I have a GEW9250PW0 Whirlpool Duet Dryer. It keeps losing power to the user control panel frequently. It happened about 5 times in the last two months. Each time, it came back on automatically and dryer starts functioning normally. I don't know what triggers it to lose the power to the panel and comes back on. When the user control panel doesn't have the power, the light bulb in the drum has power. I tested the outlet and all is good. When the user control panel lost the power and no functions or LED indicators were on, I disconnected the power and disassembled entire dryer to the bare bones. I tested the thermostat/thermistor/furses for continuity and all checked out OK. I cleaned up all the lint and reassembled the dryer. It started back on. I have not changed anything, but the user control panel got the power back on and the dryer has been working normally for the last 4-5 days, and the same problem repeated again today. The user control panel doesn't have the power, the light in the drum turns on, but nothing works. I don't know what is causing this behavior. Any information or further diagnosis ideas is appreciated. Thanks in advance.
My guess is a dry solder joint on the board or a bad connection to it. Or the control board itself is faulty.
Testimonial: "I checked the ribbon connectors and they look good. Not sure how I should test the board after removing it. Do you think I should just replace the user interface control panel board? Looks like it costs around $175."
Actually, the user interface control board (Part Number AP6013210) costs around $400.
You can usually see dry joint with a magnifying glass. You see a void around component tails, or cracks in the circuit board are easily visible. Due to the cost of Control Boards, I advise getting profession service. If they replace the board and it doesn't work, you can tell them to put the old one back in and continue to find the fault.
There are two types of ribbon cable connector.
1. the type that has a crimped male plug on the end of the ribbon and female connector hard soldered to the board. They are okay but you could spray with switch cleaner.
2. a bare end ribbon, that pushes into a slot which is then locked into place by a slider on the socket. These rely on the ends of the ribbon being clean and also that the ribbon is correctly and squared inserted and pushed right to the back of the slot before locking. If the end contacts are gold flashed, just clean with alcohol, but if they are bare metal, clean with an old style typewriter ink eraser, (the gritty type) applying light pressure to the last 1/4" to the tip..
The control board works on low voltage, so connections matter.
My dryer has #1 type ribbon (crimped male plug with a latch). I will try to clean it and see if it fixes the problem. Thanks for the info.
You are very welcome. Fingers crossed it isn't the board.
I disassembled the user interface board (actually 3 boards behind the user control button panel) and sprayed them with CRC Electrical Contact Cleaner. Cleaned all the lint and dust on the plastic panels inside and outside. Reassembled everything (made sure all the connectors are snug and nothing is loose). The dryer started working again. Hopefully, this fixed the problem (but to be cautious, last time I disassembled and reassembled the dryer without cleaning electrical connections, it worked too). I am crossing my fingers and hoping to not see the user control panel lose the power again. Thank you for the suggestion Andrew.
Great news, fingers crossed :>D
It worked fine for a day. I finished washing and drying my clothes that have been accumulating. After all the loads of clothes are finished, I thought the dryer is all good now. After giving it rest for several hours without doing anything and nobody even touching it, today it again lost power to the user interface controls (the drum light is on. User control panel is the only visible indication of not having the power to that panel, not sure if main control board itself doesn't have power either - it is interior and has no indicators to tell me if it has power). What could cause power to be turned off to the user interface control when it is not moving and nobody even touching it? Is there anything that remembers the state of the unit and turns off after sometime? I am intrigued why a working unit without any problem in function can turn off without any external trigger. Today, I shook it and tried reset the power by turning off the breaker and other stuff like that, but no use. It is very mysterious.
That is mysterious and if it fails when it cools down, I come back to a dry joint on a component somewhere.
Andrew, I had home appliance warranty, so I opened a ticket. The contractor came and said the user interface control board needs replacement and placed order for a new board. He did not test for the exact problem but I suspect he would have arrived at the same conclusion as you did. I appreciate your insight and your expertise in arriving at correct diagnosis without even looking at the unit. Thanks.
You are very welcome and thanks for the thanks. Let's hope that fixes it for good!
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It could be due to electrical loss or electrical short in the control board.
Or simply you check power supply wire from the head to the attatched wires on the board.
And for sure you need to check the green and yellow wire whick is called earth wire to insure that it is connected to the machine body correctly, it should be connected to the body using a screw.
Thank you Ahmad. I can check that during the next diagnosis attempt.
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If when it goes out see if voltage from transformer if yes bad board if no bad transformer
Testimonial: "Sorry David, I am not a technician but simply a DIY enthusiast. I checked the power supply outlet and it has power. Drum light is lit even when control panel does not have power. You referred to transformer, is it a component inside the the dryer unit or is it something else in the electrical wiring network in the home?"
Sorry David, I am not a technician but simply a DIY enthusiast. I checked the power supply outlet and it has power. Drum light is lit even when control panel does not have power. You referred to transformer, is it a component inside the the dryer unit or is it something else in the electrical wiring network in the home?
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A Whirlpool Duet dryer has a latch on the interior frame of the door. It essentially locks the door closed when the dryer is operating to keep you from opening the door and becoming injured by the tumbling drum. The dryer can only run when the latch is secured. If the latch breaks, a dryer might start but shut off prematurely. Open the door and press the latch down with your finger. It should make a ticking sound when you release it. Replace it if it doesn't.
A dryer's power cord delivers electricity from the electrical outlet to the machine. If the power cord isn't firmly plugged into the outlet, it can interfere with the electricity transfer. While your Whirlpool Duet dryer might start, it probably will shut off soon afterward if the cord is wobbly. Also, if cords wires are visible through the rubber encasing, the cord might be defective. Though the dryer turns on, a faulty power cord might not be able to sustain the dryer's long-term operation.
The Whirlpool Duet dryer's control panel operates with the support of multiple wires that link to various dryer components. After you choose a drying setting and turn on your dryer, the control panel begins running elements of the dryer. If one of the wires fails, it can disrupt the performance of your dryer. Contact a dryer repair specialist if you suspect that the control panel might have short circuited. If your dryer is still under warranty, rather than replace the corrupt wire, he might recommend replacing the entire panel.
For a detailed Dryer illustration, click below. 
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