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The day three dryers in a row all had the same weird belt problem | Appliance Repairers - Opinions Matter

kim963•3mo ago

The day three dryers in a row all had the same weird belt problem

Last Tuesday in Chicago I hit a patch that really got me thinking about how much the trade has changed. I had three service calls back to back where every single dryer had a loose belt that was rubbing against the drum. In the old days you could just adjust the tension with a spring or a screw but these new machines are so sealed up it took twice as long to even get to the belt. The first one was a brand new model from a big box store and the belt was already stretched after six months. The second was an older Samsung where somebody had put the belt on wrong and frayed it. The third was a Maytag and the belt had just snapped clean because the idler pulley was seized. After the third one I called it a day early and went home and had a beer. Has anyone else noticed more belt failures on newer machines compared to the old workhorses?

2 comments

2 Comments

veram993mo ago

Three dryers in a row with the same belt problem" makes me wonder if it's a supply chain thing. Maybe manufacturers are all buying belts from the same cheap supplier now since parts are harder to get. That would explain why older ones hold up better but new ones fail fast.

ruby4503mo ago

Gotta agree with you 100%. I had almost the exact same run last month in Cleveland. Three dryers back to back, all with belts that were either slipping or completely shot. The worst one was a brand new LG that was less than a year old and the belt had this weird rubbery smell like it was melting off the pulley. Older dryers you could at least get in there with a screwdriver and adjust the tension in like ten minutes. But these new ones have all that plastic shroud and electronic boards in the way so you gotta disassemble half the machine just to find the belt is already cracked. The supply chain theory makes a lot of sense to me too. Theyre all probably using the same cheap rubber now that cant handle the heat. I did the same thing you did after the third one. Went home, cracked a beer, and just stared at the wall for an hour.