Whirlpool Electric Dryer stops Mid Run w/ Heat???

Question

I have a Whirlpool Electric Dryer that keeps stopping in the middle of a run. The dryer is heating up as evidenced by opening the door when it stops and it is warm inside. The duct work and lint trap are all clean I checked myself. The odd thing about this is when it shuts off it requires me to go to the circuit breaker which is a dual 30 Amp breaker and turn the breaker off and back on even though the breaker does not appear to be tripped??? You can not reset the dryer to get it to start by simply unplugging it you have to turn the breaker off and back on. The dryer seems to stop about 5-10 mins into a run. It would seem that a temperature regulator of some type is not keeping the temp under a certain setting which is causing it to overheat then trip one of the two breakers in the dual breaker setup which is NOT tripping the whole breaker since the switch does not seem to be tripped??? ANY IDEAS I really don't need this expense with a baby on the way in two weeks....

Answer 1

Dryers have fuses and also relays.  I'll bet you anything the fust is blown or loose.  It's not much.  check the drum belt also b/c if it's loose or off it causes the dryer to STRUGGLE to work which could trip the breaker.

Answer 2

Even though your breaker does not appear to be tripped it obviously is.  To reset a breaker you have to turn them off then back on.  You are either drawing too much current with your dryer or the circuit breaker is bad.  It also could possibly be a bad connection at the circuit breaker.  So first, tighten the wire connections on the breaker, and if that doesn't help, replace the breaker.  It is possible it is your dryer, but it sounds like your breaker is going bad - they do fail.  If it were an internal fuse in the dryer, it would not reset itself.  It would have to be replaced or would reset by unplugging the dryer and that is not happening.  For more troubleshooting advice go to www.repairclinic.com.

Answer 3

The drier doesn't know if you unplugged it or switched off the breakers, so I'm more suspect of the breakers.  Temprarly move the drier to a different set of breakers and see if it still happens

Answer 4

Since unplugging and plugging back in won't correct the problem it points to the breaker.  Even though the breaker doesn't appear tripped its probably tripped internally.  If you  have the skills you could check the lugs on the breaker to see if they are loose which can cause heat build up causing the breaker to trip.  I feel replacing the breaker would be the correct course of action since the breaker is tripping but not giving you a visual indicator.  A breaker costs around $20 average.  There are limit switches and high limits inside the dryer on the heating element duct that protect it from overheating.