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I just got a brand new washer and dryer for my business (restaurant). I'm in a remote location and the local laundry went of of business forcing all the businesses in town that used them to scramble for another solution. In my case I need kitchen and bar towels, aprons, etc. Worked like heck for a week installing hookups, running electrical, installing vent, re-arraigning a storage room for space.
Got my washer and dryer today, installed them and the dam dryer does not work. It's Friday night on a 3 day weekend, I'm in a remote location and don't want to wait. Please help me if you can.
Maytag MEDC215EW1 (elect).
I turned the dryer on and it ran for about 10-15 seconds and turned off. It was empty so I figured it maybe couldn't run empty. I ran a load of towels in the new washer that works great and then loaded the dryer and it ran 10 seconds and stopped. Now it only runs while the start button is pressed, as soon as the button is released it stops. Unplugging the unit for a while doesn't help.
I disconnected the vent, and while holding down the button I can confirm the unit gets hot and blows air. I have opened it up and confirmed the belt is in place and the drum spins. (It's not spinning as freely as I would have thought but it's brand new and I'm not familiar with this model).
Since I live in a remote location, I have also opened the back and verified that all the visible wire connections and attached and nothing appears to have been disconnected in transportation.
Does anyone have any possible suggestions on what to look for and what I may be able to do to diagnose the problem.
(I have fixed a lot of equipment over the years and really need to get this working).
Thanks for any help or suggestions you can give me,
Dave
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Rank: Member
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When I hold down the start button for 4-5 seconds and the unit runs, I can only do it about 3 times until the start button has no effect at all.
During one of these periods I heard a click and was able to once again press the start button for momentary operation. Something mechanically reset and it seemed "down low". I had the back of the unit off but can't determine if it came from the back of the unit or under the drum by the motor.
I have not tested the start button yet, it has 4 wires and it also controls the end of cycle signal. But to me it "feels" like it's only a momentary connection and it relies on something else to take that signal and turn the unit on and keep it running.
Dave
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Joined: 7/27/2010(UTC) Posts: 1,395  Location: near the middle of nowhere Was thanked: 24 time(s) in 24 post(s)
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It sounds like the motor is overheating and shutting down. Its located in the back, right side under the drum.
It could be bound up or be not assembled correctly, or messed up in the move.
The first thing I would do is check the voltages coming in. Do you have 240 volts coming up to it. 120 v on either side of the neutral. I've seen brand new dryers burn out their timer and mess up the motor from incorrect wiring. Cord or outlet wired wrong.
If the wiring is good, I'd take the front off. take the belt off and give the motor a spin. If it spins free and easy, its probably okay.
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Rank: Member
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I think you nailed it. I had ran the EMT conduit because I really enjoy bending it. For some reason I get a lot of satisfaction running it. But I didn't have any 10 gauge wire and don't like working inside the breaker box so had my electrician finish it. He knows my conduit bending penchant and puts up with me doing some of his work.
I did check it and was getting 240 volts across the hot legs and I still am.
However one hot leg to ground is giving me 208 volts and the other 117
Its a 3 phase panel we took the power off of and I just called him and he says he must have put the breaker on the wrong leg.
He is going to come by in a couple hours and look at it.
Hope the dryer isn't fried.
Thank you very much for taking the time to help me. I appreciate your help and you saved me a lot of time because without your suggestion I would have been wasting a lot more time on it when I got a restaurant to run and it's a busy holiday weekend.
Dave
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Rank: Advanced Member
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Joined: 7/27/2010(UTC) Posts: 1,395 Location: near the middle of nowhere Was thanked: 24 time(s) in 24 post(s)
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I wondered about the three phase. 208 is a bit high for one leg on a dryer.
When you get your voltage corrected, set the timer on "timed" dry cycle and see if its motor will advance the timer.
I doubt the high voltage was good for the main motor, but it might still be okay.
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Rank: Member
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My electrician says that it does not matter. I don't understand 3 phase power but it has 3 buss bars in the breaker box, 2 are 120 and one is 208. Any 2 of those give you single phase 240volt. 208 plus 120 does not add up to 240 but when you put your meter across those legs it does indeed make 240. I read the Wikipedia page about it but still can't get my head around it.
But he showed me in the instructions and on the electrical rating plate that it says both 120/240 volt and 120/208 volt.
Half of that breaker box is using that same configuration for 240 volt equipment, including ice machines, split unit A\C's, makeup and exhaust blowers etc. The right side of the box uses 2 120v bussbars to make 240v the "more traditional" way and moving the wires to that side made no difference.
It never got more than 240 volts and my electrician is licensed and assures me thats OK. But to leave the breaker on the right side of the panel means I have to move a breaker from that side to the other and I don't want to be doing that on a busy holiday weekend. But he said if I really want 240v made up of 2 120v legs I can use my conduit bending skills to take the power from a 2 phase panel that has room for another double breaker.
But he keeps assuring me what I have is fine and showed me all the other equipment I have running from that half of the panel. (although I have some edison employees that are regular customers that I'll ask next time I see them).
I may have got lucky, I bought the units from Home Depot and called them this evening and they said Maytag has a 2 day replacement policy, after 2 days they want to repair them. I'm within the 2 day period but just outside 48 hours so hopefully they count it as 2 days.
I'm on Catalina Island, it's about 24 miles off the coast of southern California. Thats why it's hard to get service over here, the boat ticket is expensive and a technician would use up 5-8 hours for a one hour service call. Thats also why I have tried so hard to fix everything myself, not to save money but to get things operating as soon as possible. I just can't drive down the street and pick up a new dryer, nor can I just simply call another commercial laundry service.
But they delivered the unit to a barge service on Thursday so they count that as the delivery day. I called Saturday to report the problem so to me that falls within 2 days.
After we close tonight I'll still be trying to see if I can get it working.
Thank you very much for all your help and suggestions.
Dave
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