My electric Whirlpool dryer stopped drying because the heating element stopped working. I decided to take it apart and see if it was worth fixing or not. After all, fixing something many times is much more cost effective than replacing something outright. Please note that fixing a high voltage, high temperature appliance such as an electric dryer should only be done if you are comfortable doing so as incorrect repairs may result in electric shock or fires.
Once I opened the unit up I found the Hi-Limit thermostat had essential destroyed itself. Generally this will happen if it is not working properly AND one of the lower temperature setting thermostats also fails.
Fixing it was not really that time consuming or difficult. Once I had it open I was able to match the OEM part numbers with replacement parts. One of the parts had be discontinued so I had to use an adjustable thermostat. I just needed to set it to the correct operating temperature as denoted by the instruction table that it came with for the adjustable thermostat.
Once the parts arrived I removed the Hi-Limit thermostat with fell apart when I removing it. I had to put in a pig-tail wire (10AWG) matching the original wiring. This was required because the original had over heated and burned the wire. The the Hi-Limit thermostat replaced I turned my attention to the other thermostats. I needed to figure out which was bad. At cool temperature a continuity check of all three of them showed they were good. So, one (or more) had to fail at the shutoff point. You can check this by putting them on a skillet or griddle and raising the temperature to the point where they are supposed to trip. In the case of mine, there’s a about a 5 to 10 degree difference between each one.
However, since I did not really feel like taking them all out I decided to run the dryer and start at the low setting. If it turned off prior to the Hi-Limit, it was good. I proceeded through all of them and one failed. I replaced this one with the adjustable thermostat setting the temperature to setting D which for my part was 150F. I hooked everything back up and did one final temperature check cycling through each setting. Everything was working perfectly again.
Finally since I had the back of the dryer open I decided to clean up the lint. This is always a good idea to do once in a while to prevent lint build up which can be a fire hazard. About 3/4 the way through vacuuming I realize my Shopvac was not fully snapped down so small dust, dirt and drywall particles start flying around the room. I guess I had to clean that mess up now as well!
The replacement parts I used were from www.appliancepartspros.com. They provided easy ordering and quick shipping. My adjustable thermostat did not come with the instruction table so I contact them via chat and they were able to email me a PDF of the instructions. This was great service.
Hi-Limit Thermostat – https://www.appliancepartspros.com/whirlpool-hi-limit-thermostat-279052-ap3094087.html
Adjustable dryer cycling thermostat – https://www.appliancepartspros.com/whirlpool-thermostat-adj-wp694674-ap6010610.html
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