Kenmore Soft Heat Dryer model 110.6718900

[pship]

Can anyone tell me how this dryer works? It's got a dampness or temp sensor. There are no time settings or heat settings. Is there a way to dry things at "low heat?"

It's a great looking and functioning dryer, but I'm care label paranoid. Pic attached. Thanks for any help.

Paul

 

[jamman_98]

My Mom and Dad have this

This is exact dryer my parents purchased in 1967. It does and excellent job drying and the sensor does dry to what you set it for. My parents have only had one repair in 40 years of service.

joe
jamman_98

 

[gyrafoam]

The heat control appears to be the slide switch on the far left. Infinite settings from "Off" to "High". The slide switch on the right is for setting "Heat" or "Air" (Fluff)= NO Heat.

The dial is an automatic control. #5 is the "dampest" setting while #1 is the "driest". The area within the turquoise band is the normal setting area. Try #2 for Heavy cottons, towels Jeans, etc. #3 for mixed cottons and synthetics such as shirts and somewhat lighter fabrics. #4 for light fabrics that tend to dry quickly or fabrics you may want somewhat damp (so as to be ready-to-iron) such as table linens and napkins. Hit the "Start" button and its all automatic! The dryer will dry, cool-down and automatically shut off whenever the clothes are done, and it eliminates the need to "guess" how much time it will take to dry the load.

It will take a bit of trial and error and you will eventually figure out what settings works best for you.
Thats a great dryer.

 

[DADoES]

Not sure, but I'd make a guess the Hi-Off control is for variable cycle signal. Air-Heat is probably two-position switch, one or the other. Don't many models with SoftHeat have only heat and air settings?

 

[gyrafoam]

Oh yeah, forgot all about the signal.
Strange there is no way to adjust level of heat.

 

[selectomatic]

There are two sliders next to one another.

One's labeled Off . . . High, and the other's labeled Air - - - Heat.

Below them are the legends which tell what they do. Presumably "Signal" and "Temp."

-kevin

 

[pship]

Kenmore Soft Heat Dryer model 110.6718900

It is a wonderful dryer and I thought it was from the 60s. Thanks for the info! The later posters were right; the left hand slider is for a signal and is multi-adjustable. The right hand "slider" is really a two-position switch: heat or air.

I guess that if something says "tumble dry low" that I'm probably better off line-drying. Bad news for a lazy type like me. If anyone knows if one of the numbered positions on the dial will result in lower heat, I'd love to hear it.

And yes, it's fast and accurate in its drying. It also has a lighted drum and a scent dispenser under the lint filter door.

My friends are always surprised when I show them the "new" features that existed on my vintage appliances!

 

[appnut]

Paul, I wish Tom Turbomatic or Gansky would chime in here and explainj the Soft Heat feature, which was unique to Whirlpool dryers for the Sers Kenmore brand. Essentially, it started out on ahigh heat and as the moisture went away in the load, the temperature automatically reduced lower & lower. I doubt it, but at one time, I thought the gradual decline was also correlated to decerasing time in the cycle on the timer dial, but I doubt it. So, I can't tell you how the user manual instructed for low-temp, delicate drying. But the feature worked well. Bob

 

[DADoES]

I imagine the SoftHeat feature is intended to handle all fabric types. Some higher-end Kenmore dryers also had the choice of only Heat or Air ... with no selection of multiple heat temperatures. Try running your knits/delicates at the lowest dryness setting, see what happens. If they don't come out dry, move it up one notch at time for the desired results.

Similarly, some Maytag Halo-of-Heat dryers, like my DE906 with electronic dryness sensor, don't have a choice of heats. Cycle buttons are Regular Fabrics, Perm Press, Damp Dry, or Air Fluff. Everything not Perm Press goes on Regular. Perm Press in fact gets hotter and dries more than Regular.

 

[toggleswitch]

Cool Dryer!

I'm surprised manufacturers don't switch the heaters over to 110v from 220v to achieve a very soft heat at the end of the drying cycle.

This might be interesting to do mid-cycle, when the thermostat is satisifed, thereby reducing the heat input tremendously. Perhaps temperature swings would be somewhat "smoothed".

 

[filterflo]

Sears and Whirlpool dryers with the "SENSOR" had a set of sensors/wire tracers mounted on the stationary part of the back of the inside of the dryer, near the bottom. Each tracer was a circuit. As the wet clothes tumbled they brushed against each part of the two tracers, completing/closing an electronic circuit. When you initially started the dryer, the timer advance motor is OFF. The tracers/sensors are connected to a Sample & Hold circuit. As the clothes dry and are tumbling and hitting the sensors, the circuit gradually opens, since the wet clothes are less wet and are not completing the circuit anymore. When the Sample & Hold circuit is completely open, which means no more wetness in the clothes, the timer motor is programmed to turn on, which then starts to advance to the point of OFF. How long it takes to turn OFF depends on how far the user advances the timer, from damp to dry to more dry to very dry.
The Soft Heat feature worked in a couple of different fashions. If it the dryer was gas fired, there is a thermocouple/sensor on the exhaust port of the dryer and as the sensor feels the exhaust get hotter (as the clothes dry the exhaust temp increases), the sensor gradually closes the gas valve so the flame gets lower and lower as less heat is needed.
There were a couple of different systems if the dryer was electric. Some had two elements on the heater that cycled according to thermo discs in the air plenem. Some models only had one element on the heater and cycled the same way: on the exhaust air in the plenum. The gas Soft Heat dryers were a little better with the regulation of the heat. All in all its a great system and it worked very well........