Dryer started tripping the 30 amp breaker

Jul 29, 2012 1 Replies

I have an electric dryer which is 7 yrs.old and is located in the partial basement we have. A couple of months ago I moved it out about 2 feet to clean in behind it. Then not to long after that the dryer started tripping the 30 amp breaker. It would run for awhile like maybe one day and nothing would happen, then it would trip the breaker the next time we used it.



Now after about a minute or so it trips the breaker. We had newer wiring and a bigger box put in 2 yrs. ago. I pulled off the back of the dryer and checked the thermostats with a digital ohm meter. If I checked them right, which I think I did everything checked out okay. It still trips the breaker. Any answers to this other than the breaker could be bad. Thanks


I'd say your motor's going bad, its bearings actually. Moving the dryer could've or apparently did upset the motor's oil film, debris, balls or barrels in the motor bearings. The bearings could've been worn down or even had a defect or contamination during manufacture and just needed a jostle to misalign now loose bearings or stir up wear-debris. Resulting in excessive power draws to try and spin the motor. Bearings are the weakest link and your situation is common.

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