Repair or replace Hotpoint Dryer - 27 years old

leslie2004

14 years ago

Our Hotpoint dryer has worked without problems or repairs for the 13 years we've been in this house and appears to date to 1983 (from serial #).

The other day we smelled a slight burning smell (no smoke) from the top around the control panel.

We checked the vent including all the way out of the house (doesn't have far to go - straight out the wall of 2nd floor laundry closet) and there was no lint build up. Vent flap door outside was working fine; there is no screen on the vent outside only a door.

We thought it was probably better to just get a new one than pay for a service call considering its age but after looking this weekend and doing research here and on Consumer Reports' site I'm frustrated.

The hall closet it's in has size limitations - dryer can't be much deeper than the current one at 25". That leaves very few that will fit - leaning towards Fisher & Paykel front loading model DE60FA.

But CR gives F&P bad ratings in general (altho' we have an F&P washer and love it) and there seem to be a lot of negative comments here.

My main frustration is the quality of the new ones - wow, what a difference. Cheap feeling, plastic parts...just a world apart from the one we have now. I know I'm stating the obvious but they don't make them like they used to.

So after a weekend of research I'm thinking it might be worth it to call out a repair person one time - maybe it's a simple wiring repair in the control panel and we could get a few more years out of it.

Any thoughts?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (5)

brenton_2008
14 years ago
Having ANY dryer or machine work for 13 years with no service calls, Somebody is doing something RIGHT. So its 27 years old, good4U. You probably have a lint build up just under the lower heating element and thats what you are smelling. You didn't mention how many are using this dryer, not that it matters if its 27 years old, and hasn't been worked on in 13 years. It probably needs the front glides and rear cheap bearing, and belt, and idler pully. So this dryer doesn't owe you a cent, for all these parts, and labour, the tech should be able to do this in a hour call out, if you are not way out in the boon docks. Because the tech has not opened it up to clairify the cost, lets say all these parts and 1 hours labour, at 60 hour to 80.00 that some charge now. And parts at 80.00 as I don't know what they charge in your area, as I am in Canada. Most of the new high end dryers a call out for them is 150.00 plus and they are new, yours is 27. Always good to hear about the old stuff still doing its thing. Brent@CanBC
dadoes
14 years ago
Very interesting. Proposal of replacing a Hotpoint dryer with an F&P frontloader.

Interesting because .... Hotpoint is a division of GE, and F&P's frontload dryer on the US market is also a ... GE! :-)
Related Discussions
Help guesstimating remaining life of Hotpoint washer and dryer?
Q
Comments (3)
"...squeaks in dryer only problem" Probably the belt or tensioner-pulley....both cheap and easy. Even if you have to hire someone to diagnose and fix, still cheaper than new unit...and will last indefinitely once repaired. If I'm wrong, I'll stand for your fist-shaking.
...See More
replace or repair dryer
Q
Comments (10)
Sears part site is working for me. Here's a link to a blow-up picture of the Bulkhead parts breakdown. Your heating element is Part Number 3387747. PartsTap.com carries it for $45.28, which is less than Sears. There's no need to replace any thermal fuses or thermostats unless they are known to be bad. There is an overheat limiter thermostat (#48 on the diagram) on the left side of the heating element box. This thermostat triggers at 250ÃÂ°F (auto-resets when it cools) and protects the element from overheating if airflow is obstructed, such as if the exhaust ducting gets clogged. A thermal cut-off (#47 on the diagram, behind the limiter thermostat) blows at 352ÃÂ°F and serves as both a backup in case the limiter thermostat fails to shut off in an overheat situation, and also to further protect the machine in case the heating element was to short-to-ground (in which case it would heat even with the dryer OFF unless it's completely disconnected from power). The dryer will run if this fuse blows, but it won't heat. You should check this thermal cut-off with a volt-ohm meter while the machine is disassembled, as it can come into play during an element failure. It's either good or not, so no need to replace if it tests good (has continuity). The limiter thermostat and thermal cut-off are replaced as a pair. Another thermal fuse (#59 in the diagram) is on top of the blower housing. If the temperature of the air IN THE DRUM gets too hot (probably about 196ÃÂ°F), this fuse blows and shuts down the machine. This fuse is a safety backup for the operating thermostat next to it (#42 on the diagram). The operating thermostat maintains the selected drying temperature in the drum. At the high heat setting, it turns the element off at 155ÃÂ°F and back on at 130ÃÂ°F. The thermostat incorporates a bias heater, which is a small heating source inside of it that "tricks" it into cycling on/off lower temps, for the medium and low heat settings.
...See More
Is Electrolux 70 dryer better than 10-year-old Kenmore Elite dryer?
Q
Comments (10)
For every appliance I have ever owned, I have always bought Ext. Warranty. Sometimes I have needed it, and sometimes not. My Mom had 5 year Ext. warranties on her very expensive, top of the line GE washer & dryer. The dryer gave her a lot of problems about 4 years into ownership. After Sears/GE tried several repair attempts, they finally gave her all her money back and she bought a new dryer. Money WELL spent on an Ext. warranty! Years ago, I needed a substantial repair on a Miele oven. I believe they told me the repair was well oven $1000.00. My $249 Ext. warranty covered every cent of the service, labor and parts. ALWAYS think of Ext. warranties like car insurance. Most of the time you will never need it, but man when you do need it.....You are so darn happy you have it!! :) -Larsi
...See More
Buy new washer & dryer to replace working set that's 18-years-old?
Q
Comments (36)
I saw an ad in the local nextdoor marketplace. Someone bought a home in one of our upscale neighborhoods and bought a brand new Washer and Dryer, so they were selling the Speed Queen set for $100.00 that came with the house. Knowing that my Amana washer and dryer were built in 1995 and are close to the end of their useful life, I jumped on buying a used set by Speed Queen that was built prior to their redesign disaster. The old Maytag, Speed Queen and Amana w/d were work horses. Whirlpool bought out Maytag, Amana, Jenn-Air, and KitchenAid and the quality is not what it once was. Newer machines just don't have the longevity of the old machines and the efficiency standards have reduced the cleaning quality. I expect I will get another 20 years from the used Speed Queens.
...See More
regus_patoff
14 years ago
and ... GE's Harmony Dryer is ... an LG
leslie2004
Original Author
14 years ago
There are only 2 of us using it and not doing tons of laundry - not a lot of heavy-duy stuff either.

I plugged it back in this morning & ran it - the smell did seem to be like lint scorching more so than an electrical or rubber burning type of odor. I bet that opening the cabinet will reveal 27 years of lint in there and that's the only problem. So I really think it's worth paying to check on that and having some maintenance done this one time on the chance it could solve the problem and run a few more years.

Just breaks my heart to get rid of this sturdy machine for a plastic-y new one. Ugh.

And the fact that the F&P is GE -- is that good or bad? It kinda bummed me out when the appliance guy told us that.

Do you think getting parts for that old of a machine will be an issue or take a long time? I saw on an online site that all the parts are still available. And is there any need to go with a GE service person?
dadoes
14 years ago
I have an F&P DE04 dryer which is the 10-year-old version of the current DE60FA. Have had no trouble with it. Dryers are simple mechanisms. Longevity and reliability are largely related to usage patterns. A family of 8 running three or four loads per day will wear a dryer down much faster than a household of 2 running a few loads weekly. I also have a GE dryer picked up on FreeCycle for refurbishment, same design as the F&P. The GE is several years newer but has been run hard. The drum front support slides are worn through and the finish is worn off the inner door liner as if the previous users were constantly drying huge loads of jeans ... or perhaps tumbling rocks (except the drum isn't dented).

Repair or replace Hotpoint Dryer - 27 years old

Comments (5)

brenton_2008

dadoes

Related Discussions

regus_patoff

leslie2004
Original Author

dadoes

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Repair or replace Hotpoint Dryer - 27 years old

Comments (5)

brenton_2008

dadoes

Related Discussions

regus_patoff

leslie2004Original Author

dadoes

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

leslie2004
Original Author