Heard a customer at the hardware store complaining about a 'quick fix' for a dryer that almost started a fire.

I was grabbing a new multimeter probe at Ace Hardware yesterday when a guy in line was telling his friend how he'd used aluminum foil to bypass a thermal fuse on his Whirlpool dryer. He said it got the drum spinning again for about a week, but then the whole back panel got too hot to touch. I had to bite my tongue, but it reminded me how dangerous those shortcuts are. Has anyone else run into customers trying these risky DIY repairs lately?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_max10d ago

That sounds pretty bad, but is bypassing a safety part always a fire risk? Sometimes those fuses go bad on their own without a real problem. Maybe the guy just got unlucky and had a separate wiring issue that caused the heat.

gavincampbell10d ago

Reminds me of a buddy who wrapped a blown fuse in foil to get his dryer running again. It worked for a week until the terminal block melted and filled his laundry room with that awful burning plastic smell. He got lucky it just ruined the appliance and not the whole house.