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Finally got a 20 year old dryer to stop squealing like a banshee
I was in this old apartment building downtown yesterday, working on a dryer that the super said had been making a horrible noise for months. The thing sounded like a dying animal every time it spun. I pulled the drum, checked the rollers, the belt, everything looked okay. Then I noticed the felt seal around the front of the drum was completely gone, just a few crusty bits left. The metal rim of the drum was grinding directly on the metal front panel. I didn't have the exact part on my truck, but I had a roll of that thin adhesive backed felt tape, the kind you use for cabinet doors. I cleaned the surface really well, cut a strip to fit the whole channel, and pressed it in. Put it all back together and it ran silent as a whisper. The super was so happy he gave me an extra $20 on the spot. Has anyone else had to MacGyver a seal like that in a pinch? What did you use?
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dylan_patel10d ago
Check the motor shaft itself for wear. I had a dryer where the squeal came from the shaft being slightly polished smooth by the old bearing, so it would slip and shriek under load. A tiny dab of valve grinding compound on the shaft, then running the motor by hand for a minute, roughened it up just enough to grip properly.
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