There are two types of thermostats applied to most Whirlpool, Kenmore, GE, and Maytag utility dryers – Fixed and Adjustable. Those two types have three basic applications in a very dryer – as operating or cycling thermostats, safety thermostats, and cool-down thermostats.
An operating or cycling (bias) thermostat is employed to manage air temperature within the dryer. A single fixed thermostat, several switch-selected fixed thermostats, or an adjustable thermostat could be in charge. These thermostats are located within the exhaust airstream with the dryer and have normally closed contracts. The contacts open with temperature rise and control the electrical current towards the gas burner or electric-heat-element circuitry. In a few applications an extra, normally open, contact is employed to manage timer operation.
Safety thermostats are employed to prevent excessive temperatures within the dryer. Dryer safety thermostats, or thermal fuses, will almost always be fixed, or even the non-adjustable type. They’re located at strategic locations inside the burner area, heater element housing, or fan-scroll housing, with regards to the design with the dryer model. In most, if not all dryer applications, thermal fuses and safety thermostats have normally closed contacts that open the circuit and stop electrical current for the flame in case some failure or an abnormal increase in temperature. A few of the earlier dryer safety thermostats used in combination with some manual ignition burners had normally-open contacts that close and energize an unlatching solenoid.
Cool-down thermostats are utilized to provide motor operation through the cool-down on many Whirlpool and Maytag Dryer designs. These thermostats have normally-open contacts that close throughout the heat phase of the cycle. At the conclusion of this phase, the timer or relay contacts are opened and also the dryer is constantly on the run without heat. When exhaust temperatures drop to approximately 120F, the contacts offered to end the cycle.