GE and Hotpoint Dryer Timed Dry Cycles

[Chetlaham]

Why did some time-dry-only GE dryers offer up to 90 minutes of drying while other offered 150 minutes? And some offering 120 minutes max others 70 minutes max? What was the reasoning behind the variations in the maximum amount of time offered to the user?

I remember someone here saying GE was aware of people adapting 120/240 volt dryers to 120 volts. How did GE go about advertising this?

 

[turquoisedude]

Here's an example of GE 'tapping in' to the 120-volt market.  An ad for the 1957 GE Clothes Conditioning automatic dryer (I have this model, but in white).  

 

[Chetlaham]

Oh! Nice

I can certainly see why they offered a 150 minute cycle. Did the insulation instructions mention on how to do this?

 

[turquoisedude]

Yes!  On mine, the original installation instruction sheet is still pasted to the back of the cabinet and it explains what to do to make the dryer run on 120 volts.  I don't have the user instruction booklet for the dryer but it also is likely mentioned there too. 

 

I do believe on my Canadian 64 GE, there are instructions on how to swap the wiring in the instruction booklet...  I'll have to check that when I get to the house in Ogden where that machine lives. 

 

[Chetlaham]

My guess is that they require L1 to be jumpered to L2. Ohms law takes care of the less with extra time to compensate for 1/4 the heater output.

 

[ryner1988]

GE time-dry cycles

I didn't know dryers were made that offered that long of a time-dry cycle. My Whirlpool dryer's time-dry cycle I think only goes up to 70 minutes, maybe 80? I'm not really sure because I mostly use the auto dry cycle. But yeah never heard of a dryer that went up to 2 and a half hours before today.

 

[maytag85]

Reason why some dryers had that much drying time available is they either had a single temperature which was low heat or was built with the intention that someone didn’t have access to 240 volts in rural areas or homes that only had 120 volt service. The customized Maytag dryer I am putting together is just going to have a auto dry timer, low heat thermostat (hopefully I can find a 120F double pole/double throw switch thermostat) and for testing purposes, I’ll convert it to 120 volts since that’s all that’s available in the garage at the moment. Yes, it will take a longer time to dry running on 120 volts but Louis (Ultramatic) has a Maytag DE806 that’s been converted to 120 volts and gets everything completely dried in a reasonable amount of time.

 

[Chetlaham]

2 and a half hours of dry time

That would be my type of dryer!

I can't picture 150 minutes ever being practical at 240 volts high heat, but having more than 70 minutes is nice if drying heavy or bulky fabric on low or medium heat.

Two examples I've found that on my Whirlpool Maytag a huge load of towels, jeans and bathrobes may require an extra 5-10 minutes to become fully dry when set to 80 minutes on medium heat, so in theory 90 minutes is 100% ideal for such a load.

Second being are duvets and pillows (not the covers). I dry those on low heat and I've found myself going over 80 minutes. Yes my exhaust is clean and short.

One nice thing about those GE dryers is that you could turn off one of the heating elements. If I ever got an old time dry GE dryer I would change the cycling stat to a medium heat unit. I don't like high heat on dryers, I rarely use. Its just to hot.

I think of US dryers had used lower rated cycling stats there would have been fewer dryer fires and it would have complimented the timed dry concept better IMO.

 

[ryner1988]

Reply #7

I'm with you on the high heat setting, I don't really use it either. Most often towels go on medium/casuals, and most clothes go on low/knits. I am noticing it taking a lot longer to dry loads over the past few weeks though, towels take nearly 2 hours whereas they used to take just over an hour to dry completely. I think the vent duct probably needs cleaned out, but I need to find someone to do it for me because I believe it vents outside through the roof of my apartment building. I don't think tenants are even allowed up there.

 

[Chetlaham]

Something is blocked. Either the blower housing, flex, duct or vent outside. Often times its all of them in varying degrees.

The thing is plugged exhausts can cause the high limits to cycle, eventually leading to the high limit failing. Sometimes in the closed position...

 

[maytag85]

Reply #8

Or the internal ducting is restricted. While the Whirlpool 29” dryers are known for drying clothes fairly quickly, they are known to accumulate a lot of lint in the bottom of the lint screen plenum which will restrict airflow and if it’s not corrected, it’ll get to the point where there won’t be much airflow which will cause the high limit thermostat to kick off the heating element or burner, or will cause the thermal fuse(s) to fail which won’t allow it to heat or power up at all. The older Whirlpool 29” dryers built before 1965 don’t really have any issues with lint accumulating where the blower is since air is pushed through the lint screen as opposed to being pulled through like on 1966 and later Whirlpool 29” dryers. Some people claim they take longer to dry because of the perforated drum back with the inlet and exhaust behind the drum and I can see they if you were to pack the dryer full of clothes but since my 1963 RCA Whirlpool Imperial dryer has been in service since June of 2021, haven’t had any issues with long dry times and recently I replaced the thermostats since I’d figure it would be good idea as a preventative measure, it definitely seems to dry even faster with the new thermostats and I’d venture to say it’s as fast as the later Whirlpool 29” top filter dryers since it’s able to hold a steady temperature. Incase if anyone is wondering what the new thermostats are rated at, they are: L120-10, L140-20, L160-20.

 

[Chetlaham]

Right, the blower housing. Perhaps I chose the wrong wording for it. My apologies. However you are spot on. That area does fill up to the brim with lint and then some over the years. Happened on my old dryer in 2009, it was packed with lint, and when my Maytag started to dry slowly because the vent outside clogged I also took the blower plenum apart but fortunately this time around it was clean.

 

[maytag85]

Reply #11

Most of the time the venting is restricted which will cause long dry times but sometimes it’s the dryer’s internal venting that’s restricted that will cause long dry times. Cleaning the vent will help speed up the drying time a little but usually the venting, the dryer’s internal venting/ductwork, and inside of the dryer should be cleaned at least once a year since it will allow everything to work at it’s full potential.

 

[Chetlaham]

Agreed. In the scrap pile I remember there were 30 year old GE dryers that had enough lint in the exhaust and cabinet itself to proably fill several pillow cases- scary!

 

[appnut]

I saw 1950s & 1960s Westinghouse dryers offer up to a 2 hour tmed dry cycle.

 

[Chetlaham]

Westinghouse knew what they were doing!