Dryer keeps tripping the circuit breaker

I just moved into a house with an older (maybe 6-7 years old) washer/dryer set. I was able to do one load of laundry in the dryer, but since then the dryer trips the breaker every time I use it after running for maybe 2 minutes. I tried lowering the heat but even at the lowest heat setting it tripped. I finally set it to "no heat" and was then able to run it for a full cycle without tripping the breaker.

Any ideas on what the problem could be? Is there something I can do to determine if it's a problem with the appliance or with the circuit breaker?

Reply to
zenhen
Loading thread data ...

wrote

Replace the breaker, it's easy and cheap. If that doesn't work call a servicer or replace the dryer.

What brand is the dryer, serial number?

Reply to
Ed

Hi,

A copy:

*******

We have a dryer ( could be any make! ) that is consistently blowing fuses ( tripping breaker ) after about 5-10-15-20 minutes. We have taken the dryer apart to check for clogs in the venting system and to check if the heating core was okay and they seem to be fine. Any ideas?

Blowing the house fuses/breaker? If yes....the dryer usually will blow a fuse/breaker right away if there is a problem in the dryer....more often than not a fuse that blows after the dryer has been running a while it is a fuse box issue. A test: Put 2 new 30 amp fuses in and run the dryer with the heat on for 5-10 minutes, turn off the dryer and quickly remove the fuses from the house fuse box and see if they are hot at all ( especially on the bottom )....if the fuses are getting hot they are probably melting the fuse link and not really blowing = fuse box problem.

As for most things there are exceptions....a grounded heating element

-may- blow the fuse after the dryer has been on for a while, it is easy to test for that as well. See link here (

formatting link
). A burnt/loose power cord/plug -may- also give this type of a problem.

*******

I'd try another 30 amp breaker before getting too deep into the dryer itself...JMO!

jeff. Appliance Repair Aid

formatting link

Reply to
Appliance Repair Aid

Check the breaker size and the size circuit required by the dryer. Don't just up the breaker size without checking the circuit very well to make sure the wiring is sized to meet the demand per code. If the breaker is up to size, replace it with the same size breaker, it may just be old.

Reply to
Joseph Meehan

1) Use a clamp-on ammeter to determine if the dryer truly is drawing the amount of current. 2) Rig up a load resistor drawing "near" the breaker current to test the breaker.

or (the cheap & easy test)

3) Change out the breaker. They're inexpensive and trivial to replace.
Reply to
Andy Hill

Is this an existing dryer that was there when you moved in?

Is it a rental or a purchase?

Check the dryer lint trap and the exhaust duct work.

Look at the cord set and plug--do they show any signs of overheating?

Reply to
Duane Bozarth

Try replacing the breaker. Sometimes when the breakers get old, they tend to trip at a lower current. The internal contacts in the breaker heat up more because they are warn, and thus the breaker trips.

If the new breaker is also tripping, then you will have to have the dryer serviced. There may be problems with the heating element, control board, or the motor. Rather than try to fix that yourself, it will be more reasonable and safer to have an experienced service person do this type of work.

Reply to
Jerry G.

I'm with Andy here and just want to add that a clamp with a hold feature would be good. This way if/when it trips you will know without standing there and staring at it for 20 minutes. If you don't have one you might ask a friend or neighbor??....Good luck, Ross

Reply to
Ross Mac

Thanks, I went ahead an did just that and it seems to have fixed it. I swapped out the old 30 amp breaker with a new 30 amp breaker from Home Depot (cost a whole $9!) and was able to run a 10 minute test load of laundry at full heat without tripping it. I'll give it a more thorough test later but so far, so good. Thanks to everyone that helped!

Reply to
zenhen

replying to Ed, Joe wrote: Thank You. Had this same problem and would not have known to try the breaker. Thought it was the heating element ...not. Then, cleaned all the lint - a lot, so that was a good thing to do anyway...not the problem. Changed the breaker...FIXED! So , Thank you Again!

Reply to
Joe

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.