Kitchen Large Electric Appliances - GE dryer not drying with medium heat setting

Hello,
GE model DWSR473EV0AA about 10 years old when using the automatic or timed drying cycle with permanent press medium heat setting, clothes take at least twice as long to dry. I have seen the heating element glow when moved to high heat (not sure at this time if element glowed at all when on medium).

I've already checked vent and it is clear and have also cleaned out any lint in the dryer. Outside dryer vent also has good air flow coming out.

I'm fairly technical so if someone could give me some additional things to check - continuity or voltages (and what I should expect to have) on switches, thermostats, etc, it would be appreciated.

Thank you,
~jeff

this dry has 2 elements, possible for only one to be working. remove the drum and check continuity across both.

David, thank you for your reply. Wouldn't the dryer working fine on high heat rule out the elements being bad?

Did you compare the air flow from back of dryer with vent tube off with the air flow outside. Should be about the same.

David, thank you for your reply. Wouldn't the dryer working fine on high heat rule out the elements being bad?

if you have only one element working then high becomes medium and medium becomes air fluff

Did you compare the air flow from back of dryer with vent tube off with the air flow outside. Should be about the same.
air flow seems the same to me with vent tubing connected or disconnected.

if you have only one element working then high becomes medium and medium becomes air fluff
continuity is good on both elements. With dryer hooked up again, I can see both elements glowing on high and medium. One thing that I failed to mention is that when dryer is on high it will dry as if it is on high and not medium (shrank some clothes even). It just seems like the medium setting isn't working as it should.

I'm guessing that it could be either the Med/High setting switch is bad or is there a thermostat that only the medium heat setting would use?

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"Hello,
GE model DWSR473EV0AA about 10 years old when using the automatic or timed drying cycle with permanent press medium heat setting, clothes take at least twice as long to dry."
Compared to ??? Is this a new phenomenon or something you happend to notice? What happens if you use medium heat without the Perm Press selection? GE's generally have 2 operating thermostats [which are bias type thermsostats] and a split heating element [ iow- two sections]. A bias type stat has a resistor built into the stat that adds heat to the thermostats sensing element when a circuit is made to the resistor. On high heat no bias is used. On medium heat, one stat will be unbiased and the other will be biased. So, on medium heat, one element is on all the time and the other is cycled on/off. Any chance you can scan and post the wiring diagram?

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"Hello,
GE model DWSR473EV0AA about 10 years old when using the automatic or timed drying cycle with permanent press medium heat setting, clothes take at least twice as long to dry."
Compared to ??? Is this a new phenomenon or something you happend to notice? What happens if you use medium heat without the Perm Press selection? GE's generally have 2 operating thermostats [which are bias type thermsostats] and a split heating element [ iow- two sections]. A bias type stat has a resistor built into the stat that adds heat to the thermostats sensing element when a circuit is made to the resistor. On high heat no bias is used. On medium heat, one stat will be unbiased and the other will be biased. So, on medium heat, one element is on all the time and the other is cycled on/off. Any chance you can scan and post the wiring diagram?
I couldn't figure how to upload the wiring diagram to the forum - says I'm not allowed to post attachments. But I've uploaded it to my website and posted an image link below... I think this will work.

http://www.hirschville.com/images/dryer.jpg

This dryer has four temperature settings, so I can't use medium heat without Perm. Press as it is the same setting.
Cottons - High Heat
Perm. Press - Medium heat
Knit/delicates - low heat
Fluff - no heat

Longer drying times are based on what the wife says and clothes are definitlely still damp when they used to be dry. We bought the dryer new 10 years ago so it's something she is accustomed to.

It worked great! Notice how in medium dry, the bias heater on the inlet control is in series with the outer heating element when 7-8 on the selector switch is closed? They are using bias heat on the inlet control to cycle the outer heating element. I'm thinking that the problem is in the inlet control bias heater. It's hard to tell from the diagram if the bias heater is 9 ohms or 91 ohms but it looks like both controls have the same heater resistance. I suggest checkinng the resistance of both and see what you read. BTW- I can't get the model # to work, could you recheck it? Thanks.

Daddyjohn - thanks for your help. I think I found the problem. after I put it back together I was thinking that the elements came on very intermittantly. Took it apart again, checked continuity and one element was bad this time. I guess the element was vibrating enough when the dryer was running so that the broken piece would touch together and was touching when I first checked it. Maybe on high, the element would expand enough that it was always touching and that is why dryer would work well on high heat setting??

I'm glad you found it! Be sure to replace both elements. One type comes as a restring kit; if the kit does not include new ceramic insulators, get those as well. Another style comes with both elements already mounted on a bracket and you swap out the whole assembly.

Thanks for the advice on the elements. I ordered the restring kit with insulators $40 as opposed to $150 for the whole assembly.

Received new element restring kit, dryer is back together and all is working well again.
Thank you everyone for taking your time to help out!! :thumbup: :thumbup: