Yesterday, we wrote about how our Whirlpool Duet Dryer stopped generating heat (but kept pushing air into the tumbler) to dry our wet clothes and how the heating element was determined to be the culprit.
Tom, from North Durham Appliance, returned in a few minutes with a spare heating element (part number 3387747 to be exact 
), to replace the existing faulty unit. The above picture shows the inside of the Duet clothes dryer with the front cover removed and with the build up of lint over the first five years of its use removed.
It did not take Tom long at all to place the new heating element inside the now cleaned interior of the dryer. Once he put it into place and plugged a few wires into the unit, he plugged the dryer back into the specialized electric socket in the wall and turned the dryer on.
You can see the red glow of the replacement heating element above working inside the Duet clothes dryer.
It was very nice to have our clothes dryer working again.
In all, the service call, replacement part, etc. cost us $222.79.
So remember, if your dryer does not seem to be drying the wet clothes, first check that it is generating heat. If not, check the vent to make sure it is clear. Also, check the electric panel in your home to be sure that a breaker has not tripped. The dryer can be engaged and air flowing into the tumbler area yet no heat if one of the two breakers has been tripped.
Failing these steps, and if you are not comfortable with electronics, call your local repair company as it could be the heating element as was the case with our Whirlpool Duet dryer. Hopefully your unit is still under warranty; ours was not.
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Purchased Whirlpool Duet HT washer/Duet dryer in Jan 05.Purchased extended protection policy that expires any day.A year ago washer stopped in mid load.Service tech came & removed thin elastic sport headband athletes wear 2 keep hair out of eyes.It swam out of drum and tightly wrapped itself around a moving part;shorting out motor.Today I called repair to service w/d b4 policy expires.Extra warranty has now more than paid for my 2 visits.Thank you for your dust/lint buildup story.
That head band is actually a funny story…….although I know it was not funny at the time.
Yes, extended warranties on some appliances are helpful. It was on our Hitachi rear projection TV which we have previously written about.
It would be interesting if you are present when they arrive to service your dryer if you can have them show you how much lint is inside the unit in the same area as ours to see if it is as much or less, just out of interest.
Thanks for visiting our site.
Dan
my duet suddenly displayed “controls locked”. I tried unplugging it and have been doing lots of button pushing to no avail… help
Hi Donna,
If your model has an ‘End of Cycle Signal’ button, try holding that button down for 3 seconds and then releasing.
Does that do the trick for you?
Dan
I will be there and take a picture & post.It will be interesting to compare. I just looked in the use & care guide and it says “inside dryer cabinet AND exhaust vent” should be cleaned every 2 yrs or more.Way past due.What a fire hazard.Imagine people who don’t clean lint screen after every load. BTW..I have been very pleased with my front load high temp washer and dryer.
I too had the same electronics cabinet lint build up issue. The first time it happened it caused a fire and $500 worth of damage to the dryer and a loss of the load of clothes that were in at the time. Less than a year later I smelled something burning, unplugged took off the front panel and low and behold it was completely full of lint AGAIN. I clean the filter after every load and had the vent to the outside cleaned ten months ago. Seems like a manufacturing defect to me but Whirlpool will not acknowledge.
Wow, Amy. Firstly, I’m so glad you are safe and that the fire did not cause more damage.
Thank you for sharing your experience so others can be aware.
Dan
my 4 year old duet will not start it’s cycle. power on, press start button for 3 seconds, it gives that distinctive click. but does nothing. door is definitely shut all the way – numbers don’t flash – cycle just won’t start. some kind of relay?
i recently replaced the heating element 5 or 6 months ago, d.i.y. style. i feel comfortable getting inside the unit, so i again would like to repair it myself. any help would be greatlt appreciated.
Hi Dan,
I have not come across it before. Yes, because the power is on it is not as if you need to check the electric panel for your home (yet, sometime with computers turning off the power then waiting 10 seconds then turning the power supply back on fixes them
).
I found one link which might be of assistance for you which talks about loose wiring connections (but for heaven’s sake, if you try to fix it yourself you much turn off the power supply first!): http://www.applianceblog.com/mainforums/whirlpool-kitchenaid-roper/13979-whirlpool-dryer-gew9250pw1-will-not-turn.html
I also read on another web page to hold the power button for 5 seconds in case it causes internal diagnostics to provide an error number.
Please let me know how you resolve your situation.
Dan
dan,
thank you for getting back with me so quickly. unfortunately, the computer-style reboot was unsuccessful. however, with persistance, i was able to solve the problem. it was a bad thermal fuse. they can be found online for about $10 +shipping.
here is a link (though not completely accurate, but close enough) on how to repair this problem
http://www.ehow.com/how_4895728_replace-thermal-fuse-whirlpool-dryer.html
again thanks for your help
dan b
Wow, Dan B.
$10 + shipping (for someone who knows what they are doing)!
Dan
I turned my dryer on yesterday and it made a wired noise then started smoking. We took it apart and our heat vent had lint in it that had smoldered. We cleaned everything and now the dryer won’t start. Any suggestions?
Hi Michelle,
Other than remembering to plug the drying back in and checking the fuse switch on the electrical panel, I do not have any other ideas (other than a wire loosened during the cleaning).
You just might have to call that repair person.
Dan
Our 2 year old Duet dryer recently began to take longer to dry clothes. The air is warm in the dryer, but not really hot. The clothes are barely warm while drying. We took apart the vent to the outdoors, and removed all lint, which was not blocking anything. There is only one plug, so only one circuit breaker. What thing cause partial, but not total loss of heat?
Hi Gab,
I am not a professional in this regard so I cannot tell you for sure.
Possibly the heading element has prematurely started to wear down and needs replaced; or it could possibly the temperature sensor / thermostat which has started to not work properly.
You might need a professional to come in and test to see which component is not working properly.
Dan
Thanks! We took off the front bottom panel, and found a service manual. It tells some things to check, including exhaust temperature. Will call a professional after checking things out.
I have a Whirlpool Duet frontload dryer. The light inside turns on but the machine will not turn on. I’ve unplugged the machine and flipped the breaker. Any ideas?
I have a whirlpool duet dryer that is drying fine, my concern is that while the dryer is running I can clearly see flame as I look through the window into the back of the dryer. I am concerned that this may cause a fire in my home. can you please offer me some suggestions
Stop using it immediately and call a qualified repair professional.
Hi, I have a whirlpool dryer that will not work, the light inside has blown up , replaced and the light is on and when I shut the door the light stays on but it will not start, have unplugged and plugged Any suggestions?
Hi Zan,
I am not any type of repair man.
I could guess, but suggest you call a licensed repairman as this doesn’t sound good.
Dan