I have a Performa Maytag dryer - 6 or more years old, been noticing inside of dryer turning gray , i took off front door and cleaned out all the lint, whic was almost black, scrubbed the drum clean (had some black spots stuck on it) and cleaned out the vent (was not clogged) but all lint was black - I thought I might have had a crayon or something in the dryr that caused this - also, have had to run dryer extra to dry clothes properly and sometimes towels are smelling like a burn smell, rubber-like burn smell - now that the dryer is all clean, the lint is much lighter but I still see these black specks when I clean out the lint door, when you touch he black specks they smear like soot..... is this something I can fix?.... help!!!!
There are several possible causes: a) exhaust vent is restricted forcing the lint to enter the dryer shell and overheat and/or be picked up by the blower -- you seem to have inspected this b) check the hot gas inlet to the drum.. on some dryers, lint buildup can occur in tight spots and it will overheat and char c) ducting is not intact or leaks allowing lint to leak into the dryer shell -- this will occur over time, and all dryers should be taken apart and cleaned out on a regular basis... also, all ducting should be inspected and sealed as needed d) verify that the inlet vents to the dryer shell are not blocked and allow adequate air flow to the burner assembly -- natural gas normally won't smoke due to incomplete combustion, but.. likewise, verify the room has adequate ventilation particularly if the utility room or closet is very small, e) check the drum drive belt, as it gets old, it will release dust and minute pieces which will be picked up by the blower -- replace if needed... f) verify that the seals on the drum are still good -- replace as needed g) as 'washer-tech' advised, do a thorough cleaning and inspection... put it back together with all ducting tight and free flowing
Posted on Jul 27, 2008
I have the same problem with my dryer turning my whites gray. I noticed that the inside of my dryer was turning black. I removed the front panel of the dryer and took out the drum. I then remove the burner element then the duct work where the burner element was. There was black soot inside of the duct work. I also noticed there was black soot where the air is pumped into the dryer drum. I removed that duct work also and cleaned both parts. What was happening is that the black soot was being sucked into the drum and being deposited on my clothes. I have not figured out where the black soot is coming from yet.
Posted on Jan 21, 2010
It sounds like something might have ignited in the dryer, something small. you need to remove the front of the dryer and then the front bulkhead. This will expose the motor, you will be able to see the impeller blades and clean anything stuck in there. I would reove the motor so i could clean out the exhaust tube. Look over by the burner area to see if any burnt material is there that needs to be cleaned. That should do it
Posted on Jun 29, 2007
I have the same issue. I think the belt is worn and breaking down. If I wash the dryer out (which is a pain) and it is my first load of the day, no problem, but two or three loads, it seems to heat up and the the smell and the soot reappear, which I think are actually particles from the belt breaking down.
Oh husband!! I have yet another little chore for you! ha ha. Check out you tube. Demonstration is on there.
Posted on Jan 06, 2013
Thanks you...lmao :--)
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I have the same problem, grey towels which were white. I'm thinking this only happened when we were low on propane which resulted in pressure drop and caused the flame to burn incorrectly and soot up. Propane is liquefied at low temps and our furnace does the same the pilot light burns yellow not blue and soot's up the furnace too.
Posted on Jan 08, 2014
i have the same problem, grey towels which were white. I'm thinking this only happened when we were low on propane which resulted in pressure drop and caused the flame to burn incorrectly and soot up. Propane is liquefied at low temps and our furnace does the same the pilot light burns yellow not blue and soot's up the furnace too.
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We inherited a fairly new gas dryer when we bought our house 2 years ago. When I first noticed black spots on my light clothing I thought it might be from other sources (black bark mulch) and did not contact the previous owner. After some detective work and help from my brother-in-law (retired Laundromat owner) he found that the machine was set up for natural gas and we have LP. We changed the burner and the dryer is working well, except that there is some soot residue left in the back of the machine. We feel that the machine is most likely going to shed the rest of the soot over time but I am planning to have Sears replace it. Hope that this helps
Posted on Sep 05, 2010
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I have the same problem but its been going on now for about a year!!! I does it every few loads! I empty the lint trap and everything! My xhusband took the dryer apart and found nothing burning! What can I do to fix this! Sometimes there is a strange smell before it does this so I usually KNOW when it will happen! All my clothes are turning GREY!!
I have exactly the same problem. My white laundry was coming out of the dryer gray. I started to look more closely at the inside of the dryer, and noticed the entire inside: drum, inside of door, door jamb, etc. covered with a black, soot-like coating. I am an artist, and thought perhaps I had left a piece of charcoal in a pocket (unlikely...). So, I cleaned the inside of the dryer, which was not easy. It was hard to find the right cleaning material to get the sooty coating off. Still, even though it is now clean, if I dry white clothes, they come out gray. I am going to try what dryer tech below suggests and tear the thing apart. I do know that when I bought this house (dryer included) it was not drying well. I had a guy come out and clean out the dryer vent going to the outside, which was clogged WAY up with lint so much so that it was packed in there like felt. It is definitely possible because of that that there has been some ignition of something in there and soot is left over that keeps blowing back into the dryer during use. Because we all have the Maytag Performa, though, I wonder if maybe there isn't some sub-standard part that has had a melt-down...? Since some of you complain about 'burnt rubber' smell, it makes me suspect a bad gasket or something.
We haven't noticed the smell, but have a lot of soot in our gas dryer. It has ruined countless clothes with black streaks!! We've tried a lot of ways to remove the residue, scrubbing with variuos cleaners, but to no avail. Any tips you have on getting rid of this problem would be helpful. Ours is a Whirlpool Gas Dryer. Thanks!
just had therm changed 2 months ago, as lint clog burned out therm. yesterday dryer was very hot to touch and wasnt in use for 2 days
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