

 

[Nash]

Thanks. Unfortunately, I think I'm about at the "open it up and take a look" stage. I'm in a fairly cool climate up in the mountains and still having issues, so if it's overheating, it has substantial enough heat regardless of the room temp. The lint screens are spotless and looking behind the secondary screen with a flashlight, the area within looks clean, too.

I'll report back if I figure out anything useful.

 

[neverwpool]

Probably means my issues will return with time. Good luck, and yes, please post any findings.

In the link provided by Jake further up the thread, he posted the service manual and tech data sheet. You could try to reset the machine and see if that helps before the goose chase that is pulling apart a machine nobody is particularly familiar with.

If I remember from back when I was trying to figure out what to check first, the 3 items I can remember were: thermistor, heating element, and make sure the door latch is staying closed. It's a weird thing this dryer does and I can't find any "exact" symptoms like this anywhere.

 

[mketterm]

Probably means my issues will return with time. Good luck, and yes, please post any findings.

In the link provided by Jake further up the thread, he posted the service manual and tech data sheet. You could try to reset the machine and see if that helps before the goose chase that is pulling apart a machine nobody is particularly familiar with.

If I remember from back when I was trying to figure out what to check first, the 3 items I can remember were: thermistor, heating element, and make sure the door latch is staying closed. It's a weird thing this dryer does and I can't find any "exact" symptoms like this anywhere.

And I as a new member with a 2 year old dryer that had worked perfectly have the exact same problem - had one appliance tech out who had no familiarity with ventless dryers and the replaced the cable harness - no help - dryer stops tumbling after approx 45 minutes and hums - I have always turned it off as I do not want to ruin the motor. My dryer is in an under the stairway closet but is not run with the door shut and is at least 5 inches from the wall and a few inches minimum from the washer. My confusion is that it ran beautifully for 2 years not a single issue. I clean both lint filters after every use and do not see any build up. The dryer starts back up after a half hour or so but this is ridiculous. Would like to understand what to do for the dryer to operate well again...

 

[Nash]

I was doing some renovations on my laundry room and while I had the dryer pulled out, did two things:

1. I opened up the back and found that the lid of the condensation sump had warped and was not staying sealed. In fact, it was warped enough that the float that triggers the pump was probably not engaging properly. I found a used replacement on eBay (the only one I could find anywhere) and installed it. The replacement is ALSO warped, but just slightly. I have a feeling this lid needs a redesign.
2. I switched from a three-prong to four-prong plug. (I changed the outlet during the renovation.)

I don't know if either/both of those things have actually resolved the issue, but since then the machine has operated as expected.

 

[Paul V]

Jake,

Funny you posted that specific thread, as that was my first thread when this machine first broke. I have downloaded the books you linked for future use.

My warranty is actually no longer valid - I had a service tech come out when the drain pump broke and he misdiagnosed it as the main control board, which was on long-term backorder (and still is). After months of waiting for the backordered part (and drying clothes outside all winter) whirlpool gave up on finding me spare parts and gave me a refund, so I do not have a warranty to lean on anymore as it's been "used up". After this I bought a control panel online (not sure why they couldn't buy me one, they're somewhat easy to find) and it didn't help. This was when I discovered the drain pump was the actual issue.

I'm thinking most likely this is a heat issue. When I put everything back after fixing my washing machine, I think I positioned the dryer slightly closer to the wall (when looking at the machine from the front, the right side was a little closer to the wall, and this side of the machine was very warm to touch). After it kicked back on it ran for 20 minutes, then shut back down again doing the same thing. I'll see if having it in it's more normal position helps reduce the risk of it shutting itself down mid-cycle.

Has anyone entered the diag mode during the malfunction? I am having the same issue and this will be my next step if I am home when it happens.

 

[Nash]

Has anyone entered the diag mode during the malfunction? I am having the same issue and this will be my next step if I am home when it happens.

I entered diag mode when it was sitting, but never did during the malfunction.