Dryer Heating Element

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jmellc

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Durham, NC
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Facility Maintenance Tech. Licensed Electrician
Dryer went out overnight. Stayed home to fix. Kenmore, so local parts dealer said I had to get them from Sears. They closed their parts counter at one store and I just found out never had one at the newer store. My latest irritation with Sears. I will use them even less than I do now.

I found a bad thermostat but am unsure about the heating element. It is labeled 5400 watt, 240 volt. That should ohm out to about 22 ohms, 18 at 80% rule. A Youtube video says it should ohm about 16. I am getting 10 ohms. I was going to order another element to avoid another fix soon, but they are $75 online, and the stat is 30 something.

Have any of you done much appliance service? I've done some but I'm surely not an expert. Would $75 be worth it or let it go til it gives out?
 
Using your numbers:

I=P/E=5400/240=22.5 amps
R=E/I=240/22.5=10.66 ohms
 
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Sears didn't make anything so you should be able to find the elements at a appliance parts store, we have 2 in our city plus about 12 appliance repair companies.
The elements I have replaced look like coil springs held by ceramic standoffs.
Not a hard job, when you stretch them out do it evenly.
 
Kenmore dryers are ALL made by someone else, most of them are Whirlpool, but the cheaper ones were made by Frigidaire. A good Appliance parts store will be able to cross reference replacement parts, they are all the same when you find the original mfr.

This site shows you how to find out who the OEM was for a particular model number of Kenmore appliance. It looks like a lot, but this is listing all Kenmore appliances and many of them are for overseas. Yours will most likely be Whirlpool, small chance it is Frigidaire.
http://www.appliance411.com/purchase/sears.shtml
 
jumper said:
I got 10.6 ohms.

(240 x 240)/5400=10.6.
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So do I. Next question is whether resistance changes when temperature changes, if so that would only be resistance while at rated running watts. I don't think most of these kind of elements change resistance by very much when heated though.
 
Heating elements fail by "burning out", meaning open circuit. If you're reading ohms end to end at the heater connections, that isn't your problem. No need to replace it if it still reads good.
 
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Your heater is fine, it WILL read a lower temperature when cold, and go up in resistance as it heats up. Here is the schematic to a similar dryer made by the same company (whirlpool):
 

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kwired said:
So do I. Next question is whether resistance changes when temperature changes, if so that would only be resistance while at rated running watts. I don't think most of these kind of elements change resistance by very much when heated though.
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They do, if you look at the elements when the dryer is running, they usually glow a dull orange- sometimes brightish orange if air is poor. And I'm not talking about a blocked exhaust system.
 
Oops, you guys are right. I calculated amps & didn't carry it out to E I/R. I'm getting old and forgetful.:dunce:

I'll just order the thermostat.

The parts place here is pretty good. I've bought from them before for various things. I took his word about Kenmore.

Only reason we have this is that we got it used for a good price. We don't shop Sears any more than we absolutely have to. They have always been messy in various ways.
 
jmellc said:
Oops, you guys are right. I calculated amps & didn't carry it out to E I/R. I'm getting old and forgetful.:dunce:

I'll just order the thermostat.

The parts place here is pretty good. I've bought from them before for various things. I took his word about Kenmore.

Only reason we have this is that we got it used for a good price. We don't shop Sears any more than we absolutely have to. They have always been messy in various ways.
Click to expand...

If the dryer for what ever reason has been cycling on its high limit (ie operating T-stat welded shut) I'd change out the high limit as well.
 
jmellc said:
Dryer went out overnight. Stayed home to fix. Kenmore, so local parts dealer said I had to get them from Sears. They closed their parts counter at one store and I just found out never had one at the newer store. My latest irritation with Sears. I will use them even less than I do now.

I found a bad thermostat but am unsure about the heating element. It is labeled 5400 watt, 240 volt. That should ohm out to about 22 ohms, 18 at 80% rule. A Youtube video says it should ohm about 16. I am getting 10 ohms. I was going to order another element to avoid another fix soon, but they are $75 online, and the stat is 30 something.

Have any of you done much appliance service? I've done some but I'm surely not an expert. Would $75 be worth it or let it go til it gives out?
Click to expand...

As mentioned, if you have continuity at all through element - it is good. It won't change resistance other then to go to infinity if open circuited.

Is the bad thermostat you mentioned actually a thermal fuse link? If so make sure your exhaust vent isn't plugged or too long of a run. The purpose of such fuse link is to lessen risk of fire if not enough air flow leads to high exhaust temp.
 
How did you decide the thermostat is bad? Looks like there are several things (follow the blue line) on the VERY USEFUL schematic that could keep the heater from working....Timer, Operating Tstat, Thermal fuse, Hi-Limit protector Tstat and the motor relay contact. You might save some money isolating the problem to make sure it really is ONLY the thermostat you think is bad. An ohmmeter will work for testing each component.
 
OT:
I worked in the Hardware Dept. part time at Sears in the late 70s while going to school, it was a good part-time job, great place to work, and because of employee discounts all my tools eventually became Craftsman (I still have most of them) and all of my relatives had me buy them Kenmore appliances. The appliances all lasted lasted for years and years, I finally gave up on my 1977 Kenmore washer and dryer in 2011!. Sears has fallen from that pinnacle and is a shadow of its former self now. Kenmore means squat any more, Craftsman tools seem crappier (some, not all) and every time I am forced to go to Sears, I can't find a human that works there for a half hour... Sad.
 
Jraef said:
OT:
I worked in the Hardware Dept. part time at Sears in the late 70s while going to school, it was a good part-time job, great place to work, and because of employee discounts all my tools eventually became Craftsman (I still have most of them) and all of my relatives had me buy them Kenmore appliances. The appliances all lasted lasted for years and years, I finally gave up on my 1977 Kenmore washer and dryer in 2011!. Sears has fallen from that pinnacle and is a shadow of its former self now. Kenmore means squat any more, Craftsman tools seem crappier (some, not all) and every time I am forced to go to Sears, I can't find a human that works there for a half hour... Sad.
Click to expand...

Sears sold Craftsman to Satenly Bleak & Dorker, Stanley Black & Decker, but Sears tarnished Craftsman so badly, I would rather buy Harbor Freight, at least not all HF is of ChiCom origin like Craftsman. Whirlpool cut their ties to Sears, & either LG or Samsung have taken some of their place, and either one are horrible choices in appliances, both have a reputation of being hard to get parts for.

Sears was such a part of America, but the end is near. :happysad:
 
norcal said:
Sears sold Craftsman to Satenly Bleak & Dorker, Stanley Black & Decker, but Sears tarnished Craftsman so badly, I would rather buy Harbor Freight, at least not all HF is of ChiCom origin like Craftsman. Whirlpool cut their ties to Sears, & either LG or Samsung have taken some of their place, and either one are horrible choices in appliances, both have a reputation of being hard to get parts for.

Sears was such a part of America, but the end is near. :happysad:
Click to expand...

It was actually a thermal fuse link. I went to closest Sears & the parts dept closed in August. Called the other one in town and got a phone tree where I asked for Parts, Service & Repairs. Line stayed busy. I went across town to it and was told they didn't have a parts dept. I simply said "no wonder Sears is dying". I returned home & ordered the part from their website. I saw too, that the site transposed the part number to something else. I later checked a Whirlpool site & saw it is a Whirlpool part. I went Saturday to our local parts store and got it for half the price. I will keep the one I ordered as a spare.

I should have thought of this from the beginning, but hindsight is always perfect.

Yes, Sears is dying for sure. Just need a date on the death certificate. I have had a lot of irritations with them over the years. Only reason I went back at all was they did have a few good people in parts dept and a few clerks here & there who I liked. My loyalty was to those few employees, not to Sears. I quit buying Craftsman tools years ago. Screwdrivers kept breaking tips & cutters had poorly aligned blades, etc. I bought a battery drill there & ordered a new battery a year later. Battery fit my drill but not my charger. I bought a razor knife that was a shelf item. Blades were a special order. Messy stuff like that.

1 former boss had us doing appliance installs for Sears about 12 years ago. I urged him not to do it but he needed the money, the little they paid. It lasted about 2 months. We got barely half the install fee and did all the work. We picked up the new one at the store, installed at the home and carried the old one away. We got $85 out of it, so we were nearly free labor.
 
Lowe's has now bought Craftsman, though I don't see why they wanted it.
 
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