Tried a new thermal fuse on a dryer and the whole house went dark

Had a Kenmore dryer that wouldn't heat, so I swapped the thermal fuse like usual. The second I plugged it back in, the breaker for the entire kitchen and laundry room tripped. Turns out the new fuse was fine, but I'd accidentally pinched the wiring harness against the metal cabinet when I put the back panel on. Took me an hour to find that tiny short. Anyone else had a simple job go sideways because of a wiring pinch?

2 comments

2 Comments

daniel5111mo ago

My old dishwasher had a similar gremlin. I replaced the drain pump and the door switch just stopped working. Traced it back to a wire I'd routed right under a screw head on the frame. Those hidden pinches are the worst part of any repair.

the_mia1mo ago

That exact thing happened to my neighbor last month. He was fixing his washing machine and pinched a wire putting the panel back on. Took him two days to find the short. Makes you triple check every wire route before you tighten anything down. Those little mistakes can drive you crazy trying to find them.