Dryer plug and socket melted...

[xjfish]

I have one rental property, former home. Tenant said electric dryer quit, dead. Stated worked fine yesterday. I asked him to check the outlet if comfortable. One leg of the 220v outlet and plug is very melted. Outlet is directly below house breaker panel, concerning.

I went through this dryer about 10 years ago, replaced felt, bearings, belt, etc. Had worked excellent ever since. It is probably around 20 years old now.

After doing a little research, it seems likely that this was simply a case of a loose connection/excessive resistance that arced and got hotter and hotter. Breaker never tripped.

I already told tenant that I would replace the appliance, cord, and outlet as needed. Would I be stupid to throw away the dryer? Likely just a bad connection gone wrong? I may buy a replacement unit regardless.

Would you just repair connections or replace dryer also? I have an amp clamp, can check inductive current while running. Since I need this to be safe, inclined to replace everything...

 

[BrandonV]

I don't think there's a need to replace the dryer. I'd suggest checking the load while it's running to ensure everything is within the expected specifications. However, I'd recommend purchasing an industrial-grade receptacle instead of the builder-grade one. Torque the terminals to the specification.

I recently dealt with a similar issue with an air conditioner. A damaged receptacle caused excessive heat, partially melting the plug. After replacing the plug and receptacle, everything works perfectly and stays cool to the touch.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

I have one rental property, former home. Tenant said electric dryer quit, dead. Stated worked fine yesterday. I asked him to check the outlet if comfortable. One leg of the 220v outlet and plug is very melted. Outlet is directly below house breaker panel, concerning.

I went through this dryer about 10 years ago, replaced felt, bearings, belt, etc. Had worked excellent ever since. It is probably around 20 years old now.

After doing a little research, it seems likely that this was simply a case of a loose connection/excessive resistance that arced and got hotter and hotter. Breaker never tripped.

a regular breaker wont trip because of a loose receptacle. An AFCI may or may not....

I already told tenant that I would replace the appliance, cord, and outlet as needed. Would I be stupid to throw away the dryer? Likely just a bad connection gone wrong? I may buy a replacement unit regardless.

yes nothing wrong with the dryer.

Would you just repair connections or replace dryer also? I have an amp clamp, can check inductive current while running. Since I need this to be safe, inclined to replace everything...

the only inductive current in a dryer is the motor load. the heating elements are resistive. but the clamp meter should show all the current, regardless of what type the load is

 

[mm08822]

I would do as already stated. With the dryer pulled out for the stated repairs, check it out for lint build up and vacuum/blow it out. Same for ductwork.

 

[Norcal]

Replace the receptacle & cord.

 

[retDAC]

Installed a timer for my water heater 32 years ago. At that time it was next to the washer. Eventually it started to burn internally. Removed the internals and used the box as a junction box w/wire nuts. Eventually I realized the washer sometimes vibrated a lot w/o tripping the OFF sensor. Did you OP have anything causing vibration at your receptacle?

 

[RegeSullivan]

I'd replace the cord and outlet. Look for a quality outlet like Hubbell. They are about double the price of Leviton but I've never seen one burn contacts or meltdown. I've replaced a few Levitons for burnt contacts and one that melted and was smoldering enough to set off a smoke alarm.

 

[bronc076]

I already told tenant that I would replace the appliance, cord, and outlet as needed. Would I be stupid to throw away the dryer? Likely just a bad connection gone wrong? I may buy a replacement unit regardless.

I'm not sure about the rental situation, do you have a good tenant, is the place pretty nice or in the low rent district? "Appliance, cord, and outlet as needed" can easily be misconstrued as all of it. A new dryer may say a lot about how you treat your tenants even though the correct technical answer is replace the plug and cord. Who is your tenant, some 30 year old guy who works construction and could give a F, or some gal who just can't seem to get life right? Do you care if some Karen overreacts to some other issue in the future and labels you as a cheap slumlord after your antique dryer almost burned her and her kids to death? Bet it's one of those dangerous 3 prong plugs like they haven't used since the 1900s.

Sorry I deal with people a lot.

I would just fix the plug and cord, and check the current draw with your meter as you suggested. People react well to money, knock a couple hundred off next month's rent to compensate for inconvenience, cheaper than a new dryer.

more info than asked for but hopefully entertaining!

 

[xjfish]

I'm not sure about the rental situation...

Tenants are young husband and wife. They are not overly fussy but obviously want working appliances. The house is actually nicer overall than the one I currently live in. Rent is cheap IMO for the area and property.

They have some extra room. I bought and dropped off a basic used matched washer and dryer set tonight, mostly for spares. I'll be back to replace the receptacle and cord + verify OK or possibly swap out dryer if they want. Dryer vent is due for a cleaning.

 

[bronc076]

You are a good landlord!

 

[fitter30]

Loose connection with heat they get worse then fail.

 

[nadogail]

Once you get past the “Sticker Shock” of the Hubble plugs and sockets, your new cord should last for the lifetime of the Dryer.

 

[walta]

If you have not look yet the lose connection could well be from the outlet to the Romex and you may need to trim back the wire to get a clean connection.

Is there any chance the Romex is aluminum?

When shopping for the new outlet and pig tail being a magnet. You want to pay extra to get solid copper and not low cost copper plated steel junk.

Walta

 

[xjfish]

Picked up parts on lunch break and ran over to fix after work. Wires are all copper. Only one leg was burned, I did have to cut wire back 1-2" to clean up. Seemed like there was potentially moisture in the outlet box? Socket scary melted and one leg of plug extremely corroded looking. I advised babysitting dryer and will recheck soon. Inductive meter check OK. Dryer still works excellent and is quiet. I NEED to clean out vent pipes ASAP. Otherwise I'm calling it safe. Happy to swap out dryers if anyone requests.