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Replacement parts for General Electric DPSR483EA1WW Electric dryer | AppliancePartsPros.comGE likes to keep all tech info a secret so I cannot find specific info on this unit.
Below is a link to a fairly standard GE unit, it should at least give you an idea of how GE does things.
http://www.applianceaid.com/image/geediagram.JPGCheck inside your control console, often that is where wiring diagrams are stored.
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This dryer was given to me,. I was told it was slow at drying. I pulled the drum out so that I could check the elements, they are good.[/COLOR]
When checking the elements, did you use a meter?
Also did you disconnect at least one side of the element you were checking just to be sure you were not reading an alternate/parallel circuit path.
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but only one element came on through about four cycles.[/COLOR]
I am assuming you mean 4 heat/fabric settings.
[COLOR="DarkRed"]What could be causing this problem?[/COLOR]
Could be a bad thermostat, at least that is where I would start.
Nezt woyuld be the temperature/fabric selector switch.
[COLOR="DarkRed"]If it is a thermostat how do I know which one? Is there a way of testing these?[/COLOR]
You have 3 on the heater (Section 4 in the parts) and one on the blower (Section 1).
All of them should be 0 ohms at room temperature.
If you do not own a meter, I would suggest you purchase a one. You can get a decent digital multimeter for under $20.00. You do not need fancy though it is nice if the leads are a couple feet long.
If it saves ordering one unnecessary part it has paid for itself and you end up owning a useful tool.
Most places will not let you return electrical parts so if you order it, you own it.
A couple things to watch when measuring ohms and continuity
1. Always remove power from the machine otherwise you could blow your meter.
2. Always disconnect at least one side of any device you are checking. This eliminates the possibility of measuring an alternate/parallel circuit path.
3. When checking for closed contacts and continuity use the lowest scale (Usually 200 ohms). Then try higher scales. This scale is 0 to 200 ohms so if the device you are measuring is 300 ohms this scale would show an open circuit which it is not, you are just measuring outside the scale's dynamic range.
There is a good STICKY at the start of this forum about it's use.