In Search Of gas dryer Tech. Precision Vortex located in central Ohio.

[Stinkhorn Press]

Small shop, moving, growing. Moved to a larger building down the street, bought a used RPM as a first auto.

Also bought a used Precision Vortex gas dryer from Winston Strickland. I know he's a good tech. And he sold it to me. but,

quick story:
I had Winston find me a dryer on the recommendation of his services, and the content of his posts here. Gave him a top price I was willing to pay and said I wanted something he'd be willing to stand behind.
He did just that. Found it, brought it to his shop, refurbished some bits, sent it across the country to me. It was running in the shop it was purchased from.

It was a tight fit into the building, required taking the control panel off the side to get it in. Not a big deal, I had a licensed electrician helping get the new shop wiring sorted anyway. He took it off, put it back on. One set of wires goes out to the blower motor. One set goes to the belt motor. And 9 or so go to the gas train side.

So, the dryer doesn't function. Keeps blowing fuses. With Winston on the phone we did quite a bit of checking things, testing things.
Two likely scenarios -
1. something got jiggled/shorted on the truck getting it here (the transformer wasn't properly bolted to the machine and it shook off, only noticeable trip damage. First thing we swapped out.
2. My licensed electrician, I was soon to learn, was losing his mind, was being sued for millions from a recent earlier job, he wanted to die working and if that meant screwing every guy he worked with on the way out, so be it. I think he may have mis-remembered what wire went where when he put it back together. (he also broke my screw compressor in a similar manner, possibly)

I told Winston that this might be possible, that the error was entirely on my end after I received the dryer, and he was totally great and said, "maybe that is the case, but I'll still help you get this sorted out." But then he simply hasn't had the time.

But he's pretty much been a resident of Mexico all summer, dealing with waaay bigger fish than me and it. I think he really does have every intention of helping me out, but it's been the spring into the summer and now fall. I need to get this thing working, I need a tech. Who can I call?

[Frog]

Does Winston not have a suggestion for a "back-up" tech?

[Homer]

I have one of these dryers, had the same issue. Here is what solved it for me:

Take out the flame rod, make sure it isn't too long. I had a sheet metal screw inside of mine and it was shorting out! Blew the fuse for a month straight.


The wire going from the flame rod to the ignition transformer, make sure that is not corroded or shorting out. That was my MAIN issues for about two years. I replaced that with the appropriate wire and knock on wood.

if you need help, I hate like hell to blow his phone up- but Tony @ CGS in Jersey, they rebuild these things too. Helped me out a TON with problem solving.

[Stinkhorn Press]

Does Winston not have a suggestion for a "back-up" tech?

I have left a message asking that question, but haven't heard back and it's been another couple of weeks.

[Stinkhorn Press]

I have one of these dryers, had the same issue. Here is what solved it for me:

Take out the flame rod, make sure it isn't too long. I had a sheet metal screw inside of mine and it was shorting out! Blew the fuse for a month straight.


The wire going from the flame rod to the ignition transformer, make sure that is not corroded or shorting out. That was my MAIN issues for about two years. I replaced that with the appropriate wire and knock on wood.

if you need help, I hate like hell to blow his phone up- but Tony @ CGS in Jersey, they rebuild these things too. Helped me out a TON with problem solving.

all good advice, but also all done. Flame rod is clear. And rewired.

I'm almost certain that I even know which 2 wires, if the electrician swapped them, are the culprit, but Winston warned me not to dick around myself, as I might cause more problems (an electrician I am not, I can handle a multimeter to check continuity (is that the word) but that's about it). I have traced them all, I know where they are going. But these dryers apparently at this age with parts being swapped are all wired differently at this point (unless you have one that Winston wired in the way he likes...)
Winston was thinking it was the protectofier (gold board, the brains) that had gotten jostled and busted somehow in transit - and he as planning on shipping me one over a month ago but it didn't ever get here for one reason or another.

[Doug B]

  Flame rod could be too short also. Blew breakers on my AirJet for months until
we figured it out.

[Homer]

we had to replace the honeywell burner control as well, ebay for parts. I have boxes of replacements for everything. might be worth a look?

[IntegrityShirts]

Probably not going to be of much help. But maybe my questions will narrow it down a little.

When does the fuse blow? When you turn the dryer breaker on, fan switch on, or burner purge button, or when the burner tries to fire?

Where do the two wires that you think are the culprit go? To a sensor/switch, a motor, etc?

[Stinkhorn Press]

Probably not going to be of much help. But maybe my questions will narrow it down a little.

When does the fuse blow? When you turn the dryer breaker on, fan switch on, or burner purge button, or when the burner tries to fire?

Where do the two wires that you think are the culprit go? To a sensor/switch, a motor, etc?

good questions.
it's been a month+ since I've actually faced the thing -
it powers up. with the transformer wire is disconnected, if you push the push to start burner, it goes through the process of trying to light once. purge/timers/both solenoids click over/proper lights at proper time... (obviously it didn't light, the transformer is disconnected).
the SECOND time you ask it to do this (even if you've totally disconnected the power at the breaker etc) the fuse in the panel (lower left) blows as soon as you hit the button again.
this is why winston thought the next step should be just swapping out the whole protectofier board (we already swapped/checked the relays on the board) itself.

wires i think are swapped:
2 black wires from the gas train side.
Black 40 - goes only to "tall T" box between solenoids on gas train side. Goes to the burner switch on the control panel side.
Black 1 - split on gas train side: 1 goes to box next to transformer 2 goes to actuator box. on the control panel side it goes 3 places: blower switch, L1 spot on Protectofier, DC control board.

[244]

Probably not going to be of much help. But maybe my questions will narrow it down a little.

When does the fuse blow? When you turn the dryer breaker on, fan switch on, or burner purge button, or when the burner tries to fire?

Where do the two wires that you think are the culprit go? To a sensor/switch, a motor, etc?

good questions.
it's been a month+ since I've actually faced the thing -
it powers up. with the transformer wire is disconnected, if you push the push to start burner, it goes through the process of trying to light once. purge/timers/both solenoids click over/proper lights at proper time... (obviously it didn't light, the transformer is disconnected).
the SECOND time you ask it to do this (even if you've totally disconnected the power at the breaker etc) the fuse in the panel (lower left) blows as soon as you hit the button again.
this is why winston thought the next step should be just swapping out the whole protectofier board (we already swapped/checked the relays on the board) itself.

wires i think are swapped:
2 black wires from the gas train side.
Black 40 - goes only to "tall T" box between solenoids on gas train side. Goes to the burner switch on the control panel side.
Black 1 - split on gas train side: 1 goes to box next to transformer 2 goes to actuator box. on the control panel side it goes 3 places: blower switch, L1 spot on Protectofier, DC control board.

For your own safety I would suggest you get the origional schematic and have this properly wired! So much for buying used!!

[blue moon]

Probably not going to be of much help. But maybe my questions will narrow it down a little.

When does the fuse blow? When you turn the dryer breaker on, fan switch on, or burner purge button, or when the burner tries to fire?

Where do the two wires that you think are the culprit go? To a sensor/switch, a motor, etc?

good questions.
it's been a month+ since I've actually faced the thing -
it powers up. with the transformer wire is disconnected, if you push the push to start burner, it goes through the process of trying to light once. purge/timers/both solenoids click over/proper lights at proper time... (obviously it didn't light, the transformer is disconnected).
the SECOND time you ask it to do this (even if you've totally disconnected the power at the breaker etc) the fuse in the panel (lower left) blows as soon as you hit the button again.
this is why winston thought the next step should be just swapping out the whole protectofier board (we already swapped/checked the relays on the board) itself.

wires i think are swapped:
2 black wires from the gas train side.
Black 40 - goes only to "tall T" box between solenoids on gas train side. Goes to the burner switch on the control panel side.
Black 1 - split on gas train side: 1 goes to box next to transformer 2 goes to actuator box. on the control panel side it goes 3 places: blower switch, L1 spot on Protectofier, DC control board.

do you have a schematic? If you can get one, I can swing by and take a look (used to work as an industrial electrician).

pierre

[jsheridan]

take this with a grain of salt.

that dryer is a hunk of S H I T  like a big ole spray painted hunk of S H I T!!

it's what... 30 years old now

cut your losses now and get a real dryer, the amount of time, money and gas you'll save will make the payment.

[Doug B]

  That is true. Our old Vortex (100,000 btu) cost the same to operate as the
AirJet at 500,000 btu and it can run waterbase, discharge, whatever.

[blue moon]

for anybody else reading, we are running a 60" belt that can cure 1,400 shirts in an hour. 40 hours per week is costing us $86/month in gas!

pierre

[Sbrem]

for anybody else reading, we are running a 60" belt that can cure 1,400 shirts in an hour. 40 hours per week is costing us $86/month in gas!

pierre

what's the oven length Pierre?

Steve