[Lemonjenny]

Ok, I live in a small condo and my washer & dryer are at the end of my kitchen. It is not possible to ignore this sound!

Just the other day, my dryer SUDDENLY began making this noise. It's "sqeak sqeak" pause "squeak squeak" pause... and so on. It's loud.

I think this dryer is probably 10 years old, but it's hard to tell. It's never been great at drying clothes quickly.

My biggest concern is safety. Is a squeak a sign of a heating element going out or something that could cause a fire? If so, I'm not going to keep using it.

Otherwise, I just need to know how to fix it. Any ideas? HELP! :confused:

[ballengerb1]

The squeek is more likely coming from the rollers that the drum rotates on inside the machine. They start to sqeek long before they burn out completely. Is your dryer a conventional dryer, front load with a horizontal drum? If so, replacement of the rollers and the idler pulley aren't too difficult. Many handy home owners can do the replacement, it depends on you level of skill.

[Lemonjenny]

Hi! Thank you! Yes, it's a conventional front-load dryer, with Horizontal drum. What do I do to fix it? :)

[ballengerb1]

Lets address this question "Many handy home owners can do the replacement, it depends on you level of skill." Do you feel that you can do mechanical repairs yourself? Remove the top surface of the machine by prying in the groove aound the top. Once inside you'll see the drum laying in a craddle made of several rollers. There is a narrow fan belt around the drum, a pulley and the motor. Slide the belt off to the side, you may need to push on the spring loaded pulley to give slack, its called the idler tension pulley. Lift the drum out and at least three roller should be visible. Replace them and the idler pulley. You should be able to buy these at parts counter of an appliance parts dealer or the original manufacturer. If you call a brand name appliance repair person they can do this job for about $150. It is really up to you to decide if you want to tackle this job. If you screw it up, and give up half way through, it will not cost you more than the original $150

[Lemonjenny]

Ah for $150 I might just pay someone else to do it! :)

AFter all, I even considered buying a new one off Craigslist for $300. Repairing it would surely be cheaper.

Thank you!

[ballengerb1]

Repair is often cheaper than new. However, keep in mind that the rest of the machine is still 10 years old. At some magic point machine reach a point of diminishing returns. If your timer or motor goes bad definitely buy new.