# Help! Need electrical advice on a clothes dryer



## FritzMichaels (Oct 21, 2010)

I just happen to walk by my clothes dryer yesterday and heard some poppin. I stopped to check it out and there was sparks shooting out the back where the wires were. I shut it off. 

I inspected it and noticed that the ground (i think) was melted off, the screw was gone that grounded it to the dryer. The whole where the screw went was melted. You can see it in the picture.

I can get another screw and rescrew the ground back down but is that sufficient? Was it sparking because the screw came out OR did the screw come out because it was melting, and there is some other issue??

Thx for your help.


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## Dead Eye Eddy (Oct 21, 2010)

I'd say you need to get a dryer mechanic out or buy a new dryer.  It's not worth burning your house down to save a few hundred bucks.


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## georgia357 (Oct 22, 2010)

Dead Eye Eddy said:


> I'd say you need to get a dryer mechanic out or buy a new dryer.  It's not worth burning your house down to save a few hundred bucks.



That's what I would do.  Also a danger of somebody getting shocked. The ground strap shouldn't have any current on it to make it spark unless something is shorted out.


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## jmfauver (Oct 22, 2010)

My bet would be a short somewhere around the motor ( usually),The price for a new dryer is gonna be less then a repair man ( unless you buy the latest and greatest )


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## wmahunter (Oct 22, 2010)

georgia357 said:


> That's what I would do.  Also a danger of somebody getting shocked. The ground strap shouldn't have any current on it to make it spark unless something is shorted out.



Agreed. And that 220v doesn't just tingle either, it will kill you.


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## s.anderson (Oct 22, 2010)

That is a tough question to answer without seeing the whole circuit.

But, if you have a loose connection, it can (and will) arc.   Electricty needs a complete path to work correctly.  If a connection is loose it will do exactly what you describe.   I would cut off all power to it, clean the connection and area real good, and then reinstall the screw.   It won't cost you much to try it and it's probably the problem.

As other's have said, if you try it, monitor it for a while afterwards to make SURE it's fixed.


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## Twenty five ought six (Oct 22, 2010)

s.anderson said:


> That is a tough question to answer without seeing the whole circuit.
> 
> But, if you have a loose connection, it can (and will) arc.   Electricty needs a complete path to work correctly.  If a connection is loose it will do exactly what you describe.   I would cut off all power to it, clean the connection and area real good, and then reinstall the screw.   It won't cost you much to try it and it's probably the problem.
> 
> As other's have said, if you try it, monitor it for a while afterwards to make SURE it's fixed.




A loose connection will only arc if the connection is energized.  The ground strap should NOT be energized.

If he reinstalls the screw, and does not address the underlying problem (a short somewhere), the casing of his dryer will be energized with 220 V, which as wmahunter notes, does more than make you tingle a bit.  

The connection burned because there is a short somewhere, and the dryer was using the ground strap connection as a neutral leg of the circuit, and the electricity was going to ground through the dryer itself.  He's lucky (in a way) that the connection burned out before he started messing with the dryer.


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## win280 (Oct 22, 2010)

Twenty five ought six said:


> A loose connection will only arc if the connection is energized.  The ground strap should NOT be energized.
> 
> If he reinstalls the screw, and does not address the underlying problem (a short somewhere), the casing of his dryer will be energized with 220 V, which as wmahunter notes, does more than make you tingle a bit.
> 
> The connection burned because there is a short somewhere, and the dryer was using the ground strap connection as a neutral leg of the circuit, and the electricity was going to ground through the dryer itself.  He's lucky (in a way) that the connection burned out before he started messing with the dryer.


Agree with you on this.
A spike(over current) in electrical circuit can cause this also.


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## Milkman (Oct 22, 2010)

Sounds like there is an electrical short in  the machine. Get a pro to check it or take it to the recycler.


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## FritzMichaels (Oct 22, 2010)

Twenty five ought six said:


> A loose connection will only arc if the connection is energized.  The ground strap should NOT be energized.
> 
> If he reinstalls the screw, and does not address the underlying problem (a short somewhere), the casing of his dryer will be energized with 220 V, which as wmahunter notes, does more than make you tingle a bit.
> 
> The connection burned because there is a short somewhere, and the dryer was using the ground strap connection as a neutral leg of the circuit, and the electricity was going to ground through the dryer itself.  He's lucky (in a way) that the connection burned out before he started messing with the dryer.



That was my concern -06. i figured one of  2 things was the problem. 1) the ground strap came off and caused the sparking OR 2) there is a much worse issue going on somewhere else that cause the strap to melt off and thus the sparks.

i did temporarily hook up the strap and run the dryer for a minute. no sparks. i tapped on the back of the dyer and when the strap moved, it did spark a little bit.

i am concerned that there is a larger issue that wont be taken care of IF all i do is reconnect the ground strap...

that concerns me...


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## 242outdoors (Oct 22, 2010)

buy a new one. aunt almost lost her house over a dryer catching fire when it shorted out


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## vanguard1 (Oct 23, 2010)

242outdoors said:


> buy a new one. aunt almost lost her house over a dryer catching fire when it shorted out



100% right get another one, not worth a fire , the ground should never spark, something else is wrong.


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## BriarPatch99 (Oct 23, 2010)

I'll bet that the element is broke and touching the frame metal just enough to cause the the sparks(grounding thru the third wire) but not enough to trip the breakers. The ground strap may have never been tight to start with either. 

I still would have it checked out before I'd trust it or buy a new one !! Better than a burned down house!!


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## SGADawg (Oct 23, 2010)

About the only things that could cause the ground strap to be energized is a break or loose connection in the neutral or a "hot" wire touching the frame.  If the ground EVER sparks or is energized, something is bad wrong.  Get a repairman or a new dryer immediately!!  Cut off the power to the dryer until this is fixed.


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## game dog (Oct 23, 2010)

new dryer time if ya ask me.


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## oldenred (Oct 23, 2010)

buy a new dryer.... if it is sending electricity to the ground there is a problem somewhere else along the wire paths or in the motor.... more than likely it will be cheaper to replace it


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## W4DSB (Oct 23, 2010)

the timer is 120 volts and is using one of the hot legs and the ground to acheive the 120 volts needed. this is common on older machines, and homes that only have 2 hots and a ground going to the dryer
newer homes have a 4 wire plug and provide a seperate neuteral for this load. notice there is 2 wires on the top of the terminal strip for the ground connection


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## georgia357 (Oct 23, 2010)

W4DSB said:


> the timer is 120 volts and is using one of the hot legs and the ground to acheive the 120 volts needed. this is common on older machines, and homes that only have 2 hots and a ground going to the dryer
> newer homes have a 4 wire plug and provide a seperate neuteral for this load. notice there is 2 wires on the top of the terminal strip for the ground connection



One hundred percent correct, but the 120 for the timer should be going to the ground wire.  Some how, 120 is going through the frame to the ground lug which is strapped to the ground wire.  Shouldn't be no voltage at that point.  At least that's what I think.


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## W4DSB (Oct 23, 2010)

georgia357 said:


> One hundred percent correct, but the 120 for the timer should be going to the ground wire.  Some how, 120 is going through the frame to the ground lug which is strapped to the ground wire.  Shouldn't be no voltage at that point.  At least that's what I think.


I assumed some part of the control may have been bonded to the chassis and been feeding thru the strap but i could be wrong


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## state159 (Oct 23, 2010)

You're right. The ground strap has been carrying some current and that is not normal. If it is disconnected and you are grounded good yourself, you may get a shock if you touch the chassis. Have an electrician troubleshoot the problem. It could be a number of things; deteriotated insulation on the wiring, heating element touching chassis, etc. The motor and controls are 120 volts and the heating elements operate on 240 volts but each leg of the 240 volts will read 120 volts to neutral/ground.


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## gunsaler111 (Oct 23, 2010)

It aint the v that kills ya!


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## wmahunter (Oct 23, 2010)

Since you had to ask this question in the first place then it is obvious that a lot of the answers here about exactly what could be wrong inside the dryer are going to be "over your head"...no disrespect intended.  

Bottom line is the dryer has a short and should be unplugged until it is either repaired or replaced with a new one.  It could kill you or start a fire if used as is.


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## Fro1911nut (Oct 23, 2010)

I worked on these things for 2 years before going to Refrigeration. I never saw one short out the ground strap. Like others have said for whatever reason something has grounded 120 and it found its way back to ground. Could be a busted element shorted to the heater box to a bad motor switch to a floating ground. You see that lint on the hot wires of the terminal block...there is 3 times that inside that dryer..and dryer lint is like flash paper and it burns quick. If it is close to over 10years old throw it on the curve and go buy a new one. Dryer fires normally find there way out the exhaust vent (is yours plastic?) and there goes your house.


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## FritzMichaels (Oct 24, 2010)

Thanks guys. Yall have scared me into getting another one. But thats why I asked... I didnt want to take any chances.


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## gobbleinwoods (Oct 24, 2010)

If getting a new one, I have known a few folks who have made a decent fire pit out of the dry drum.


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## state159 (Oct 24, 2010)

It aint the v that kills ya!

It's the current across the heart that kills you but without voltage pushing it there will not be any current.


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