Ok, for starters I have never worked on any kind of appliance before,so this will be a new experience for me if I do it. A friend of mine has a hotpoint dryer that doesn't get hot any more. would this be the heater element,and how hard is it to replace?what does a heater element look like? how hard to replace? I have the model# and looked it up on the GE website,but the model #'s listed on the website didn't go back that far. will it be hard to find parts for this dryer? thanks for any advice,Ben

 

I've replaced a few on an old dryer we had.
Call up GE and ask for the part, or call a local appliance repair shop and see if they can get the part.

 

Not a hard replacement. Looks like a big toaster element!!

Go to local appliance part store. They will have exactly what you are looking for.

More than likeley, one of the elements broke due to heating/ cooling/ heating etc. They always break eventually.

 

can anybody give me a idea of where abouts on the dryer the element will be? There is a cover on the bottom back of the dryer that I took off. All I can see in there is the motor,duct work and belt. I took the top off,there is some wires,and in the back of the round part of the dryer(drum? sorry not sure of the proper term) there are 3 studs that have wires on them.there is also a round silver chrome looking thing with 2 wires coming out of it. But to get this out,it looks like i will have to take the whole drum out because it has a bolt holding it in from the underside of the drum. i found some pictures of heater elements from a couple parts places online,and I can't find anyhting on the outside of this dryer that looks similar to the spring looking things they show in the pics. thanks again for the help

 

The elements are not usually open, that is to say, they are enclosed so dryer lint isn't falling on them. From your description, it is in the chrome/silver round thing you are talking about. That sounds like a typical element enclosure. You shouldn't have to take the drum out to replace the element. 2/3 wires and a couple of hexhead screws, maybe a clip, depending on the make and model. You didn't find a piece of paper taped to the cover that shows the wiring schematic and a parts breakdown?

 

Go here....


http://www.repairclinic.com/0047_8.asp

FYI...GE and Whirlpool are the same...

 

First check to make sure that you have 220V at the dryer. I've seen breakers/fuses fail; the motor will run since it's 110V and the heater doesn't work (220V) or will not deliver adequate heat. If you pass the voltage test at the wall socket, get in the dryer and do a continuity test on the heater element (power off) or a voltage test on the leads at the heater (preferred in my book). If you have no voltage at the heater, look at the thermal disk(s) next. A continuity test will suffice on the thermal disk(s). Make sure the power is off before doing this.

 

I see cowboy has been down this road before, Good trouble-shooting advice.

The thermal disc he referes to is the round chrome piece with the two wires coming out of it. Be sure to remove at least one of the wires before checking for continuity, this will prevent a false reading.

The entire back is usually removable on those dryers. After the back is removed the elements will be inside a housing. A couple bolts to remove the cover and the elements should be accessable.

 

Just ran across this thread and thought I would add my experience to it. My house has an electric hot water heater that was there when I bought the house. I had the breaker that served the water heater go bad and replaced it. After a few months, it went bad again. I thought maybe the problem was cheap breakers and bought another kind. Then, one evening I heard water dripping and found out that the overpressure valve was allowing water to escape from the tank. Then I saw a tiny spark jump across a joint in the copper pipe! I shut off the power and inquired about the problem at work. One guy told me that he had a similar problem when one of the heating elements shorted out to the tank. Sure enough, when I looked at the schematic, I found a "sneak circuit" where the current could bypass the normal thermostatic switch and return through the ground connection. The only thing left to interrupt the current was the overall high temperature switch. The reason that the breakers were going bad is that the residential versions are not rated for continuous duty.

One of the tipoffs that the heater element is grounded is that the water will be unusually hot, because the normal thermostat is being bypassed. I don't remember what the recommended replacement schedule for the heater elements is, but they are cheap and easy to replace when you do the annual draining of the tank. (All of you do that, right? ) It probably is cost-effective also, because they tend to build up a scale which makes them less efficient. HTH, Brady

 

Save some future grief and replace the belt at this time too. I would also recommend checking the rollers for the drum as well. Better to do it all at once than put it all together and then have to pull it apart a few weeks/months later.

 

Sorry guys, I must have been sleepier than I thought. I thought I was replying to a thread on replacing the heater element on a water heater. Brady

 

i have replaced the heating elements in g.e. dryers, and it all depends on the model, as that will determine replacement procedure. most g.e. dryers have wire wound elements, yes u do have to pull the drum to replace them. they will come in a package and they are about 8 or 10 inches long when new. you have to stretch them out by hand to the proper size. again, this is determined by the model dryer u have. it is not a tough job, but somewhat time consuming. when u go to put the belt back on, just leave it loose on the drum, and when it is installed, go to the back, underneath, there is a spring loaded pulley on the motor, just pull up on it, put the belt on, and let it spring back down and your good to go. hopefully this will help u out good luck

 

This page here is for Hotpoint elec. dryers. It has pictures and steps to follow to replace the coil if needed. It may also be a thermostat and you should test for those first, then the coil. Providing it is the same as yours, with this page up on your computer or printed out, your dog could do it !
http://www.american-appliance.com/se...er_element.htm
If the hyperlink is not fully hi-lighted do a copy and paste.

 

Just another thought on this style of heating element. You can also replace the whole assembly and doesn't cost that much more. This way, you avoid the chance of breaking the insulators, which are fragile, and it's a heck of alot faster.