White Knight tumble dryer - not working

[nickyjj]

I have a secondhand white knight sensordry tumble dryer which has stopped working properly.
It heats up and the drum spins but after a while the trip switch on the back pops out. It then carries on spinning but I think the heat stops.
It seems quieter than normal and I am wondering if the fan has stopped working.
I have taken the back and top off and given it a good clean found a couple of coins and a hair grip in the fan but nothing else.
When I tried to spin the fan by hand it seemed stiff as if it was not aligned properly.
If the fan is the problem is this a simple fix? Or is the problem likely to be something else. I have even taken off the air inlet hose to make sure there was no other blockages.

 

[Echo the husky]

Only you can tell us if the drum, fan, motor etc. is jammed, perhaps due to worn out bearings. The fan will be stiff as it shares its motor with the drum. Does air blow out of the vent hose?

A possible fault is a worn out motor capacitor, this would fit with the quieter than usual sound as the motor will have less power with a faulty capacitor. The reduced airflow then causing overheating.

The only other thing I can think right now is the heater control thermostat faulty, causing the element to overheat and trip the cutout.

How long have you had this TD? If you have only just got it I assume you have found and cleaned the lint filter!

 

[nickyjj]

Hi freddo
Thanks for your reply.
As you can probably tell I'm not really very mechanically minded so here goes.

The drum turns as does the motor. I can't see the fan turning but it seems there is no air blowing out of the vent hose.

Is there an easy way to see if the capacitor is at fault? I don't want to spend out if that is not the issue.
Same goes for the thermostat?

To be honest it seems like it is working except that it is not drying the clothes. To start with I assumed I had it on low setting which was why after 40 mins the load was still wet. Strange thing is the reset at the back cuts the heat but does not stop the drum turning. Is this normal?

Yes I have checked the lint trap even too the back and top off and hoovered all the fluff out.

Any suggestions welcomed.

Thanks again

 

[Echo the husky]

If the drum turns but the fan isn't blowing air, the fault can only be with the fan. Either it has broken somehow, or i'm not sure what else. As the fan and drum share the same motor if the fan isn't blowing it can't be attached to the motor shaft. Got any photos of the fan and nearby parts?

The fan won't blow if the motor is turning backwards during it's anti tangle thing than many dryers do every few minutes.

TDs are simple appliances so it wont be much! If the cap had started to fail I would expect at least a little air from the vent hose.

 

[Rosa Luxembourg]

drive belt? I suppose the fan goes faster than the drum, so would have another pulley.

 

[nickyjj]

If the drum turns but the fan isn't blowing air, the fault can only be with the fan. Either it has broken somehow, or i'm not sure what else. As the fan and drum share the same motor if the fan isn't blowing it can't be attached to the motor shaft. Got any photos of the fan and nearby parts?

drive belt? I suppose the fan goes faster than the drum, so would have another pulley.

The belt is fine the drum still turns. From what I could see the motor has a spindle which the fan threads on too. It felt almost like the fan was not connected to the spindle - possibly due to the hair grip and coins which I vacuumed out! Will try to take the front off and see if I can get to see the fan itself as I'm guessing it might be more obvious. Problem is I couldn't see any way to get to it without dismantling the whole dryer. Took top off and back panels but fan is at the front

Will keep you posted

 

[Echo the husky]

The thread could be stripped then! If it is a new fan should be cheap and easy to get. Watch out though, it may have a reverse thread! It's been a while and I can't remember the configuration!

They often just push on and are held with a spring clip but if it was jammed, the hole in the plastic fan could be melted and deformed if the motor turned but the fan didn't!