Whitewater Woman's Equipment Maintenance and Repair

[Outdated]

I think Nitro's suggestion of getting the power outlet properly tested should be the first step. If something's wrong there it could affect power supply to the rest of the house and could also be a fire hazard. If there's no issue with the power source then there's something wrong with the appliance.

 

[Nitro]

No

If it is a new appliance, it should be under warranty.

If it is a circuit issue, she needs someone with proper knowledge to sort it out.

 

[Nitro]

I think Nitro's suggestion of getting the power outlet properly tested should be the first step. If something's wrong there it could affect power supply to the rest of the house and could also be a fire hazard. If there's no issue with the power source then there's something wrong with the appliance.

No, not exactly either.
A circuit has to be loaded in order for it to burn stuff.

 

[Forest Cat]

There's dangerous current in modern computers these days too, 1.2 volts doesn't sound like a lot but 75 amps will kill you.

I remember learning that as little as 0,3 amps is enough to stop a heart. As Nitro said, people should contact someone who is experienced with electricity when dealing with electrical problems. It's not worth the risk.

 

[Nitro]

I've been working with electronics since I was a child.
I still build some circuitry.
The higher voltage work began when I was around 14.

There was a stage of my life where I played with 50,000 volt low amperage circuits just to see how they responded.

That taught me a lesson about potential in circuits where I got to observe high voltages ground path themselves to a lower voltage positive inputs, exactly the opposite of what you might think.

-----------------------------------

If you don't understand it, find someone who does.

 

[Judge]

Is there any way for @WhitewaterWoman to test the new dryer's mother board or whatever it's called?

Testing individual components on much of any printed circuit board is not for amateurs. Mostly given, how could they interpret the results even with the right devices?

About the most the average person is likely to accomplish is to visually inspect the board to see if there are carbon deposits (burn marks) around or on components like capacitors, which can process a lot of heat. One of the more obvious signs of distress on a circuit board.

Not just a concern of safety, but you don't want to inadvertently cause a short either.

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

Based on the info so far looks like loose wire inside outlet. I lost my stove a year ago due to a surge City of Brampton has lots of black outs as it grows, had to go to small claims court to get my stove replaced. After this had a surge protector installed on my house power. So loose wire or warranty issue too much electronics on new appliances

Incidentally I once worked for a appliance manufacturing company including driers. I suspect they added a lot more electronic controls since then.

 

[WhitewaterWoman]

I just wanted to find out if there was a simple way to check the dryer line and it appears there is not a simple and safe way.

Thank you to everyone who has responded. I really do appreciate it. I learn more every time.

 

[Mary Terry]

Testing individual components on much of any printed circuit board is not for amateurs. Mostly given, how could they interpret the results even with the right devices?

About the most the average person is likely to accomplish is to visually inspect the board to see if there are carbon deposits (burn marks) around or on components like capacitors, which can process a lot of heat. One of the more obvious signs of distress on a circuit board.
Not just a concern of safety, but you don't want to inadvertently cause a short either.

It occurred to me that messing with the dryer might void the warranty so best not to do that.

 

[Judge]

It occurred to me that messing with the dryer might void the warranty so best not to do that.

Excellent point. One for us all to heed.

I had forgotten that at one point in underwriting products liability we sometimes emphasized that very thing to our independent agents to pass onto their clients (our policyholders). And that was decades ago.

And with any number of products made these days, some manufacturers are taking some real liberties in interpreting what can and cannot void a warranty. Putting consumers at a distinct disadvantage short of becoming plaintiffs in a class action.

In a nutshell, yeah- it's best not to go there as a consumer.

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

When my stove stopped working, they were unable to get replacement board shortage during covid we simply took the manufacturer to small claims court to replace the stove, which they did.

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

Hope it does not come to this, with luck it's only a lose wire in your plug. The stove had a built in surge protector, which obviously did not work. Happy with our induction heating stove.

 

[Rocco]

I am an electrician and based on the information I have read there are two possibilities I see.
First, the dryer may be faulty or the cord is wired wrong (unless it was a factory installed cord.
Second, there could be a neutral line problem or one of the phases (or hot wires) has a problem like a loose connection somewhere at the panel. Or the ground for the panel is not connected properly at the ground rod or cold water bond.
Depending how mechanically inclined you are, we could video call or FaceTime and I could walk you through the troubleshooting process. A voltmeter or proximity sensor (test pen) to check for power at the outlet would be helpful.
If you turned off the breaker you could check the tightness of the screws that hold the wires in the outlet. If you have a solid connection and power is working, I would say the dryer is bad.
You mentioned resetting the plug. Is there a button on it. Also the new dryer worked at some point? But not now?
A pen like this will tell you if power is going into the dryer by turning the one on and putting it near or against the cord going to the dryer. A meter you could stick the test leads into the outlet holes to see if you have proper voltage readings phase to phase and phase to neutral.

 

[Judge]

I was hoping @Rocco would finally catch this thread. Well done.

 

[WhitewaterWoman]

NEW PROJECT

It seems that rodents are coming into my house through the heating and cooling ducts that are under the house. It looks to me like rodents and/or other creatures are chewing up the insulation that goes around the ducts.

As you can see, there is only a low crawl space under the house.

Does anyone have any advice about how to tackle this problem?

Thank you.

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

Downside of crawl space, fortunately most houses up here have basements. I wonder if urethane foam would work. A far as I know they are not eating just sharpening their teeth. Maybe give something else to sharpen on like cat scratching board. works for my cats.

 

[Outdated]

They're not just sharpening their teeth, they steal material for nesting.

It shouldn't cost a great deal to replace that bit of insulation with something and it needs to be done because you'll lose a lot of energy through that exposed metal. (heat transfer) Are the rats getting in to the house through here as well? Once the insulation is replaced I'd recommend wrapping it with wire mesh like fly wire. Make sure it's metal and not plastic though. Rats can still chew through that too but it discourages them.

Unfortunately there's only one way the job can be done, someone is going to have to physically get in there to do the job. I recommend you hire a handyman to do this for you, buy the materials you need yourself so that you're not getting ripped off but pay someone to do the work.

 

[AuAL]

A quick and easy test it to plug it in somewhere else and see if it still has a problem.

I haven't seen a clothes drier since I lived in Melbourne 30 years ago.

[Edit] Now that I've seen the pictures, the way the plug fitting is recessed in to the wall and the shape of the plug on the drier look like they'd both cause each other problems. Do you have an old fashioned double adapter you could shove in there? - Do not use a powerboard to run a drier, very few of them can handle that much current and can be a fire hazard.

@WhitewaterWoman, I don’t know where you’re at with this, but I think @Outdated was onto something. From the picture, the socket is recessed close to half an inch back. The active sockets look to be about half an inch up from the “shelf” formed by the recessing. But looking at the plug, the active pins look to be over an inch from where the cable could “flex” around the bend. I cannot see how that plug could reliably be seated in that socket. In short, installation of the socket is poorly bodged for that plug. It might connect somehow, just, if forced, but I wouldn’t rely on it. The socket needs to be properly installed, flush with the external wall. In Australia that is a job that must be mandatorily carried out by a licensed electrician, due to a potential risk of fire if not done properly (which leaves the homeowner vicariously liable for potential injury or death in perpetuity.)
Any repair/relocation of the socket is a basic matter of pulling it forward and properly fastening it in the wall aperture flush with the wall outer surface. An electrician would know to do this work with power disabled on the relevant circuit.

 

[WhitewaterWoman]

@WhitewaterWoman, I don’t know where you’re at with this, but I think @Outdated was onto something. From the picture, the socket is recessed close to half an inch back. The active sockets look to be about half an inch up from the “shelf” formed by the recessing. But looking at the plug, the active pins look to be over an inch from where the cable could “flex” around the bend. I cannot see how that plug could reliably be seated in that socket. In short, installation of the socket is poorly bodged for that plug. It might connect somehow, just, if forced, but I wouldn’t rely on it. The socket needs to be properly installed, flush with the external wall. In Australia that is a job that must be mandatorily carried out by a licensed electrician, due to a potential risk of fire if not done properly (which leaves the homeowner vicariously liable for potential injury or death in perpetuity.)
Any repair/relocation of the socket is a basic matter of pulling it forward and properly fastening it in the wall aperture flush with the wall outer surface. An electrician would know to do this work with power disabled on the relevant circuit.

Thank you. That problem has been fixed.

 

[WhitewaterWoman]

They're not just sharpening their teeth, they steal material for nesting.

It shouldn't cost a great deal to replace that bit of insulation with something and it needs to be done because you'll lose a lot of energy through that exposed metal. (heat transfer) Are the rats getting in to the house through here as well? Once the insulation is replaced I'd recommend wrapping it with wire mesh like fly wire. Make sure it's metal and not plastic though. Rats can still chew through that too but it discourages them.

Unfortunately there's only one way the job can be done, someone is going to have to physically get in there to do the job. I recommend you hire a handyman to do this for you, buy the materials you need yourself so that you're not getting ripped off but pay someone to do the work.

Thank you, Outdated.

It’s mostly mice at this point. And they aren’t nesting in the house yet. They come and go. This is a new problem. Due to the wonderful weather, I’ve not had heat or cooling on for months.

I realized that the insulation needs to be replaced.

Do you know what this insulation is called? I’m concerned it’s made of that horrible stuff fiberglass that has little tiny splinters that are painful.

Why can’t I do this myself, besides the fact that it is dirty and nasty?

What is fly wire? Google says it’s an online payment system.