Help! Who should we call...dryer burning smell UPDATE POST #6

[Minnie824]

Ok, so we started doing laundry today, and the dryer started burning smelling...and some smoke. No fire. We checked the house, unplugged it, etc. Called Sears, they can't come out til tomorrow. Should we call the fire dept to check it out? It smells really bad here! Theres no fire that we no of though, so I hate to have trucks come out w/sirens, etc. What would you do? Thanks.

 

[Poohgirl]

Have you recently checked the tube that vents out the back, out of the house. Every once and a while I have to unhook and actually empty it out because it fills up with lint that gets trapped in the curved part. This can cause a dryer fire if the temp builds up and ignites the lint. Your problem may be an actual dryer issue, but just a thought...

 

[disneyaggie]

Good question! I have had the same issue. No fire or smoke, just a burning smell. I even cleaned out the lint drawer and washed it real good since I read that the dryer sheets create a film on the mesh. Still, a burning smell.

Please be careful of Sears. Another Dis'er called them to fix her dryer -- turned into one of the biggest nightmares I have ever heard! Not only did it take, I believe almost 2 months for service to "get the part in", but then the guy ended up messing up some attachment in their wall so they had to call out their home builder! I would trust a group of 3-year-olds to fix my dryer before I would Sears!

I have a warrenty for mine so I should call them to have my dryer checked out. Thanks for reminding me.

 

[Scutapipig]

We had a mouse take up residence under our dryer, unbeknownst to us, and the nest caught on fire, resulting in our dryer catching on fire. We caught it as soon as we first smelled the smoke.

Maybe tip the dryer up to look underneath to see if anything is building up in the nooks and crannies?

 

[ElizaB39]

Call the fire company and ask their opinion. Tell them all you have done, maybe they'll send someone to check it out without all the sirens and etc.

 

[Minnie824]

Update....well, we called the fire dept and told them NON emergency. They said they've never seen a dryer so close to being on fire. One of the wires is just toast. So, off to shopping we have to go to buy a new dryer now. Luckily we turned it off just in time. Apparently, other than just cleaning the lint trap, you're supposed to dust off the wires underneath that and everything once in awhile. I NEVER knew that. Now I do, and definitely will be sure to do it in the future!

 

[Servants of Evan]

Assuming it's an electric dryer and not gas, unplugging it is the safest thing to do. A burning smell can come from a number of things -- Obviously an electrical wire overheating and burning, a belt or tire which rotate and support the drum, the motor itself, or a lint versus heating coil issue. If it is electric, I would of course unplug it and remove the dryer vent hose from the back. Look for build-up in the hose while you're there... You can remove the back with a simple nutdriver and check the belt or wheel and look for glazing on the belt (glossy surface) which would indicate belt slippage. Look for any discolored wires, and you can remove the cover around the heating element and look for any obviously burned material in that area. You may be quite surprised to find your dryer get's it's incoming air from underneath your dryer -- it doen't simply recirculate the air inside. If stuff finds it's way under the dryer, it can get sucked up into the works...

 

[Poohgirl]

Wow, you were very lucky! I guess thats why they always say to only run the dryer when you are home...a habit I am not good at following....