TIL my grandpa's advice about old dryers was spot on

He was a repairman in the 70s and always said, 'If a vintage dryer runs but won't heat, the thermal fuse is fine, 9 times out of 10 it's the cycling thermostat.' I just fixed a 1983 Maytag like that for a neighbor. Sure enough, the cycling thermostat was stuck open, not the fuse. Has anyone else found that to be true on those older models?

5 comments

5 Comments

emeryo582mo ago

Yeah, my buddy had the same thing with his grandma's old Kenmore. He was ready to order a fuse, but I told him to check the thermostat first. Saved him like twenty bucks and a week of waiting for parts.

riverb132mo ago

But is a broken thermostat really that big of a deal?

ivan4622mo ago

My cousin's dryer stopped heating last winter. He almost bought a whole new heating element online. Turns out the thermal fuse had just popped because his vent hose was crushed flat behind the machine. Cleaned the vent, replaced the five dollar fuse, and it ran like new. He felt pretty dumb for almost spending eighty bucks on the wrong part.

garcia.wren3d ago

Used to think thermostats were some kind of mystical component only pros should touch. But after my own dryer quit mid-winter a few years back, I watched a couple YouTube videos and realized it's just a basic switch that opens when it gets too hot. Grabbed a multimeter at Harbor Freight for like 15 bucks, tested both the thermostat and fuse in five minutes, and found the thermostat was stuck open while the fuse was fine. Replaced that one part and saved myself a service call. Did your cousin check if the vent was blocked before he ordered the fuse?

river_thompson3d ago

Wait, unless the crush kinked the vent and trapped heat on the fuse.