Every once in a while my electric dryer smells like chemicals. Today, it took almost three hours ?

Question

to dry a load of towels. I'm thinking about hiring someone to come clean out the hose because it leads Up the middle wall of the house and through the ceiling and then out the side of the house. My mom says it's the heating element and it's easy to change out. Please help. Thanks!

Answer 1

venting a dryer up is always a bad idea.  try vacuuming the hose out from both ends.  When they vent up, it creates a "trap" on the floor where the hose is the lowest, and water condenses there and blocks airflow.  Also, with such a long run, lint and such will gradually block the hose.  To check the element, start the dryer and let it run for a couple of minutes, and then quickly open the door and check for heat and a glow from the heating element.  There are at least two heat sensors/limiting devices on most dryers, so even if it doesn't heat, it may not be the dryer.  To find the location of those sensors, if necessary, look up your model number on partselect.com.  They also have repair suggestions and troubleshooting guides for some models