![]() (One exception to this generality is most Whirlpool – built gas dryers. When you hear ‘thermal cutoff’, it normally refers to a similar little device installed in the motor circuit, and that one shuts down the motor in an over-temperature condition. In a clothes dryer, the term ‘thermal fuse’ usually refers to the device used in the heating circuit, directly controlling the dryer’s heat source. Unlike electrical fuses or circuit breakers, thermal fuses only react to excessive temperature, not excessive current, unless the excessive current is high enough to cause the thermal fuse itself to heat up to the trigger temperature. They disconnect the flow of current to the heating element in case of malfunction (such as a defective thermostat or clogged dryer vent) that allows the temperature to rise to dangerous levels, possibly starting a fire. In addition to their legally mandated application in modern clothes dryers (since the 1980’s), thermal fuses are used as safety devices in other heat-producing appliances like coffee makers and hair dryers. Unlike a thermostat, which automatically resets itself when the temperature drops, thermal fuses are more like their cousins, electrical fuses, another single-use type device that can’t be reset and must be replaced when it fails or is triggered. Thermal fuses, or thermal cutoffs, are small electrical temperature sensitive ‘switches’ designed to interrupt electrical current flow when heated to In those cases, the thermal fuse is just doing the job it was designed for. OK, to be fair, this failure’s usually not the thermal fuse’s fault, but the real cause lies in a partially (or completely) clogged dryer vent system. (Note: to satisfy the legal guys, I have to first point you toward my 'disclaimer' when providing this kind of information): My Disclaimer Tell you about the second most common cause of the problem – the thermal fuse (actually, these days, I think the numbers of open elements and blown thermal fuses are running about even in electric dryers). I get a ton of questions from folks with ‘no heat’ dryers, and thought I’d THERMAL FUSE FOR DRYER HOW TOWhat it does, How to Test it, Where to Find it ![]()
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