Restoring a GE V12 Dryer

[gewa1054wguy]

Just wanted to share some photos of restoring my GE V12 dryer. A big thanks to Sharples who rescued this dryer and for being kind enough to sell it to me. Also a major credit goes to Jimmy "Filter Flo" who provided over the phone assistance and a present in the form of the related GE dryer repair manual so I could get this unit back to operating form.

Upon arrival, the dryer had very little heat and then no heat. Runnng the dryer with the door open, I could see that the heating elements were not glowing. I had to dis-assemble the dryer to see what was going on.

 

[gewa1054wguy]

Heating Element

I had to take the drum out. To do this, you must remove the front panel of the dryer. You must also remove the bearing snapring at the rear of the drum. Never take the four bearing support bolts out, as it will be almost impossible to put back together using that method.

Once I had the drum out, I could see that the heating elements were broken and the related supports had rusted away.

This is the heating element support with all the element holders and insulators removed.

 

[gewa1054wguy]

Re-String

GE still makes the supports and the insulators, as well as the heating element.

I bought enough to do this dryer and an extra set for spare parts, as I have two other GE electric dryers. You can buy the parts from GE on their parts website. Delivery was quick, about 3 days.

First, I reinstalled all the supports and insulators.

 

[gewa1054wguy]

Re String Element

I then did the first heating element. You have to stretch the heating element to the specified length (it is stamped on the instructions of the packaging) for the inner and outer loop. When stretching the element, you have to keep the coil spacing even, to ensure the heating properties of the coil are even around the circumference of the coil. It is not difficult, you just have to do it carefully.

Once the coil is stretched, it is slipped through the insulators.

 

[gewa1054wguy]

Second string

After the first string, do the next. I then evened out any coil spacing issues and secured the coil ends to their connectors and reinstalled the insulators. The GE coil kit came with new connectors, nuts and washers.

You can also see the thermostat for high temp shut off loctated at about the 8 o' clock positon in this picture.

 

[gewa1054wguy]

Finishing up

I then remounted the unit back into the dryer. The inside of my dryer must have seen some water at some point, as it was very rusty (maybe a basement/house flood). I cleaned it all and installed new vent tubing, as the original was a rusted shell with large holes. I painted the inside with POR 15 to seal the rusted areas.

 

[gewa1054wguy]

Back at work

I moved the dryer back into position and did a test run. It was not operating correctly. I traced the problem to a loose wire at the main contact block and it also required some minor position adjustment to the "Compensated Control" temperature sensors at the front of the dryer.

Compensated control dryers do not work like any other dryer so you must have a detailed repair manual to follow when diagnosing improper operation. Again, without the help of Jimmy and his kindness in sending me the manual, I would not have been able to use it yesterday as part of my weekly laundry day!

 

[frontaloadotmy]

Very Nicely Done

Yay for years of trouble free and efficient service.

 

[jons1077]

Congrats!

Absolutely beautiful! This will be a very helpful thread for me. Luckily my dryer works well right now, but you never know when that'll change. Congrats again! Your machines are just awesome!

Jon

 

[rickr]

Great restoration! I love your GE set.

 

[gewa1054wguy]

Thanks!!!!

Thank you for the compliments Jon, Rick and "Frontaloadotomy."

This is my favorite set, as it is like the set my parents bought for our first house. I left the washer in perfect operating condition at age 18 with some folks who looked after me while I was finishing high school. It is so great to have this set back in my life. Ours were turquoise but these are close enough, and the washer is just mint.

Jon, what dryer do you have?

Mike

 

[jons1077]

Mike,

The washer and dryer I picked up about a month ago are V-16's from around 1968/69. It's the same set my grandmother had when I was growing up. Only difference was that she had the versatronic gas dryer (which now I know was a step up from the washer). My dryer is electric and that's perfect since there's no gas in the house. By the way, I'm hoping to make it to your place for a mini-washin next time you have one!

Jon

 

[filterflo]

Wonderful work Mike! Yes, this is the manual that I sent to Mike, luckily had 3 copies of it! The manuals are sometimes vague about certain repairs, but can still be invaluable when it comes to doing a repair.

 

[filterflo]

Mike, your restring job on the heating element looks so professional, actually better than the pic in the manual!

 

[filterflo]

Mikes dryer has the rather complicated "compensated" heat control. Mike studied the manual and how the system works and is now our resident expert on this system. I have not worked on one of these in a long while, and Im now asking him questions on it! Great work Mike, we are proud of you and your new set!

 

[estesguy]

I think the design engineering on this machine would have been better spent on rustproofing the metal, instead of worrying what the room temperature was when the machine was operating. Sounds like way over engineering to me, for a clothes dryer of that day.

 

[bajaespuma]

Say what you will about Compensated Control...

but those V-12 GE dryers were fast(unless hooked up to only 115 volts), quiet and remarkably accurate for not having electronic sensors. They also tended to last for half a century or more if treated well.

In my experience, rust on GE cabinets occured only in bad (wet)conditions. I remember my first trip to Puerto Rico in 1979, in one neighborhood of San Juan, almost every house had a V-12 GE washer (control panels on pedestals)sitting in the same place on an outside porch within view of the ocean.

 

[swestoyz]

Mike - great photos, loved the shots of your re-string job. Beautiful set - always a satisfying feeling when you can finish a week's laundry in a machine that is minty-restored!

Ben

 

[gewa1054wguy]

Using them right now

Thanks Ben. Am doing a load in them right now, having the day off from work.

Thanks for the kind words.

Mike