maytag DE409 info needed...

[hippiedoll]

hi everybody!!!

i've got a chance to buy a maytag dryer DE409.
the seller says that "it works great, nice & hot and the knob has timed dry & auto dry. and the buttons are the heat selections (high & low?).

my question is, are the maytag DE409 dryers reliable, or known for having a particular problem? what should i look at when i go check it out tomorrow??

any & all help would be appreciated.

the seller is nice enough to tell me if the dryer doesn't work when i bring it home, i can take it back to him & he will give me my money back. so, a guarantee like that, doesn't get any better. i just want to make sure i'm not gonna be getting in over my head.

by the way, the seller is asking $50 for the dryer. which seems like a good deal to me.

any advice.....

thank you,
hippiedoll ;o)
peace & love...

 

[turquoisedude]

Sounds like too good a deal to pass up! My folks had a DE409 portable at our weekend place when I was a brat - we didn't use it often, but it never gave us any grief. The belt did eventually go on us, but my father found a belt that worked at a local power tool dealer.

I'd say go for it. I hope it works out for you!

 

[kenmore71]

That's a dryer of the "Big Load" design which was made from 1973 until 1996 or so.  There were only minor design modifications over the years so parts are plentiful and appliance repair folk would certainly know how to repair them.  While not an electronic control dryer, this was the most fully featured temperature control dryer that Maytag made in the late 1970s.  Contrary to what you might read out there, clothes drying technology has not really become significantly more efficient over the years.  This dryer is a decent performer and likely has many more years of life in it.

 

[danemodsandy]

Uhhh....

Not every part is as available as all that!

The major one to check before buying is the bulkhead where the lint filter goes. This part is plastic and can become warped if the dryer was ever overheated. It incorporates both the holder for the lint filter and part of the ducting inside the dryer.

Just check the slot where the lint filter goes, and all the plastic around that area. If it's unwarped, great. If it is warped, you'll need a donor machine, because the part is NLA so far as I could find when needing to replace one. A warped bulkhead will allow lint to pass around the lint filter instead of just through it, and you'll end up with lint inside the blower assembly.

To take care of one of these dryers, just keep the lint filter clean and its exhaust unblocked. That's all it takes; the dryer won't overheat if you take care of these items and vacuum inside it periodically.

P.S.: I don't think this dryer has a lighted drum, but if it does, check the lens for the drum light. It's inside the door opening, a little above the opening at about the ten o'clock position as you face the dryer. These lenses age and break, and that leaves a hole through which lint can also pass, building up inside the dryer and creating overheating conditions. The lens was still available last time I needed one.

I had every one of these things wrong with my Almond LDE806 when I got it (free); lint removal had been so poorly attended to that the bulkhead was warped, the blower was completely clogged with lint, the drum light lens was gone and the heating elements were burned out. No reason the former owner didn't have a fire, a totally avoidable situation.

 

[hippiedoll]

turquoisedude, kenmore71, danemodsandy...

thank you so much for your replies.

i really do appreciate you letting me know that this is a pretty good performing dryer with lots of life possibly left to give. and also, what to check for (the lint filter slot & all the plastic around it, and the drum light {if it has one} & that it is located in the 10 o'clock position) when i go look at it. i GREATLY appreciate all that information. cuz i sure wouldn't have known to check for any of that. and just a "coincidence" here, but this one is also in the "almond" color. not the perfect match to my "gold" color A208. but i think it will still look good!
hm hm hm......

thank you again for your replies. i'll keep you posted on whether i get it or not. i mean, i figure $50 for a dryer, you can't really go wrong (if everything on it is in working order). right?

just me,
hippiedoll ;o)
peace...

 

[danemodsandy]

Sounds Great!

If the unit checks out, $50 sounds fine.

Do not let any of the things I told you scare you - if the dryer's owner just kept the lint screen clean, it is probably fine as far as the plastic bulkhead parts are concerned. And since you will maintain the unit well, it should not give any trouble with any of that.

Keep us posted on how this turns out!

 

[hippiedoll]

will do!!!

i haven't had the chance to go look at it yet but will keep you posted with what happens.

thank you. i'll let you know what i find and if i decide to buy it. especially since now i know to feel inside the drum at the 10 o'clock position, to see if there is a drum-light and if it is broken or not.

thanks again & keep your fingers crossed for me.
(oh my mom will be so pissed-off if i end up bringing it home!!!)
/

 

[kenmore71]

This model DOES have a drum light, BTW.

 

[danemodsandy]

Ok, Then....

"This model DOES have a drum light, BTW."

Thanks, Mark - I wasn't sure, because I have no personal experience with this model.

Christina - The thing to check is if the lens is still all there. If it is, no problem.

If it is not, you need to replace it, because lint goes right through that hole into the internal workings of the dryer.

The lens part number is 33312892. RepairClinic sells it for $17.80, but it turns up on eBay for less. Replacement is one screw, accessible by removing the front panel of the dryer. If the bulb is burned out, this is a great time to do that, too.

To remove the front panel, look down at the bottom of the front panel, about four inches from the floor. You will see two screws. Remove them. Now grasp the bottom of the front panel and pull it toward you; it will swing upward as you do this. Two clips hold it at the top; just lift the top edge off the clips. To reinstall, seat the top edge of the panel back on the clips, swing the panel down into place and put the screws back in. That's all there is to it.

This gives you access to most of the dryer's innards; you'll see the drum light and its lens at the 10 o'clock position. You will probably also see some lint inside the dryer; you can vacuum it out. At the lower right, down on the floor of the cabinet, you will see a big metal thing that looks like a piece of stove pipe, with some strange objects poking out of it. This is the heating element assembly; be careful when vacuuming around it. You don't want to break one of the heating elements.

I can't wait until you get this baby home and tear into her - its a very satisfying feeling to handle stuff like this yourself.

Keep us posted!

 

[combo52]

Maytag Front Filter 29" Dryers

Hi Christina, in addition to the items that Sandy suggested checking be sure to check the plastic blower to be sure it is tight on the motors shaft, the poor blower mounting design was the biggest service problem with this dryer design. One of the other items that sandy missed was cracking and breaking of the inner plastic door panel near the hinge screws.

 

Overall these dryers were good machines and if the goal is to match a MT washer it is a reasonable comprise to make, but if your goal is to have the best and most efficient dryer you will do much better with a 29" Whirlpool built dryer or even a pre 1990 GE-HP dryer, let us know how you make out, John L.

 

 

[danemodsandy]

John:

"One of the other items that sandy missed"

John:

I didn't "miss" these items; I don't see them on 'Tags of this vintage. I grant that you see a lot more machines than I do, but then I like Maytags and I think it's fair to say you don't.

The blower mounting on my Almond LDE806 survived the worst lint buildup I have ever seen on any dryer, of any make, any model, anywhere. The blower wheel could not turn because of the impaction of lint. This was due to extreme owner neglect, not design problems.

Once it was cleared out, it was fine, as in three years of absolutely trouble-free service since.

 

[hippiedoll]

update as for friday october 25th.....

ok, before i give you the info i found out today, i want to say "thank you" to;
kenmore71, danemodsandy, and combo52
for all the great input from you.

now onto what i found out about this dryer...

i asked the guy if it had a drumlight and he said no. i felt in the 10 o'clock position, up against the front, above the door openine and i didn't feel anything like a light there? but i did feel something with a screw. i am thinking, maybe the lens is still intact, but that the lightbulb is burned out, maybe?? and that is why the seller didn't know that there was a drumlight in this dryer? i think i'm gonna have to take a flashlight and a mirror with me with i go pick it up on monday!?!

the seller did say that the ONLY problem he ever had with this dryer was the "sensor"? that when he used the dryer in the "permanent press" cycle, that it ran all the way through the cycle, even if the clothes were dry, cuz the drying sensor didn't work on it. i know nothing about dryers and how the cycles work. so, how much of that is true or correct, i have no idea?!? but being that i've only ever used a dryer in the regular "timed" drying cycle, i don't think that "issue/problem" would bother me much anyways? and besides, if i have something that i want dried, that is "permanent press" material, i can always push in the "gentle heat" button & dry it like that. right?

and thank you so much danemodsandy, for them easy directions to follow. the way you decribed everything is soooo easy for me to understand. i really feel comfortable that if i have a problem with this dryer, i might actually be able to fix it myself!!! thank you for breaking it down into easy to understand words for me. i really do appreciate that.

and if this dryer does indeed have the drumlight & the bulb is burned out, i feel confident that i can change that burned out bulb very easily now. thank you so much, it is GREATLY appreciated.

much love to you 3 for your input. please let me know what you think about the update information i've posted. does it sound like a "go for it" kind of deal, like i'm feeling it is??
i mean, the guy even said that if it doesn't work for me, i can take it back & he'll give me my money back. so really, i can't go wrong! right?
hm hm....

 

[hippiedoll]

vintage??

from what i could see, this dryer has the same kind of control handle like my maytag washer has, it looks like the old glass doorknobs. but i am wondering, does anybody know about when this dryer could have been made? i know, i should have gotten the serial number and i could've gotten the exact year. but just a guess is what i am asking right now.

thank you )

 

[danemodsandy]

Christina:

Sounds like the drum light lens is intact, so no more worries about that issue.

The "sensor" problem is an issue I don't personally know a whole lot about, but Mark (kenmore71) does. I think you might want to hear from him before closing the deal. The dryer sounds usable as-is, but Mark can tell you what would be needed to have it running right.

The "Electronic Control" on better Maytags is a very nice feature to have. Clothes are never over-dried or under-dried; they're just right. And there is no waste of electricity, since the system shuts the dryer off when the clothes are dry instead of continuing to run for a while. The "Normal Dryness" setting is great for stuff that is going to need ironing; it leaves a tiny bit of moisture in the clothes. The "Extra Dryness" setting gives you bone-dry clothes, without over-drying.

 

[DADoES]

 
HippieDoll,

If, as Kenmore71 references, the unit isn't "electronic" (moisture-sensing autodry), then it's thermostat-controlled autodry and is working correctly ... your seller is just not understanding how it works.  A dry load will still require the timer to progress fully through the cycle to Off, it'll just progress somewhat faster than if the load was wet.

Thermostat-controlled autodry works by advancing the timer only when the heat source cycles off (the target air temperature is reached).  The timer does not advance when the heat source is on.  Moisture evaporating from wet clothes holds the air temperature down so the heat runs longer at the start of a cycle to attain the target temperature.  As the load dries, less moisture is evaporating so the heat runs less to maintain the target air temperature and the timer runs more.

 

[kenmore71]

I'm not entirely certain what the seller means by "the sensor isn't working properly".  If by that he means that when it is set on Permanent Press that the dial doesn't move at all and that the machine would run for ever without human intervention then you have a problem that concerns me.  This could mean that the cycling thermostat is bad and that the dryer is actually cycling now on the high-limit thermostat.  There is no good way to determine this for certain without taking the dyer apart and performing diagnostics with a meter while it's running.

 

If he simply means that it's over-drying on PP but that the timer does advance to off eventually then it's likely that he doesn't understand how these dryers work.  On the PP cycle, if the dryness control is set PROPERLY,  it would be normal for the dryer to tumble WITH heat for around 5 minutes after the clothes are dry and then to tumble another 10 minutes without heat for a "cool-down" period.  If he is setting it on "More Dry" for every load then it will likely be over drying many loads by 10 or 15 minutes before it goes into cool-down.  

 

The actual timer on the DE409 requires up to 26 minutes of operation with the heater OFF (meaning that the temperature of the exhaust air is between 140 and 155 degrees) on the PP cycle for the timer to advance into cool-down.

 

The DE409 was introduced in the early summer of 1978 and would have been discontinued in July of 1980.

 

Here's a picture of the timer control that was used on it:

Low temperature is 140 degrees and Regular temperature is 150 degrees.

 

[hippiedoll]

getting excited about this.....

OH WOW!!

thank you so much "danemodsandy", "dadoes", & "kenmore71" (mark)
for all this GREAT information!!! although some of it sounds kinda confusing, i am getting the feeling that maybe this dryer does work and the seller just doesn't understand how it works?

the way he explained it to me was like this:
when the dryer is on the permanent press cycle, it will run all the way through to the end of the cycle. but that it has a drying sensor (not sure if those were the exact words he used to call it the sensor) that is supposed to shut the dryer off when the clothes are dry. but that this "feature" wasn't working cuz on this dryer cuz, instead of the dryer turning off when the clothes are dry, it will run all the way through to the end of the permanent press cycle.
so what he was doing was he would just keep checking the clothes until they were dry and then he took the clothes out. and that is how he used it.

so does it sound like there is a problem with the "dry sensor"? or does it sound like the seller just didn't understand how the "dry sensor" worked? are you able to tell by the information that he gave me, if there is a problem or not?

thank you again so much for all this GREAT information. i am really starting to get a good feeling about this dryer here (if i am understanding everything correctly) LOL......

by the way, is there an owner's manual for this model of dryer that i can either download or have someone make a copy of, for me??

thanks a million y'all!!!

with much love,
christina "hippiedoll"
peace...

 

[DADoES]

 
Christina,

It's always tricky to "read between the lines" but based on what the guy says, seems to me he isn't understanding the operation.  He seemingly is of the impression that the "sensor" should shut the dryer off when the load is suitably dry regardless of what is the timer's resultant position within the cycle ... which is not the case.  The machine is not supposed to shut off until the timer progresses fully to the Off position (and thus through the Cool Down phase, there is also a cool down at end of the Auto Regular cycle but it's shorter and not marked as such on the dial).

Auto Regular of course works the same way ... perhaps he didn't mention a perceived malfunction there because he doesn't use that cycle?

Maybe he's setting the dial at the maximum More Dry position (and thus the longest possible run) and the clothes are (reasonably) dry enough for his needs before the timer progresses fully to Off?

The range of More to Less in the Auto cycles is for the user to adjust how dry he/she wants the load.  Less Dry end of the scale is for the items to be perhaps very slightly damp.  More Dry is for winter-static-crinkly-stand-in-the-corner-bone-desert-dry (LOL).  Middle of the scale is considered "normal" dry.  The dial is fully adjustable to any position between the extremes.  A bit of varying is common for different load compositions.  The user learns over experience with the types of load he/she runs where to set the dial for a given load to come out as desired.

A specific kind of malfunction would be if the temperature control thermostat isn't working (stuck) and keeps the heat on continuously.  Remember, the timer advances on the Auto cycles only when the heat shuts off (when the target 150°F high or 140°F low temp is reached), which is a physical switching of the thermostat contact points.  The timer won't advance if the thermostat is stuck ... but the dryer also will run much hotter than it should, so you could maybe ask him about that, if it seems to get too hot ... although he may not have noticed even if it does.

 

[kenmore71]

It sounds like it's fine.  

 

There is no "dry sensor" per say on this dryer.  The automatic dry cycles are regulated by the main thermostat and the timer.  He just doesn't understand how to use it properly.

 

While I don't have the user guide for this exact dryer, here is a good explanation of how to use the auto dry feature on a similar Maytag dryer:

 

[hippiedoll]

dadoes & kenmore71...

THANK YOU BUNCHES TO BOTH OF YOU!!!
for explaining to me how the drying cycles work on this maytag dryer. at first, i was kinda confused and not exactly understanding the right way to use/run this dryer. but after reading "dadoes" explanation here (a couple of times) and seeing & reading, the actual directions, posted from the user guide, from "kenmore71",
("i coulda had a V8" moment here) now i get it!!!

thank you soooo much!!!

me thinks i'm gonna be getting a "new" vintage maytag DE409 this coming monday!!!
WOOOO HOOOOO!!!
i'm feeling good about this here guys!!!
)

here is a picture of this maytag DE409 that the seller sent to my phone...