[richardthearbor]

I have an electric dryer that the heating element went out. But I am able to dry clothes without the heating element. I have to hang heavier items for a time before drying but I am able to keep up and I think I might be saving a little money. I do a lot of laundry through the week (5 kids) and wouldn't mind hooking up another dryer or washer or more in the future. People give away dryers with broken heating elements. I might even consider going to the laundry mat if I get backed up using the broken dryer. I did about 12 loads of laundry and only had to dry two loads which cost me $0.75. Can I safely hook up or convert a 220v dryer to 110v if I don't use the heating element? What is the best way to do this?

[smearcase]

It is normally not a good practice to modify appliances in order to operate in a way other than designed by the manufacturer.
Replacing the element is not a big job and the new part should be approx. $ 50 or less. There are many videos on youtube showing the procedure. Unplug or turn off the power at the source first in case the videos forget to tell you that important step.
You can probably continue to use the dryer as is, but the lack of heat could be caused by something other than a burned out element, such as bad control assembly or other unknown defects. You would have to have a qualified electrician or technician check it out to determine if it is safe to operate. Best, safest, and most economical option is to verify that the element is bad, and replace it.

[parttime]

Hi Richard, when you run the dryer without the heating element your only using 120volts, but I don't see that drying your clothes. Like smearcase said it not that big a job to replace a bad heating element. Good luck

[richardthearbor]

It's not about changing the heating element. I have changed many.

[drtom4444]

It is not safe to run a dryer with a burned out element because the element wire could be touching the case. You should not try rewiring it to 120 volts, just take it apart and clean it and you will have a like new dryer.

[smearcase]

If you have experience with elements, remove the wires from the element and insulate them to avoid any contact with the dryer frame- and spin away (unless there is internal circuitry in the control panel that detects it and prevents operation without an element-I don't know - that's one of the problems with altering factory design).
Altering connections at the dryer outlet or power panel so as to provide 120 volts to the dryer will only cause you or someone else problems in the future trying to determine why the outlet is not working properly.
A 6000 watt element, operating for one hour in my region would cost about 60 cents, compared to your 75 cents for laundromat drying. It would realistically cost me another $ 5.50 (based on IRS vehicle cost per mile of 55.5 cents) to drive to and from the laundromat, plus my time. I would get back my investment in a new element pretty fast. Good luck and do it safely however you choose.