Your clothes dryer has the potential to start a fire, but the risk is lower when your dryer has a properly functioning thermal fuse. Thermal fuses are required in dryers as a fire prevention measure. Here's a look at the purpose of a thermal fuse, how to know if yours is working properly, and how to change the fuse if it goes bad.
The Reason Your Dryer Has A Thermal Fuse
The purpose of the thermal fuse is to detect high temperatures in the dryer. If the temperature gets too high, lint in the dryer or vent hose could catch on fire. The thermal fuse is a safety device that blows when the temperature is excessive and this causes your dryer to shut down power to the motor. This forces you to fix the problem and replace the fuse to get your dryer working properly again.
A Multimeter Can Identify A Bad Fuse
When the fuse is blown, it can't be reset. Instead, it has to be replaced. Since other things can cause a dryer to not start or to start and not heat, a washer and dryer repair service can send a technician to your home to determine if the fuse is bad or if there is another problem with the dryer. The way to do this is to test the fuse with a multimeter. This lets the repair professional know for sure if the thermal fuse is bad.
Changing The Fuse Is Fairly Easy
Replacing a bad fuse with a new one is fairly easy, but getting to the fuse is the hard part. The repair person may need to take the back panel off the dryer, remove the top panel with the control board, or take the dryer apart to get to the fuse.
Once the fuse is found, the bad fuse can be taken off and disconnected from the wiring. Then, an exact replacement part is put in and connected to the wiring. When the new fuse is in place, the dryer is put back together and checked to make sure it's heating properly again.
Even though replacing the fuse is simple once the dryer is apart, you may still want to hire a dryer repair professional to do the work. One reason this might be necessary is so the repair person can figure out the reason the dryer overheated. If the fuse is changed without fixing the reason for overheating, the fuse will probably blow again.
If you have issues with your fuse, reach out to a washer and dryer repair professional.
