I finally figured out why my boot dryer kept tripping the breaker, took me 4 hours

I bought a boot dryer off a seller who had 5 star reviews, looked fine in the photos. Plugged it in and it tripped the breaker every 20 minutes, so I thought it was a dud. Turns out the heating element was just loose and shorting against the metal casing, took me a full afternoon with a multimeter to find it. The seller never mentioned it in the listing, just said 'works great'. Has anyone else dealt with a used item that had a hidden problem that took forever to track down?

2 comments

2 Comments

allen.amy4d ago

Honestly check the wiring on the outlet you're using too. If the previous owner ran it on a 15 amp circuit with extension cords, it could have loosened the internal connections over time. That hidden damage can mimic a bad heating element, especially if the breaker trips consistently after a warm-up cycle. Ngl I've seen used kitchen appliances do the same thing, the hidden problem was a melted wire nut inside the wall plug. Always check the outlet before blaming the device.

tyler_white423d ago

Buddy of mine had this exact issue with a toaster oven. @allen.amy is spot on, turns out the outlet was the problem the whole time. Took him a month to figure it out.