Dryer Cable Perished?

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jmurray01

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 12, 2011
Messages
4,070
Location
Scotland
About a year ago the plug of the Bendix 7414 started to get warm and after checking inside, it seemed that the live cable was starting to melt and burn the inside of the plug.


 


To fix the problem I cut the cable about 3" down from where the old plug was connected and rewired into a new plug.


 


Everything was fine until yesterday when I (by chance) unplugged the dryer to move it and noticed that the plastic around the live terminal had melted and there were some signs of overheating around the neutral as well.


 


I will attach pictures below so you can see what I am talking about.  What you cannot tell in the pictures though is the potent electrical burning smell that presented itself when I opened the plug (which was not easy as the two halves had melted themselves together).


 


Long story short, I have now cut the cable down and rewired into a new plug with a brand new fuse, however since this has now happened twice I am a bit worried about leaving it like that long term.


 


The tumble dryer dates from the early 1980s (I believe, please feel free to correct me) and the cable is of course the original.  Is it possible that the cable has just "worn out" to the point where there is too high a level of electrical resistance throughout and it will keep overheating the plug?


 


I have never had this issue on my vacuums, but then again my vacuum cleaners of the same era have less than half the power going through the cable.


 


Needless to say I am considering myself very fortunate that I noticed it when I did, or else this could have been a "my house burned down" thread, or worse.

jmurray01-2015012507573204026_1.jpg

jmurray01-2015012507573204026_2.jpg

jmurray01-2015012507573204026_3.jpg

jmurray01-2015012507573204026_4.jpg
 
Overheated plug

Don't panic!! A tumble dryer loads a 13amp plug to the max. Your problem there is that the clip holding the fuse on the back of the live pin has loosened and the current has cooked it. The plug is unserviceable, just replace it with a good quality one (preferably second hand, new plugs don't have enough metal in their construction). Get an MK if you can. It's always worth removing the fuse and pinching the clips a little (just finger pressure) on any appliance which comes your way. You'd be amazed how many are slightly (or even very) loose. It doesn't much matter on low current appliances, but a tumbler will soon find the problem for you.

All best

Dave T
 
get rid

of that plug and get a better quality one the fuse holder looks really loose and the whole thing looks very flimsy and while that plug may be ok for say a table lamp or a radio its certainly not up to the load of a tumble dryer
 

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