Yesterday, she called me at the office to tell me that she had a bedsheet in the dryer for well over an hour and it was still cold and wet. I promised to look at it when I got home.
Getting home, I put a load in the washer and then into the dryer. Firing up the dryer it looked like things were going fine. It was getting hot and life was good so I let it run for a while.
After about 15 minutes, I checked on the dryer again. It was still running... well, it was still tumbling, and it was also ice cold. This isn't good. So I got out their troubleshooting manual:
Problem: Solution: No heat Check circuit breaker
That solution would be fine and dandy, but this is a gas dryer and the circuit breaker is obviously OK because it has power.
Grrr.....
I decide to pull it away from the wall and take a look inside through the rear vents. I start it, and I can see the heater element (replacement for a pilot light) glow red and then go out. After a minute, it tries again. No fire at all.
Either the valve is damaged or the heater element isn't hot enough. I start to take it apart. (Though it is only 1.5 years old, its out of warranty so if I can fix it myself, I will. I know what service technicians charge.)
Fast forward over an hour as I remove a bunch of screws to panels while trying to figure out how it come apart. I finally get it apart and give the valve a whack with the screwdriver to see if its stuck.
I get a flame this time. This is good. Being a good techie, I stop it and wait a few minutes and try again. This time, no flame.
Grrrrrrr...
Either the valve is really stuck, or something else is wrong. I give dad a call to see what he thinks. (I'm a computer geek, not an appliance geek. He's an appliance geek, not a computer geek.) Solenoid coils either are busted or aren't getting voltage.
Haul out the voltmeter. I get a resistance of 1.8 KiloOhms one of the 2 coils and an infinite resistance on the other. Not good. Broken coil. Check the voltage for the power to the coils with the dryer running. Yup, they get voltage when the heater element is on. I now know what's broke.
Go to LG's website and see if I can find a way to order parts. Nope. I get a listing of service dealers. I call them and they state they don't sell parts. They fix them, but don't sell the parts. I call LG directly from the number on their Owner's Manual. They have an option to order parts right off the main menu.
I talk with the woman that answers and tell her about the problem. The conversation goes something like this:
LG: "Are you a technician?"
Me: "No. I know what the problem is. One of the electronic valve coils is bad. Can you help me find the part number and let me order it?"
LG: "I don't usually sell to end users."
Me: "OK. So can you help me me find the part number and let me order it?"
LG: "I don't usually sell to end users."
Me: (Realizing that this might be a problem.) "What do you mean by that? You don't usually or flat out won't sell me the part?"
LG: Silence...
Me: "I know where the problem is. I just need the part. The dryer's not under warranty anymore and I'd like to avoid having to pay someone to fix something that I can do myself."
LG: Silence...
Me: "This is very frustrating. Can you help me or not?"
LG: "Well you don't have a service manual with the part number."
Me: "Its not published in the user's guide. How else would I?"
LG: "With the service manual."
Me: "Well can you help me figure out what the part number is and let me order it?"
LG: "I think I can help you find the part number but I'll have to check with my supervisor as to if I can sell you it. What's the dryer model number?"
Me: "Its DLG5932W. The broken part is the electronic valve coil."
She finds that there is a gas valve assembly and gives me the part number.
Me: "So can you sell it to me?"
Grrr....
I've get the names of a few authorized service centers. They all are assuming that I'm still under warranty and are a bit surprised when I ask for labor rates. I get prices for labor. $69 - $89 for the first 1/2 hour plus $20 for each 15 min... plus the price of parts.
I scheduled one and actually talked to the technician about the problem. He agrees that the coil is shot and he'll order the appropriate part. Maybe I'll get it by the end of the next week.
I really don't like the attitude of "we won't sell you this part because you're not qualified" for something in the consumer space. I'm not asking them for warranty service and I don't carry a service contract with them so what do they care? Its not like they make money off of the local technician doing the work.
The only thing that I can figure is that if I do the gas valve wrong that it could leak and I'd find a way to sue them. I look at it as I wouldn't take it apart if I didn't have at least some idea what I was doing.
The $.20 coil will probably cost me a $150 when its all said and done. Hopefully less if I can get the technician to just drop the thing off and let me do it. I was happy to see that I'm not the only person to have this kind of experience. Though I don't think my wife would like it if I painted the dryer yellow and put Space Invader decals on it.
LG: "Let me check with my supervisor...