Miele tumble dryer GALA T 495 C

There was no continuity in one side of the element, and I finally found the cause of my problem.
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So I took the element apart
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A wood staple from a pallet, I usually collect them in my pockets, it seems this one hid in a wrinkle when I emptied my pocket.
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Are you going to replace the whole heating element assembly or attempt a repair?

Still a good idea and good practice to check and clean other parts whilst its disassembled.
 
Yes of course, I'll clean as much as I can while I'm at this point.
Can a break like this be fixed with some reconnection of the brocken bits, or only by replacing the entire length of wire?
 
You could attempt a repair.
Pull the end of the heater wire through the ceramic hole and twine the two ends together. The tension in the 'spring' should hold it together as well.
Providing the spring is not stretched too much causing it to sag (remember that when it heats up the wire will expand and sag more) and make contact with the lower wire or make contact with any other surrounding metal casing etc (remembering that the motor air flow will blow it about if sagging too much) it should work fine probably for many years to come.

Not sure how much these elements are but sure they are much more expensive than other types. So consider the cost of replacement now but having it working now and being able to prove its fixed the problem and not having to wait for the new part to arrive only to find theres something else wrong, with the prospect of possibly having to strip the machine down again to replace it at a later date.
 
Is it possible that this was the cause of my problem in the first place one year ago? And we've been using it since. Could be that when we moved, the wire shook out of the position it was in, therefore not short circuiting it any longer, and it just fell back into it's original place now.
 
Well the cheapest I found was 150 €, so I'll try to repair it for sure. Thank you for the instructions, it's not visiby sagging at all.
 
Can't use solder cos it will just melt.
Can't use a block connector, too heavy, cos the weight will cause sagging.

Weld the wires together-don't think that would be possible.

Could very well have been the original problem as you described, certainly fits the symptoms.
 
Of course replacing the unit is preferable.
Either method of repair will at least get the machine working again now.
 
I checked the switch, it was fine, looked into the pump, it was clean, vacuumed every corner, cleaned all the fluff out.
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Since the broken wire was unreachable from the outside of the heater, I completely took the element apart, crimped the two ends of wire with a piece of electrical connector, then reassembled the whole dryer..
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Now it's heating and drying like a dream, I wonder how long it will last.
The lesson learned is, next time anything trips the fuse I should take the time to take the dryer apart. If I would have found the staple a year ago, the heater wouldn't have needed "surgery"...

I'll keep this thread up to date if anything new happens.

Thank you for all the help!
 
The thread continues...

The same Miele Gala T495 C has a new habit.
The machine starts and hot air pours out of it along with steam while the condensed water container remains empty.
The clothes air very hot even if I run the 15 minute cold air cycle.

Does anyone have any ideas on how I could debug this problem?

Any help is appreciated!
 
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