Easy dryer model DRB (or DR8) not heating

[McEasy]

Hi All,

This dryer came with the house about thirty years ago, and I've been using and repairing it on and off until now. It had a hokey die cast zinc fan cover with plain bushings, which I replaced with a roller bearing aluminum cover I made up very early on.
Recently the main relay failed and I was able to replace it with a bulkier, but more heavy duty industrial relay.

Yesterday the family members notified me that it is not heating, so I investigated and found the heating element has failed as there is a break in the nichrome wire somewhat in the middle of
the coil.

I have had no luck finding a replacement on the internet. Perhaps someone here will recognize it and advise me of a source for a replacement.
If I can't find a new heater element, is the machine pretty much toast?

Let's see if I can figure out how to post pictures.

 

[customline]

You can repair the old one and keep using it.

 

[vacerator]

Yes you can buy the heating element wire from Amazon.

 

[DADoES]

Numerous element restring kits are available, presumably varying in length, wire and coil diameter. The coiled wire is carefully stretched before installation to match the length of the original. Your element housing/heater box references 4,200 watts @ 230 volts. A higher-wattage element would increase the heat output, possibly causing the protective high-limit thermostat on the heater box to cycle when it normally doesn't. I've not seen any element kits that state the wattage .... but I haven't seen them all.

 

[thatwasherguy]

I wonder if a Maytag halo of heat restring kit (part number 3-11946) would work. The heaters in those dryers were 4800 watts IIRC. The looped ends of it should fit the lugs on the Easy’s heater box well enough, and it looks like the coils are roughly the same size.

Hope this helps,
Thatwasherguy.

 

[maytag85]

Many older dryers were 4200, 4400, 4600, 4800 watts. May dry faster with a higher wattage heating element, unfortunately will cause problems with the high limit thermostat later on.

Many older dryers are persnickety and fussy since some were quite sensitive, even more so when it comes to modern dryers. Had to have a shirt duct run, had to dry things with like items, keep the lint screen cleaned, sometimes stopping the machine mid cycle to cycle when drying items that produce a lot of lint.

 

[McEasy]

Thanks for all the quick, excellent suggestions.
My heater coil is 4200 watts which is somewhat lower than the Maytag part. The coils are 5/16" diameter, can anyone measure the Maytag coil?
I'll also search around the internet for Nichrome wire.
I wonder about repairing the break with say a fairly large steel splice that would dissipate heat so not get red hot?

 

[maytag85]

Here’s another question, did you check the main cycling thermostats? That could be why it’s not heating up.

 

[DADoES]

Your photo of the element doesn't show an obvious break. Where is it?

 

[McEasy]

I simply checked the element with an ohmeter to determine that it is open. The break is just about under one of the porcelain rings, I'll get another picture of it.

I am going to try to get new nichrome for it. However searching online for wire has been pretty tedious.

 

[combo52]

Open dryer heating element on an old Easy electric clothes dryer

You can try patching the old element, use a small steel nut and bolt and connect the element together, this sometimes will work for a while, but if the element is too brittle to bend it in a small loops, it may be impossible to do and you may need to just replace it. When you patch an element like this because you’re losing a little bit of material, it will run hotter and generally won’t last that long. It’s best to replace it of course. But as a way to get customers going, I have patched them many times and sometimes it lasts surprisingly long time.

I would try to find a lower wattage element. The original element at 4200 W was rated at 230 V , if your power is like the power in the US you may have 240 or even closer to 250 V and that makes elements in these old dryers run very hot. You tend to end up with a lot of burned wires, bad heat, relays, etc. because of this higher voltage that we have now.

On a lot of these older unusual dryers I just use one of the GE heating elements, WE 11 X 60 is the part number if the diameter of the coil is small enough, I would stretch it into the frame on old Frigidaire and other dryers. You’ll still have plenty of heat these GE elements are around 3000 W each.

A Maytag halo of heat dryer element would be too much heat for this dryer. They were 4800 W and they are also listed at 230 V originally I don’t know if they ever updated that or not.

Welcome to the group would love to hear what other interesting things you’re working on, etc.

John L