We have been in our fully gutted/remodeled house for almost a year and just got around to getting a used dryer. We were setting it up this week and realized we needed a four prong plug, so we removed the 3 prong and installed a new one last night.

When we plugged it in, a strong burning smell started. The cord, wiring, and receptacle are new, and the smell seemed to be coming more from the dryer. Does anyone have tips on how we should attack this?

(We are unaware of any water or other damage to anything, but it is a used dryer. We also don't have eqiupment to take a reading from the outlet, but I could ask around if this is common and necessary)

 

Welcome to the forums.

Do you know any history of the dryer, like whether it worked before you got it?

 

How did you connect the cord to the dryer. Did you remove the bonding strap/wire?

I had that happen once and it turned out there was a rats nest that included a plastic bread bag in the heat chamber.

 

Something may be on the element or a lot of dust buildup that is burning off. Would probably be a real good idea to take dryer apart and give it a good vacuuming out. This way you'll be starting with a clean unit.

Not only does the lint smell when it burns off.....it chokes off the air running thru the dryer which will cause the thermal limiter to open.

 

The people we got it from seemed very honest, saying it was working fine. They switched because the very short wife was tired of using a stool to get into the dryer b/c it's a toploader.

Anyway, we took off the back and cleaned out a lot of lint (thanks for the tips). We then removed the area that holds the lint trap and found a ton more lint behind it. We plugged it back in, and it started smelling again. When we powered it off and opened it, the area where the heat comes out seemed to be producing more heat, while just plugged in and powered off. At one point, some sort of small [scary] flash came out of that area. So, it appears to be a problem with the dryer, not just electrical. We don't know what else to do but get someone to look at it, which is questionable considering how much we paid for it. Thanks again for your suggestions.

 

Can you post a picture of where the cord is wired to the block on the back of the unit? http://www.doityourself.com/forum/el...your-post.html

 

Double check your wiring.....just in case. Many years ago when I was still just learning electrical we had a new washer and dryer delivered and the wife had a guy come by and wire up our hook up. When I got home we fired up the dryer and smoke rolled out the back....When I checked it the wiring was wrong and voltage was running through the VENT and the plastic on it was burning.....You may be OK but when I read this that old problem came to mind....Otherwise you may have something in the heater element area causing the problem.

 

Like Chandler asked.....if you could post of how you connected the cord.

The other problem I have seen happen when a dryer gets moved is a heating element mounting issue. Possible broken insulator.