Dryer not drying vs. washer not spinning (enough)?

15 years ago

Hi,

I've been noticing over the last several months that our clothes are not getting dry as quickly. I used to have to restart the dryer once (after the moisture sensor turns it off the first time...obviously, that sensor never worked right) for certain loads. But it's been taking longer and longer...till yesterday I had to restart it 3 times! So, it basically took all day to dry one load of laundry! Any suggestions about where to start with figuring out what's going on?

What can I check on the dryer to see what might not be working? Or maybe the washer is not getting them spun out enough? These are not brand new appliances, but not ancient either. I think we bought them at the same time, about 8 years ago.

Thanks for any help!

ande

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Comments (3)

dadoes
15 years ago
If the dryer really is taking longer, then something else is the cause of the problem, not the sensor itself. The sensor does not control how fast the clothes dry, it only shuts the machine off when the clothes ARE dry ... within limits of the programmed sensor algorithms.

What basically happens is that damp/wet clothes brush against a pair of sensor bars in the drum. The moisture completes an electric circuit between the two bars, which interrupts progression of the timer. Whether the timer is an electro-mechanical dial or an electronic board, the effect is the same. As the clothes dry, there is less moisture present even when items are touching the bars, so time runs out faster and faster as the drying process progresses. However, here are brief moments during tumbling when no clothes are touching the bars, so time does run-out in tiny fragments even at the start when the clothes are wet. If the vent duct is blocked or the machine isn't heating properly, time will STILL eventually run out and the dryer will turn off, even if the clothes are not properly dry.

Try running a load on the timed cycle instead of the auto-dry cycle, and I'm betting it'll STILL take a long time and multiple re-cycles.

If the clothes feel "normal" when pulled out of the washer in terms of how much water is being extracted, then have a look at the vent duct on the dryer. And that doesn't mean just the length of flex-duct that runs between the dryer and wall. You must check the *entire* length of the exhaust from the dryer to where it exits outside the house. I've seen cases in which the dryer was simply misaligned or pushed too far back, crushing the flex-duct.
housekeeping
15 years ago
Since it seems to have been progressing, my money is on a gradually clogging dryer vent run. As Dadoes says, you must clean the entire pathway, not just behind the machine. Often that cleaning will take an apparently failing dryer and give it a new lease of life since it doesn't have so much resistance in its exhaust stack.

Plus, it could save you from a nasty dryer vent fire. You can get special brushes to work on the duct work at Home Depot type places. And while you're at it, consider replacing any plastic, or even corrugated metal pipe with stiff smooth-walled vents. They clog much less.

Another thing to try if you use dryer sheets is to clean the moisture sensor off. Sometimes it can get glopped up.

HTH,

Molly~
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sparky823
15 years ago
You could also take the vent off the back of the dryer and dry a load to see how well it dries. If you are worried about lint getting in the room while drying the load put an old nylon stocking over the vent outlet on the dryer. This way if it dries fine you will know for sure that your duct is blocked.

Dryer not drying vs. washer not spinning (enough)?

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dadoes

housekeeping

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