My dryer quit mid-cycle on Tuesday, fixed it with a $8 part from the hardware store on Queen Street

So the drum stopped spinning halfway through a load of towels, no warning at all. I checked the belt and found it was snapped clean through, which took maybe 10 minutes to diagnose even as a total amateur. Spent $8 on a replacement belt at the True Value on Queen Street and had it running again in 20 minutes. Has anyone else had a major appliance fail on them and managed to fix it cheaper than a service call?

2 comments

2 Comments

spencer_thomas412d agoTop Commenter

The belt snapping is a common failure point, but what surprised me on my old Maytag was the actual cause. The drum had a tiny bit of lint buildup on one of the support rollers that created just enough friction to overwork the belt over time. I had to clean those rollers with a stiff brush and a little rubbing alcohol to make sure the new belt wouldn't burn out in six months. Most people just slap the new belt on and call it done, but that hidden friction is what killed the first belt in the first place.

murray.cole12d ago

Got the new belt on my dryer and felt like a total hero for about 15 minutes until I realized I'd put it on backwards and had to take the whole thing apart again. That $8 belt ended up costing me two hours of my Saturday and a few choice words my grandma would not approve of. And yeah, spencer_thomas4 is totally right about the lint buildup - I found a clump that looked like a dead hamster under the drum after my second teardown. Guess that's what I get for skipping the yearly cleaning my dad always nagged me about.