Car dryer went bang!!

[MCDK]

Was using my pet/car dryer yesterday to dry a car when suddenly it stopped and all power went off in the garage. Checked outside and house was off too. Went to reset and found the main trip bringing power into the house was gone. Reset this and a few other trips and went to work again. Plugged the dryer back into the extension lead and there was a bang and a flash from the dryers plug.

Clearly either the dryer or extension lead have gone faulty but likely the dryer I feel. Didn’t want to try again last night as plunging the house into darkness when my wife was cooking dinner wasn’t going to be a smart move.

Any knowledgeable guys know what could be wrong. I’m sure the fuse is now gone but maybe a bigger issue and whether it’s worth getting someone to look at it is the question or replace the dryer.

[Wing Commander]

Sorry to hear this. Having read about these dryers on Rennlist, I had been considering getting one. Maybe a cordless variety...

[Nuclear Nick]

That sounds like a very significant fault. It’s either a line to neutral or line to earth to cause trips to go, but for it to happen twice with associated bangs and flashes means the fault is still there. Did anything get wet? Try the extension lead first, without any load plugged in, then plug in something you know is ok. If that’s ok it sounds like the dryer has gone pop and, as you say, may have blown the fuse in the plug. If it’s out of warranty it’s probably for the bin in that case as these things are usually beyond economic repair.

[MikeM]

Went to reset and found the main trip bringing power into the house was gone. Reset this and a few other trips and went to work again. Plugged the dryer back into the extension lead and there was a bang and a flash from the dryers
Any knowledgeable guys know what could be wrong. I’m sure the fuse is now gone but maybe a bigger issue and whether it’s worth getting someone to look at it is the question or replace the dryer.

You have a dead short either in the dryer and or it’s cabling, you say that several breakers tripped this suggests earth protection compromised. The pet dryer isn’t really built for drying cars as I guess you are moving the body of the machine frequently as you move around the car, this can over time lead to the cabling becoming distorted twist together and short out. the earth leakage breaker is the one that stops you from lighting up your drive as you stand on the surrounding wet ground . If you open up the plug you may find the fault there?

[MCDK]

Thanks guys. It isn’t out of the question that it could have got wet as it kinda gets pulled along the floor as I work on the car. Will try the extension lead first and see but pretty sure it’s the dryer. As you say to blow the main trip for the house it’s a pretty big fault. I did see a slight nick in the cable which could also be part of the issue or maybe some water got in there. Would it be a decent test to cut the cable just before the nick and fit a new plug to see if that helps? It’s pretty near the end of the cable so won’t lose too much cable trying that.

Also temped by a new more powerful one so that thought will likely win although need to be sure this one is scrap first.

[Tracky]

What is a car dryer !!??

[MCDK]

It’s a brilliant tool. Blow dries the car so no damage
Is caused by drying it off. Also gets all the drips and runs out of crevices and mirror etc. Wouldn’t be without one.

[Tracky]

It’s a brilliant tool. Blow dries the car so no damage
Is caused by drying it off. Also gets all the drips and runs out of crevices and mirror etc. Wouldn’t be without one.

So a big hair dryer ?

[Rab J]

I am a great believer in looking at then simple things first, and the simplest thing here is the plug where the flash and bang came from. I have seen wires either pulled out of plugs and short inside them or the wires twist where they exit the plug and short there.

[MCDK]

Plug is sealed so I can’t actually look inside. Will replace the plug and cut off the last 6 inches of cable as there is a slight nick in it. That should eliminate a few possibilities. After that then it’s either somewhere else in the cable or a fault inside the machine.

Can see a new machine being bought tomorrow lol