In January, we got a new washer and dryer. More than one person told me I’d hate it, because the new washers and dryers are awful compared to the old ones. I said I wouldn’t, because every consumer site I checked for reviews and ratings put Speed Queen in first place, noting that it comes with a 5-year warranty and has a life expectancy of 25 years. Why? Because Speed Queen makes a mechanical model, as opposed to a hi-tech model. I have dials to turn, not electronic panels with a zillion settings to choose from. Fewer parts, fewer things that break.

Unfortunately, my dryer did not do a good job of drying my clothes, and everything came out damp. Only the timed settings worked, so I couldn’t use permanent press, etc. Before a serviceman came to the house to diagnose the problem, we were advised to have our dryer vent cleaned out. If we didn’t, the first thing he’d tell us to do would be to have the dryer vent cleaned professionally, and he’d charge $115 for the service call to say that.

Although Ted regularly uses our leaf blower to blow out the vent from the laundry room to the outside, it’s been a number of years since we’ve had it professionally cleaned, so we made an appointment for that service. The serviceman said he wasn’t removing much lint compared to what he usually does, but he did hit a blockage at one point. This might be better than most of his customers, but I don’t think having the vent professionally cleaned was a bad idea even though, as it turned out, that wasn’t the problem with the dryer.

With that completed, the dryer warranty serviceman came to the house. Everything he checked seemed to be working properly. He asked me for a damp dishcloth that he could put into the dryer to test it and then diagnosed the problem as a faulty thermostat. How could he tell? When he started the dryer, it indicated that it was heating. He told me the heat cycle turns on and off to avoid overheating, but mine didn’t turn back on. He pointed out that there’s a barely audible click sound each time the heat cycle restarts and my dryer wasn’t making that sound.

He ordered a new thermostat, came back and installed it, and all is well. I did laundry over the weekend and all my clothes dried. Oh, happy day!