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SUNSHINE, WIND AND CLOTHES LINES........

That’s all Mom needed to dry our clothes.
I can remember Mom pulling clothes off the line, Formosa trees dancing in the breeze as the sheets and linens whipped about. From the country to the subdivision, the past to the present, most of us have all but abandoned the sun and wind to dry our clothes. Nature is now recreated inside a metal box known as a dryer.

What is a good dry time? This will depend on the type of clothes and thickness of material. On average, however, 45 to 60 minutes is good. 90 minutes may still be ok for heavier type loads such as towels and jeans. If your times are longer, keep on reading. Remember though, the hotter the sun and the windier the day the faster everything dried.

It’s not as easy as looking outside, checking for sun and wind to determine how long it might take to dry our clothes, but understanding your dryer and basic principals of operation could prevent a service call.

First, let’s talk about the basics of operation.

HEAT: (SUNSHINE) Created by either a heating element or gas burner.

AIR FLOW: (WIND) A blower wheel attached to one end of an electric motor (the same motor that rotates your drum) draws room temperature air through and over the element or burner into the drum in between and through the tumbling clothes.

LOADING: Don’t overload your dryer. That’s like pinning clothes on top of each other on a clothes line. They won’t dry well. Also, overloading will wear your clothing out much quicker as a result of rubbing together of the garments causing linting.

UNDERLOADING: One major difference, however (nature can never be exactly duplicated) hanging one garment on a line will not affect drying. In your dryer, however, the garment will tend to ball up, preventing even drying and increasing dry time.

Now, before calling for service, use this checklist. You may save a little money for that upcoming spring sale.

PROBLEM: No heated air in drum:

Most electric dryers require 220 volts to heat. 110 volts will run the motor, but the heating element will not be energized. Try resetting your circuit breakers. The breakers are usually coupled together but one can trip while the other is still operating. Check your receptacle and plug. Make sure the prongs on the plug are not blackened or burned. This could indicate a worn out receptacle which can be hazardous and will also prevent proper current flow needed for proper operation of the dryer. NOTE: Gas dryers only require 110 volts to operate the motor and rarely trip breakers.

PROBLEM: You have heat, but it takes a long time to dry clothes.

Some lint gets through the lint filter. Over time, lint may have clogged your vent run, or possibly a little Finch has found a warm place to raise her babies. Turn your dryer on and check that you have a significant amount of air coming out the vent hood on the outside. You may need a handyman to check this if it requires a ladder to get to. Thousands of dryer service calls per year are initiated due to restricted vents. Some customers have actually bought a new dryer thinking their old dryer was the problem.

PROBLEM: You have heat and good air flow and you are loading the dryer properly, but it still takes a long time to dry.

Check your washer. Make sure your clothes washer is spinning your clothes sufficiently. Excessive moisture only adds to dry times.

Robert Taylor
AAA PartsToday