Called a repair guy for a dryer I'd been fixing wrong for 18 months

I had this Kenmore dryer at home that kept tripping the thermal fuse every 3 months. I replaced it 5 times thinking the vent was clogged or the fuse was cheap junk. Turns out I was stripping the screw holes by overtightening the terminal block, which caused arcing and heat buildup. An old timer pointed it out after I mentioned the recurring issue on a different forum last spring. Anyone else overlook a simple mechanical fix like that and blame the parts instead?

2 comments

2 Comments

beth_stone1mo ago

Wait... isn't thermal fuse stuff supposed to be stripped by torque?

faith_price71mo ago

Wait, actually that sounds backwards to me. @beth_stone torque strips things, thermal fuses blow from heat, not force. Are you thinking of a snap disk or something? I've melted a few fuses before but never had one get messed up by tightening.