OT: Clothes dryer problem

[nospambob]

Maytag model MDE4806AYW bought Feb. 2006 started making noise like a bearing failing. Stopped it and called for tech. He showed up several hours later and it ran fine without noise. Wife moistened some towels and shortly noise returned. Stripped covers and all seemed fine, not a bearing problem. Checked incoming voltage at 240V. He ran the machine and damp towels stayed in one spot as drum rotated, no tumbling action at all. He deduced the 240V was spinning the drum faster than 220V would preventing the tumbling of the load. Suggested we contact Georgia Power and ask about lowering the incoming power to

220V. Label where model number was found has "120/240V". Commented he has more calls on Maytag than any other.

[Doug Miller]

????

Yeah, I'm sure they're going to be in a big hurry to do that.

Find a different tech, one who knows what he's doing.

[JoeSpareBedroom]

I'd call the company right away. Sometimes, there are service bulletins that the techs haven't read yet. You need to get this documented with the manufacturer before the warranty runs out, and get as much information right from Maytag.

[hallerb]

tech is a idiot:(

call for another tech......

[Ralph Mowery]

Have another repairman look at it. The speed of the motor in your dryer is not determined by the voltage. It is determined by the frequency (60 Hz in almost all the US) and that is kept almost constant by the power companies. A higher voltage will cause the heating element to run hotter and could decrease the drying time slightly, but the dryer should handle anything form

220 to 240 volts without any problem.

He may only be correct in the Maytags give more problems. They used to be very good machines, but in the last few years the quality has fallen way down. I think Whirlpool has bought them out in the few months .

[Art]

You might want to try running drying at high for 20 minutes with nothing in it to see if that gets things round again otherwise all the wheels etc will probably need to be replaced.

[gfretwell]

I nursed a Maytag dryer along for many years. There are 2 main things that cause noise. The drum rollers will set up a high pitched squeal that sounds a lot worse than it really is, danger wise. I have found MolyCoat G works well but you have to remove them and grease them.. Oil will make it quiet for a while but you will be back. The other one is more of a grumbling noise and that is a spun hub on the air blower wheel. This one is serious since you are not moving enough air and it can get real hot in there real fast. This is a "D" shaft and a matching hole in the blower wheel. You have to buy a new wheel ($15-20)

[jackson]

He's more then an idiot, try dumb a$$....

Another thing to check is that the small drive wheel on the motor shaft isn't loose. I've seen where they are loose enough to slip, especially under load, and when it happens it makes a heck of a racket. Also will ruin the motor shaft if left to run for a while. If you've got the thing unplugged and the covers off unhook the belt and try to wobble that pulley on the end of the motor shaft.....

[Stormin Mormon]

Many dryers have a couple roller in back. And a friction "glide" surface at the front. I've repaired enough dryers to know that the rollers tend to dry up, and scream and squeal. Same with the glide surface at front. Did the tech at least take the dryer apart?

Reminds me of a couple of friends of mine who paid a tech $70 to come out and look at the upright freezer. He put a thermometer in it, and told em to "keep an eye on it". I checked everything out and figured that it was low on freon. Juiced it up, and havn't heard back from them.

[nospambob]

[mm]

Are you saying that when the drum went around, the towels stayed in place even when they were at the top of the drum? It must be static cling.

I know that's not so. I know for a fact Maytag repairmen spend most of their time in their store doing nothing. I saw it on tv.

[nospambob]

[Robert Gammon]

On the other hand, if the towels DON'T fall down in the dryer drum as it rotates, drying time will be considerably lengthened.

New washers with spin cycles above 1000 RPM (1200-1400 is quite common on the European labels) leave clothes so dry that dry time is GREATLY reduced.

[aspasia]

Just curious - does it also beat up on the clothes? I don't have a dryer; I use the big dryer in the sky, so this is an intellectual-curious question.

Aspasia

[JoeSpareBedroom]

I have a front loading Amana. It's got three spin speeds: Gentle, Normal and "Yeah It's Got a Hemi". Just once, I mistakenly left it on the highest speed with some dress shirts which normally don't need much ironing, if any. That time, they needed a lot of ironing. But, it doesn't beat up the clothes.