Washer-Dryer Combo Taking Forever to Dry? Here’s What Happened
I recently worked on a washer-dryer combo that was taking forever to dry clothes. The homeowner had noticed it and, thinking it was just a buildup of lint, decided to clean it himself. Unfortunately, this led to bigger problems.
What Went Wrong
The unit had quite a bit of lint buildup, which was likely the main cause of the slow drying. The homeowner tried cleaning it out but used a brush he got off Amazon. Unfortunately, this caused some serious damage to the coils.
The Bigger Issue
Damaging the coils led to more problems. Not only were the coils broken, but I also found a refrigerant leak, meaning the unit was no longer cooling properly. To fix it, I had to replace the coils and refill the refrigerant.
What You Can Learn
The lesson here? Don’t try to tackle these things on your own if you’re not sure what you’re doing. A professional service call is way cheaper than replacing coils and refilling refrigerant. Regular maintenance and cleaning done by a pro will save you time and money in the long run, so always call for help when needed!
Remove screws near the dispenser, then pull the panel right and out.
Control board panel with wiring connections visible.
Removing the top cover.
This is exactly what a compressor looks like—almost the same as in your refrigerator.
The dispenser must be removed to access the filter and coils—it’s a bit tricky. Disconnect the hoses and remove the screws.
The customer cleaned it with a brush—risky and caused damage.
As we can see, there’s a refrigerant leak—clearly visible to the naked eye.
This is the exact brush from Amazon that damaged the coils.