Overheating Hotpoint FETC 70

[Grahamdocman]

Hi, this is my first post so if I make some errors I apologise. I’ll try and give you as much information as possible below

My daughter has given me her Hotpoint FETC 70 condenser tumble drier. She has only had it a year from new, she has had a service engineer out 3 times (under warranty claims) and they have told her that there is nothing wrong, the thermostats are “working fine”. Unfortunately, she has to have it cold before they arrive (so that they can work on it) and when they have “fixed it”, they run it for 5 minutes to check it’s not too hot, then leave.
I understand this as I’m sure they are on very tight time schedules and can’t afford to wait around for half an hour to see how very hot it gets.
My daughter told me that its has got “extremely hot” since she first had it, she had the first engineer call out visit after she had had it only a couple of weeks

Finally she threw in the towel and bought a replacement of a different brand. She has given me her old one to see if I could repair it.

As far as I can tell, the FETC 70 is a simple design with one high temperature thermostat (which according to the paperwork from the repairs my daughter gave me has been replaced) and another stat ?? a thermistor.
I can’t find any other sensors anywhere. The timer is a simple electro-mechanical one. There doesn’t seem to be a PCB board anywhere.

I have run the tumble dryer on ‘high’ for 30 minutes and by the end of that, the back (above the heating element) is too hot too touch, if you left your hand or finger on it for more than a second or two you would burn.
The inside drum is also very hot a the end of 30 minutes, again its too hot to touch without risking a burn.
I have also run it empty for 30 minutes on a table in the middle of the garage with the front drop down cover open and the condenser removed and it still gets just as hot.

I have checked and cleaned out all the vents, condenser and filters and there are no blockages I can find , it’s now “like new”.

I have checked the stat and ? thermistor and there is continuity between the contacts.
The thermistor though (I’m presuming that’s what it is) doesn’t seem to measure any resistance across it (perhaps it’s not a thermistor), but a different sort of stat.

The Stat is a “Type 261 PB” and has a small reset hole in the middle, and the one next to it (? the thermistor) is a “Type 621 P” and has no reset hole.

My three main questions are:

• Is there anything else I should check before ordering / replacing the stats?
• Do condenser dryers normally run this hot ?
• Am I missing something

Any advice, guidance or help would be hugely appreciated.
Thanks in anticipation of your help.

[electrofix]

the working temperature of the control stat is around 105 degrees so its going to feel hot after all you cant touch a boiling kettle

you have no electronics in your machine as far as i can see so there will be no thermistors just basic thermostats

Dave

[Grahamdocman]

Thanks Dave, that’s both reassuring and helpful.

I’ll run it and see if I can get a temperature reading.

I take it the 105 degrees temperature you refer to is in centigrade.

If I get some unusually high readings I’ll come back to you.
Regards, Graham

[Author]

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