Tumble dryer not heating

[news.teranews.com]

My Hoover (TV630) tumble dryer has just stopped heating. I have taken it apart and voltage is being supplied to the element unit but no heat :-(

The element has a high and a low setting with 4 wires, Black, red yellow and white, though (from memory) black/yellow are connected together and the red supplies one half of the element and the white the second.

The elements themselves are fine (passing a continuity test) but seemingly the power is being blocked at a small electrical component (1cm long 3 mm wide silver cylinder ?) in line with the neutral. Can't read what it says on it as need a magnifying glass.

A new element unit seems to cost circa £45 but if this is the problem I reckon it could be fixed for pence.

Does anybody know what this component is and why power might be on one side and not the other. Maybe it is supposed to be like that and I am just being stupid.

Any advice appreciated.

Den (uk.d-i-y newbie)

[Dave Liquorice]

Almost certainly a non-resetable thermal fuse. I guess it was fixed to the heater housing? They are cheap, available from many places, either as an electronics spare or probably more convient as a white goods spare complete with flying leads and spade connectors etc

Once you fit it clean out all the fluff stuck to the heater elements and/or the inside of the air duct.

[Bill]

I thought that too, but why in the neutral line? Surely this would leave the element live in the event of it blowing. Not a major problem in this case but I would have thought bad practice at least.

Den are you sure it is in the neutral line??

[Tony Williams]

Sounds like a non-resettable thermal fuse. A thingy with a link of Woods Metal inside it, when the WM goes over a certain temperature it melts and the link goes open circuit (permanently). See part number 176-9227 and onwards.

The number on there is usually the opening temperature.

[Colin Wilson]

These things are usually replaced in pairs - I repaired my dryer a while ago (my dad used to repair these and had a small stock of them) - one will reset itself, and the other (as other people have said) will lock out permanently above a certain temperature.

[DP]

Yes it looks exactly like the RS Thermal fuse & has a pink cone at one end. Plus it is crimped which Bill reckons is a dead giveaway for thermal fuses.

Trouble is, and as far as I can tell, the id on it is MECROTEM KLHBDE G5A01.

Anybody have a clue as to what that might actually mean ?

Cheers

Den

[DP]

After a bit of searching ... & a magnifying glass. Seems it is a cut off manufactured by Thermodisc and can handle 16Amps

Microtemp G5A01 plus TF 216C

According to the site this means it is a 216 Centigrade cut off. Anyone know the best place to buy a couple as I am sure to knacker the first one as soon as I fit it seeing as how I don't know why it blew in the first place?

Den

[Bill]

In message , DP writes

Well found, I did a quick Google but didn't come up with it.

Indeed, never solder a thermal fuse! They normally come with leads crimped on to them.

[Dave Liquorice]

That strikes me as rather *HOT*, the one in our washer dryer was around 100C, I forget exactly but >70C Anyone know the best place to buy a couple as I am sure to knacker

RS, Farnell, CPC?

Check out the ducting and elements. Ours was well caked in fluff and the stuff that came off the first element had some rather worrying scorch marks...