Published: Thu, 05 Dec 2024 11:33:23 -0800
Okay well it still dried clothes, however it let out a constant, deafening banshee cry that rang out throughout the house. It started as an intermittent squeak last year, which became more frequent over the past few months. In recent weeks, the squeak became more of a squeal, lasting for about 30 seconds, before working itself out. As the squeaks and squeals became more frequent, I kept thinking to myself, "that belt needs to be replaced". On Monday, I did a light fluff-up on some clothes before I folded them, when the squeal became a horrible cry. I turned it off and hoped it would work itself out like it had done so many times before. Then Roomie used it yesterday.
I was not in the house when it happened, but the cry was still there, if not louder, and it was constant. We determined we needed to get it fixed. Unfortunately, the dryer was considered "personal property" in our rental agreement, even though it is part of the rental, which meant it was our responsibility. I thought I'd crack it open and see if there was anything I could see that would be blatantly obvious as to what was causing the problem. I opened up the bottom panel, removed a lint cover, and saw an old, cracked, fraying belt. We aren't planning on being here a lot longer, so I tried spraying it with some belt conditioner, which did not help. The belt needed to be replaced. I looked up a video on how to do it, and all in all it didn't seem like a ton of work.
I somehow managed to move the dryer to the living room on my own, with only slightly tweaking my back. From there I removed the top panel, a few brackets, and unplugged the control board. At last! I was only one step away from removing the drum, but did not have a replacement belt. I called around; Most appliance stores only offered repairs, and the local Home Depot did not carry any dryer belts. I called the closest Lowes, which said they didn't have one in 92.25". I checked their website to see if another location may have had it, when it said the one I called did. Having worked at a hardware store, I know that there are times where the website lies, and times where it is right, but the item is so far tucked away that an employee may not see it. I crossed my fingers and hoped it was the latter. On my way to work, I swung by and sure enough, tucked behind the other belts, there was my 92.25". I walked out of the store $13 poorer, with a big grin on my face.
Time at work seemed to fly by, all my mind could think about was how as soon as I got home I was going to put it all together and pray I don't start a fire. It's an electric dryer which makes that a little less likely. As I came in I went straight to the living room, took out the drum, slipped on the new belt, and gave it a test-spin before I put it all back together. At first I was relieved to see it all spin together at once, but then my heart sank when I turned it a little faster, the squeak was still there. I took out the drum again to inspect the rollers. Sure enough, one of them was not freely spinning like the others. Fortunately they are painfully simple to disassemble, and so I cleaned it up, relubricated it, and put the drum back in for another test-spin. The squeak was still there.
I pushed my head to the floor, keeping my eyes on each roller as I spun it, when I finally saw it. Although the other rear-roller was freely spinning when no weight was on it, every time I heard the squeak, I saw it stop spinning. Eureka! I took out the drum again, lubed up every roller and the tensioner pulley just to be safe, put the belt and drum back in, and watched it spin in silence. A flood of relief and joy ran throughout my body. Soon after I had the dryer put all back together, and me and Roomie hoisted it back onto the washer. I plugged it back into the 240v socket, listening for any pops and smelling for the familiar scent of burning electronics, which were not there. I pressed the power button, watched the display illuminate, and started a test cycle. It spun to life and filled the room with a faint burning smell. I panicked, before remembering I did not hook up the duct yet, and once that was back in place, the scent disappeared. It's running better than ever.
Each time I do a repair like this, I am filled with an immense confidence. I feel proud that I didn't have to go calling for help. I found the problem, learned a little bit, and fixed it myself. Sure I could have saved a little time by spending some money, but the knowledge and experience I have gained more than make up for it. Now when something like this goes wrong, I know immediately what I have to do, whether it be my own dryer, a friend's, or a neighbor. I can be helpful and give to my community in a way I could not do before.
For what is a man, what has he got? If not himself, then he has naught
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