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I dry all clothes on the lowest temperature setting in the natural gas dryer. This is because they dry fast and come out piping hot.

But now I need to dry some clothes at a lower temperature, but I'm concerned I will ruin the clothes, as there is no setting lower than what I normally use.

Is there an easy way to tell if the clothes dryer temperature control is working? I'm thinking perhaps it is always going at full temperature.

The brand of the clothes dryer is General Electric, and the model is DSXH43GA6WW.

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    It would be helpful to know the brand and model. With the model we can look up the temps and the control method. – Ed Beal May 24 '18 at 16:34
  • @EdBeal Thanks. I added that info to the question. – RockPaperLz- Mask it or Casket May 24 '18 at 16:39
  • dry a thermometer in a sock for 10 mins, stop and read. repeat on different setting. – dandavis May 24 '18 at 18:49
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I cannot find the temps but the part number 1370 gas valve has multiple parts 1371 thru 1376, there are 2 solenoid valves parts of the gas valve I am not sure if each solenoid has a separate orifice to control the gas flow one large 1 small but this looks to be the only control I could find, The only sensor I can find in the assembly is 1379 but it looks like an over temp sensor .

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  • Thanks Ed! Where did you find that info? Is there a diagram? – RockPaperLz- Mask it or Casket May 24 '18 at 18:29
  • I searched for : GE gas dryer parts, after finding a site ,I searched your model #. Then looked through the service manuel that's where the part#'s were, I have used several online replacement parts sites , and found the parts lists and even service manuals. – Ed Beal May 25 '18 at 1:09
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GE lists the temps Explanation of Dryer Temperature for an electric dryer as Low = 125 F, Medium = 135 F, High = 135 F. While the method of generating heat is different, I would expect the targeted temperatures to be the same for gas and electric. Of course, that doesn't make sense with Medium = High = 135. There is also a note "Most 120V models reach approximately 145F during operation.", so it sounds like High = 145 F.

That leaves two issues:

  1. How do you measure the temperature? "Thermometer in a sock" is an interesting idea but will only work with certain types of thermometers. The more accurate way seems to be an infrared thermometer, but the moment you open the door the temperatures will start to drop and the temperature may vary depending on where you take it - top, bottom, back, near the vent, etc. But in theory you could run a cycle (Low, Medium or High) for several minutes, open the door and immediately take spot temperatures in specific locations and then repeat the process on each of the other temperature settings.

  2. How does temperature regulation work? With an electric dryer it is easy to cycle heating elements on/off to target a particular temperature. I don't know whether gas dryers use that same type of mechanism or if they simply run different burners - e.g., Low = small, Medium = Large, High = both (based on Ed Beal's research of the gas solenoids and orifices), and hope that the temperature will be "about right".

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  • Thanks. Since it's a gas dryer, GE's note regarding 120V models seems misplaced, but perhaps gives some guidance to what temperatures they expect to be delivered in any dryer. – RockPaperLz- Mask it or Casket May 25 '18 at 6:16
  • BTW, I expected a greater temperature range. I'm surprised by only a 20 degree guestimated difference between low and high. – RockPaperLz- Mask it or Casket May 25 '18 at 6:17

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