Hotpoint WD1200 Dryer keep tripping Stat

[alexhayes]

I`m at my wits end with our local appliance repair/sales shop.

Long story cut short:

Washer dryer purchased about 3 years ago.It is not in heavy use, just occasional.

6 months ago one of the stats went, i replaced the pair. Then it worked fine, never a problem until just before Christmas.

I called out local appliance store as i was busy and assumed it to be something bad. Diagnosis blown stat.

Ordered parts, they were fitted and it worked fine when he tested it. Put on a load to test and washing was still wet> no heat from dryer.

They came back round re set stats and said everything was fine, yet same problem as you as you leave it for about 5 mins it trips the stat.

I called them round again he did the same, re set the stat and said if it goes again it will be the metal fan blades catching on the casing, fan motor stops and then the stats cut in.

So i took the casing apart to check for clearance, and noticed it has plastic fins.. which i cheacked clearance and took approx 2mm off the tips.

Re ste stats and i still get the same problem, it trips after 5 mins.

Could it be incorrect stats? or element failure? fan motor seems to be fine to me?

I`m stumped and i`m annoyed with the service i have recieved from this store

Alex

 

[alexhayes]

No ideas or thoughts?

I`m going to be re setting it tonight and double checking the fan is working...

bar that or the stat being incorrect i`m stumped

 

[Sleepyhead]

Blockage in the ducting, blockage in the condenser or motor running too slow/not at all will cause this.

 

[foxhole]

|Agree, accumilates lots of fluff which can causer overheating.

 

[alexhayes]

Hmmm, Did some more testing last night. See below

I fully take on board your suggestions as this thing has no filters etc like a normal dryer. So i`ll go check the ducting, as for a blockage in the condenser i dont really know where to look for that, i`m guessing its got a cold pipe running to it!!

as for the motor running too slow/not at all, i think i`m pretty happy its not the fan motor- I will Explain now.

I re set the stat, and ran the dryer programme without the top cover on and i monitored the voltage for: fan motor, heating element and i also monitored the continuity in the above and the stat which trips.

Basically what i found was: Dryer works fine for the first ten mins, heating element gets up to temp and everything seems hunky dorey.

The level of heat from the element then decreases- Fan motor was working fine- and still had continuity through the stat. but the heating element slowly cooled... everything else seemed to be working fine.

could it be a dodgy element? i checked that for continuity and it was fine?

stumped?? unbless something control board wise it reducing the voltage across the element?

I might bypass the stat for a temporary test and see what happens.

I could not get a proper voltage reading off my crappy little reader for the element but it seemed the same as normal.