Shoutout to the guy at the parts counter who changed my mind about thermal fuses

I was picking up a thermal fuse for a dryer yesterday and the guy at the counter, Mike, asked if I ever tested the old ones before replacing them. I said no, I just swap them out. He told me he checks about half of the 'bad' ones he pulls and finds maybe 30% are actually fine, and the real problem is a clogged vent or a bad thermostat. I went home and tested the one I pulled, and sure enough, it was good. I spent an extra twenty minutes and found a huge lint blockage in the exhaust line. Now I'm adding a multimeter check to my routine before I order that part. How many of you actually test these before replacing them?

3 comments

3 Comments

harper_cooper2129d ago

Adding a multimeter check" is such a good call. I learned that the hard way after replacing a perfectly good fuse in my own dryer last year.

gavin_hill2729d ago

My buddy's dryer had a bad thermal fuse but the heating element was also shot.

barbara_campbell20d ago

Grabbed my multimeter after the third "no heat" call this month. Customer already bought the whole repair kit, fuse, thermostat, the works. Checked continuity on the heating element first, found it was open. Saved them the trouble of taking the whole thing apart twice. That little twenty dollar tool pays for itself every single time.