The igniter on our GE gas dryer develops a hairline crack 2 or 3 times yearly and has to be replaced: three times by me and once--in the middle of the sequence--by a service tech. who couldn't find anything else wrong.
Dryer sits on a concrete floor but doesn't seem to vibrate wildly. Exhaust seems clear. Any thoughts?
Chip
bet the metal piece that holds the ceramic igniter is too tight or it might have a barb(piece of metal not smooth) that is cracking it when it heats up...... take off all the electrical wires and make sure they have a good contact as a weak contact will make more resistance and be a hotter igniter and will burn out quicker... the service guy should have know this(i am not a service guy, but it does not take rocket science to figure this one out)......
Jim has some good ideas, I will add that you need to make sure you do not touch the part with your fingers. The oil will cause problems.
It is not located in a spot where it would be subject to extreme cold is it?
Hi,
What model#?
Cracks can be oil from the fingers during install, vibration, poor quality ignitors....maybe a short or strong current draw in the gas valve coils? How is the flame sensor working? The flame sensor should shut the ignitor off during the heating process, if stuck closed the ignitor will fail quickly.
jeff.
Appliance Repair Aid
Easy fix...replace it with a ceramic replacement for the old silicon ones. You can about step on one..toss it, and it will still work.. Breathe on a silicon carbide ignitor, and it will crack.
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