The number of times I see people skip the thermal fuse check on a dryer is wild

I swear, half the service calls I get for a dryer that won't heat could be solved in five minutes if they'd just test the thermal fuse. It's a $15 part, but folks will replace the whole heating element or thermostat first. A guy last month told me he spent $80 on parts before he called me, and it was just the fuse. You can test it with a basic multimeter for continuity. How many of you run into this same thing, and what's the first thing you check on a no-heat call?

3 comments

3 Comments

wyatt10712d ago

My neighbor just did this last week. He bought a whole new heating coil assembly for his Whirlpool before I walked over with my meter. The fuse was blown, probably from a clogged vent. What's the most expensive part replacement you've seen someone do before they found out it was just that little fuse?

nora7357d ago

Watched a guy swap out a whole dishwasher pump assembly. Took him an afternoon and cost over two hundred bucks. Turns out it was just a bit of glass from a broken cup stuck in the filter. He was not happy when I showed him. That little plastic piece stops everything. People really hate checking the easy stuff first.

perez.grace12d ago

My uncle replaced an entire dryer motor over a ten cent thermal fuse.