TIL my old way of checking dryer thermostats was a waste of time...

For years, I'd pull the whole back panel off a dryer just to get a multimeter on the high-limit thermostat... a real pain on those stacked units. Then a guy at a supply house in Toledo told me to just check continuity through the heating element circuit first. Did that on a Kenmore last week, found the open there in under two minutes, and saved myself half an hour of disassembly. Anyone else have a simple test that cuts out a bunch of steps?

4 comments

4 Comments

owens.laura1mo ago

That drain pump trick can be misleading though, a bad pump can hum but still be clogged.

finleyrivera1mo ago

That continuity check trick is a lifesaver. My buddy wasted a whole afternoon on a washer before someone told him to just listen for the drain pump hum first.

scott.alex20d ago

Is it really that serious though? I mean, spending a whole afternoon on a washer sounds like the guy just didn't want to read the manual. @finleyrivera, your buddy probably coulda saved that time by checking the filter or the lid switch first, not just the hum. Humming don't tell you much if you don't know what to listen for, and half the time that noise is just loose change rattling around. Seems like people overthink these things when a simple process of elimination works fine. But hey, whatever gets the job done, right?

laura_wilson1mo ago

My uncle used to test his old fridge's compressor with a long screwdriver to his ear. He swore by it, but I always thought it sounded like a good way to get shocked.