I replaced the element on my dryer and replaced the wires exactly how I removed them. Through the vent slots in the back panel of the dryer you can see it glowing reddish orange. Also, when you open the dryer door, where the heat comes in, you can see it glowing red there also. It does it even if it is set on low heat. It is an electric dryer. Could I have damaged the wires when I had to remove them causing the element to overheat?

It is hard to say if this is proper or not, but let me ask you something. Did you disassemble and clean out the dryer? If you did not do this you should do this before running it any more. My guess is that the ducts are clogged with lint if the dryer is over a year old because usually when enough air is moving over elements it does not glow. Remember: driers are the number one cause of fires in the US. The drier and the exhaust duct need cleaning. DrTom4444

Recheck your heater installation. Sounds like there is a wire shorting to ground giving that heater constant power. Otherwise, several parts have to fail to allow it to get power. If I'm right the heater is getting 120V all the time rather than 240V when called for. I agree with Tom though. You need to clean it out any time you take it apart and you need to be sure that your vent is not restricted. Bad venting is the number one source of dryer problems. Remember... 4" diameter vent, not that white vinyl or light duty aluminum, as short as possible and don't push the dryer back so far that you will restrict the vent.