How to Tell if Dryer Blower Wheel Is Bad
Featured flashbacks
- False alarm! What to do when the smoke detector goes off in the middle of the night.
- Cook hearty dutch-oven meals over an outdoor fire.
One of Stan's favorite columns:
Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!
The dryer I had repaired just a few months earlier was at it again.
Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!
Was it time at last to replace the 26-year-old appliance? Why was it making noise? I thought I had eliminated the problem when I had replaced a well-worn roller bearing, a part the drum rolls on as it turns. Now here I was, back at square one.
As long as the dryer was drying, I didn't mind the noise -- too much. After all, it was certainly clear when it was time to fold the clothes.
Besides, I subscribe to the old axiom, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Obviously, something was terribly wrong -- or was going to be -- but it wasn't broken yet.
Clothes stop drying
Then one day, the dryer quit drying altogether. Even though the drum would turn and the clothes would get hot, nothing would dry -- unless the dryer ran for five hours or so.
My home repair book suggested the likely problem was a loose or broken blower wheel. The plastic squirrel cage-style blower keeps hot air circulating through the dryer to the vent outside the house. Without air circulation, hot, wet clothes remain simply that -- hot and wet.
After popping off the front panel and door, it was obvious that the blower wheel was loose. I could easily turn it with my fingers. The shaft hole on the wheel had become worn, allowing the wheel to spin freely on the shaft.
I found the new part online. But would I need a new retainer clip to keep the blower from spinning off its shaft? What about a new metal clamp to grip the wheel in place? Or a new washer to keep it from rubbing against the housing? Could I be overlooking something else?
Fix it or pitch it?
When it comes to appliance repair know-how and advice, the experts at your local appliance parts shop are the people to ask. They have the knowledge and experience to tell you exactly what you need and provide tips on repairs. And they know definitively whether you should fix something or pitch it.
Not so many years ago, if the soles wore out on your shoes, you wouldn't dream of buying new ones. You'd simply take them to the local shoe repair shop. If the strap on your wife's purse broke, she'd take it in for repairs. If the family TV went on the fritz, you'd never think of junking it and buying a new one. Down to the shop it would go.
Those days are largely gone.
Even though the new blower wheel cost me a few dollars more at the appliance parts shop than it would have online, it was worth my patronage to help keep such a valuable, customer service oriented business in our community. In fact, I probably ended up paying about the same since there were no shipping costs or handling fees.
Best of all, I didn't have to wait for the part, and there was no worry about mistakenly ordering or receiving the wrong part and having to ship it back.
And after talking with these experts who have been in the appliance business for years, I knew I wouldn't need to purchase any other parts.
In no time, my younger son and I again had the dryer working -- quietly.
And in large measure, I have the local appliance parts shop to thank.
Connect
- To share your home improvement stories,
- For more home improvement tips,
- Follow Stan
Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.
How to Tell if Dryer Blower Wheel Is Bad
Source: https://www.mlive.com/homeandgarden/2012/03/stan_harrison_new_blower_wheel.html
0 Response to "How to Tell if Dryer Blower Wheel Is Bad"
Post a Comment