I've done this a number of times on various devices – most recently a dryer – here's how I approach it: That said, if you need the dryer working you could give it a try. Your idea works in concept, but it may be difficult to pull off well. To some (most) it may be easier to just buy a new dryer and be done with it. This all depends on one's skill level, confidence, determination (in my case stubbornness), time, finances. Sure beats buying a whole "element assembly" which cost much more. All I had to do is remove the old coil from the ceramic insulators and replace it with the new. Depending on the make of the dryer usually, just the nichrome wire coil itself can be purchased with properly made factory spot welded brass connections and the correct length/gauge/resistance. The best course of action is to replace the element. Even physically welding the wire will contaminate the wire such that it will have higher resistance compared to the untouched wire, it will eventually fail. It may work for a few seconds or a few weeks but it will eventually fail. The heating element is made from nichrome wire, even after cleaning oxides off then splicing/crimping the wire will rapidly oxidize as soon as it heats up the oxides create a passivation layer that acts as an insulator, this increases resistance further to the point of melting. I've tried many techniques to repair the broken element and they all eventually fail. I would not recommend this "repair" unless you have experience in these types of things. Don't bypass any safety devices either.īeing an electrician and a cheap a$$ that will try to fix almost anything before replacing I will say that yes it can be done but it will rapidly fail. I'm an a electrician and do these thing in a safe controlled manner. I definitely recommend you install a new element. I have tried to polish the wire and bolt them together and they still burned the connection and failed. GE has clamped their elements ends under a brass washer using a brass bolt, washer and brass nut, that worked to replace the new element. If you note the element manufacturers spot weld the crimped connection. They don't seem to have anything like this any more. I used to repair toasters and the supplier had a catalyst that welded the connection: when the element was re-energized it would heat the joint and weld it. However when I have done this, the splice failed in less then a month. Personally I feel the splice would only shorten the whole so little that it would still be within a safe current level. I have been repairing dryers for thirty years. A bad drum seal will let too much air come in and parallel the air flow and you still don't have enough air over the element. You have either a restricted vent system or a lint filter full of lint. It is not common but this problem does happen here and there.Īs an experienced home builder and electrician- I never repaired a heating element- just replaced it and made sure the earth leakage breaker and any other protection circuits are working properly.ĭryer elements usually fail because they don't have enough air flowing past them. In theory people want to say- yes its OK- because you just want to bridge a gap to conduct electricity- but nobody can tell you the long and short term outcomes of doing this so it is very risky. Thanks to the fact that all appliances have to be grounded it is most likely it tripped some circuit breakers and would do so every time the element turned on, and in turn saving your life. These things happen (i mean they break) because over time electrolysis and most likely caused by small fault during forging, and over time caused the element to corrode and increase the "frictional" electrical tension on the faulty area- increasing the rate of which that area gets damaged- until it snaps and makes a nasty short circuit inside your heating chamber. Heating elements are specially tempered metal rods that produce heat from electrical current (the metal needs certain values to make "friction" of electricity that passes) and the output is not a direct short circuit with a specific impedance.
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