From Red Lion, PA. to Brooklyn, NY. A 1972 Maytag DE806

Automatic Washer - The world's coolest Washing Machines, Dryers and Dishwashers

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DE806 Dryer Temperature

There is only one drying temperature, IF the electronic control is working properly on damp dry the clothes probably would only reach around 100F but the dryer will stop with very damp clothing.

 

On PP the sensor takes the clothing to a lower moisture level so the clothing end up getting hotter on PP, many customers dried everything on PP as the regular did not always get things as dry as many users wanted.

 

John L.
 
Thanks John

 

 

Yeah, I thought so. Very true about using the Permanent Press cycle. I use it all the time because it dries the best. I have some cotton blankets that stipulate to dry in "Low Heat". I've been reluctant to put them in the Maytag.
 
Drying Cotton @ Low Heat ??

Most Washing Instructions on clothing today are incorrect, just use your common sense when washing and drying clothing.

 

The problem with the dry @ low heat instruction is they don't say what is low heat, I would dry them on normal and if not completely dry lay them out to finish drying before storing them away.

 

John L.
 
 

 

Something I had forgotten to mention. At the end of every cycle, the bell would ring as normal. But once in awhile, the bell rings and the cycle will continue, usually for a half hour more, then it will shut off. The bell does not ring again. What could be causing this?
 
The bell only rings once on these machines before shutting off. The cool down thermostat is responsible for cutting power to the motor once temps hit 120F and below. Check that the paper clip linkage is free working smoothly and the tab it's connect to. That tab itself can break or start to crumble where the linkage connects. That sliding mechanism on the control board can become loosey goosey after a gazillion cycles and cause intermittent operation.
 
 

 

After 3 years of faithful service, I decided to open up the rear panel for a look see. Quite dusty, but not as bad as I thought it would be. Still operating on 115V service. I'll do some vacuuming and add some sound mats before putting it back in service.

 



 

 
 

 

Mike I am very happy with it. I like I only have to press power, then start and it automatically reuses the last cycle. No reprogramming. The laundry comes out very clean and a little dryer after the spin compared to the Kenmore Elite. The only thing, as I mentioned earlier, I wish it had more wash options. Eventually I'll get the matching dryer.
 
Old thread

Is this the correct way to connect an electric HOH to 120v? Just double checking, zoomed in on Louis’s video and this appears is to how his DE806 is wired up.

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It is functionally, correct

And is one of at least two ways to put a 120 V cord on a 240 V dryer

Normally you would connect the green wire directly to the frame of the machine and remove the ground strap leave all the other wires where they were from the factory But move the blue wire to the center post where the white wires are and attach the white wire to the center post and the black wire to the post on the right side, the way Louie has it it will work fine, but he has his polarity backwards, with it this way, he could be electrocuted, changing the lightbulb, if he forgets to unplug the machine and touches the edge of the bulb.

John
 
 

 

Today I noticed a faint ozone odor coming from the dryer. That usually means the motor windings are beginning to overheat, wire insulation melting or the heating element. It continues to work fine. Tomorrow I'll be opening it up to see where the smell is coming from, and correct it if possible. Also need to give it a thorough cleaning and change the fluorescent lamp.
 
Remove the belts and carefully spin all of the pulleys, including the motor, and confirm they turn easily. Something may be binding up.

If that checks out okay, it may be burned contacts on the start switch.

Whatever it's, hopefully it's simple.
 
Ozone smell from an electric dryer

You would have to have a continuous arcing going on to produce ozone. It would not be ever caused by motor windings, or even the start switch in the dryer, you probably should check the dryer out but I don’t think you’re smelling ozone.

There are all kinds of smells a dryer could make, however, most common would be something in the household environment, being drawn over the heating element that can make all kinds of interesting smells that can cause concern.

And of course, the motor windings themselves could be starting to overheat from blocked air passages or insulation breakdown, which will cause them to short slightly, and start to earn the insulation on them.

John
 
Ultramatic, thank you for making this thread. This dryer is so cool and the concept of using a thyristor, solenoid actuated cycle termination and metal moisture strip has me wanting to know more. Do have the service manual to this dryer by chance or know where to find it?

BTW I find the choice of wiring colors in this machine fascinating and rather eye candy. Like the green for the motor and blue and yellow as the hots on the terminal block. The twirls around some of the wires. Whom ever was tasked in wiring this dryer had fun- I wish I could have been there.
 
 

 

The issue seems to be emanating from the timer. It had developed an issue lately that you had to push and hold the start button for the dryer to start. Now the dryer suddenly stopped working and will not start. I'll open it up today to see if it's something I want to tackle.
 
It sounds like something is not too happy. Hopefully it’s something simple, but will have to look into it to look into why it’s suddenly having issues.
 
Most likely a bad connection on that leg of the prong. If you have a fine metal file, you can polish that prong (I'd do the other, too) and reuse it. A new outlet is a must though.
 
This is a common problem with 120 V dryers

Because they run such a long period of time drawing full amperage,

This should not be on a ground fault outlet they’re not durable enough for this type of current draw definitely get a 20 amp outlet even if it’s only on a 15 amp circuit.

When you replace the cord on the dryer be sure it’s a minimum of 14 gauge but it would be far better to get a 12 gauge cord then you’ll never have this problem again.

Glad the dryer itself isn’t burning up. I was skeptical when you said you smelled the arking from the outlet may have made an ozone type smell.

John
 
 

 

I went with a <span id="productTitle" class="a-size-large product-title-word-break" style="font-size: 12pt;">Leviton GFWT2-W GFCI receptacle rated 20-amps. And a 10 gauge cord/plug. Overkill? Perhaps. This is a 20-amp circuit. And for kicks, I am replacing the original fluorescent bulb with an LED equivalent.  But I am not out of the woods yet. There are other issues that need to be addressed.
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I followed the wiring diagram for the DE806 and no dice. Will not turn on. The outlet is good.

 

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Thanks to a member of a group on FB, I corrected the wiring.

 

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Update:

 

 

A member from my Facebook group suggested to wipe down the metal bars on the baffles of the drum with rubbing alcohol. Well that cured the dryer shutting off prematurely. I'm surprised it was such a simple fix. Now it continues to run until the clothes are almost totally dry (Permanent Press) and the bell rings correctly. However it barely gets warm, not hot. After the cycle ended I ran it again on Permanent Press. This time it ran for 10 minutes or so, but it got HOT. The clothes were totally dry. This is how the dryer used to work originally. Could it be the cycling thermostat is failing? They are still readily available. Or perhaps the High Limit thermostat? Tomorrow I am opening the dryer up for some cleaning and lubrication.

 

I still have to check the drum light bulb on why it does not light, and to check whether the drum seal needs to be replaced.
 
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