Last updated on August 14th, 2022 at 01:26 pm
Yes, approaching a Samsung dryer always leaves me in awe. This is simply because of its lovely design, drying efficiency, and eco-dry feature that saves energy.
Yet I know you may have cracked your head on the question, how does the Samsung dryer moisture sensor work?
In this article, we will discuss the full details of the Samsung dryer moisture sensor. We will discuss its working principle, location, cleaning, turning it off, and bypassing the sensor.
Samsung dryer moisture sensors work by sensing moisture from the dryer’s load and measuring humidity. It automatically adjusts drying time and turns off once clothes become dry. It also has two features, the sensor dry and the eco dry, saving both time and money. While it simultaneously reduces carbon emissions that get into the environment.
- How Does Samsung Moisture Sensor Work?
- #1. Wet Fingers Test
- #2. Running Diagnostic Mode
- Where is the Moisture Sensor on a Samsung Dryer?
- How to Clean Moisture Sensor on Samsung Dryer?
- #1. Find the moisture sensor
- #2. Use sandpaper or rubbing alcohol to scrub
- #3. Use a dry rag
- #4. Test run your dryer
- How to Turn Off Moisture Sensor on Samsung Dryer?
- How to Bypass Dryer Moisture Sensor?
- #1. Resetting Your Dryer
- #2. Troubleshooting Your Dryer
- #1. Insufficient Power Supply
- #2. Problem With the Settings
- #3. When Idler Pulley is Broken
- #4. Faulty Door Switch
- #5. Failure From Drive Motor
- #6. Worn Dryer Belt
- Conclusion
Just as the name implies, the Samsung moisture sensor does the job of sensing the moisture of your clothes while it is in the dryer.
It also functions by automatically adjusting the time for drying to the level you have designated and turns off when your clothes become dry.
This saves your money and reduces the emission of carbon into the environment.
There are situations where the drying time changes during the sensor dry cycle; this is usually due to drying mixed clothes.
For example, the more lightweight clothes will dry first when you dry both heavy and light clothes together.
And once the dryer’s moisture sensor detects the soft garments, it will end the dry cycle before the heavy clothes dry.
This is why I will advise you to dry only clothes of similar nature on each load.
Nevertheless, today a much more advanced working method used by Samsung dryer moisture sensor is electrical current.
The sensor feature measures the levels of currents that pass through your clothes during the dry cycle.
There will always be an easy flow through wet clothes but a complex flow of currents in the dry clothes.
So this feature aims to measure the low electrical currents of low levels.
If you are a curious person like me, you may ponder how to check to see whether your Samsung dryer sensor is working fine.
The good news is that there are about two simple ways to inspect the functionality of your dryer’s sensor.
The two ways are the wet fingers test and the test by running diagnostic mode.
#1. Wet Fingers Test
If you want to know the working state of your dryer sensor, whether good or bad, open the dryer. Then place your wet fingers across the two moisture sensors.
Next, you would hear a beep sound and notice a measure of continuity from an ohmmeter. This is how you test to see if your dryer sensor is bad.
#2. Running Diagnostic Mode
You can start the procedure for diagnosing your dryer moisture sensor by placing a coin across the two bars while checking for continuity.
Then you will notice the following resistance values:
- Wet clothes (~190 ± 10℅)
- Dry clothes (infinity)
For the sensor bars t, you can run a diagnostic mode by putting a cloth that is a bit damp into the dryer.
First, begin a regular cycle; next, press the temperature and signal buttons for about three seconds.
At the point when the cloth is dry, it would show that the value has moved from 0 to 1200 and keep repeating.
But, if the sensor value had remained zero even after the wet clothes had touched the bars, you would know that your sensor is defective.
Where is the Moisture Sensor on a Samsung Dryer?
Before knowing the location of your Samsung moisture sensor, it is essential today that you know this.
The temperature sensor is different from the moisture sensor; many often misunderstand this fact.
The moisture sensor bars measure moisture while the thermistor ( temperature sensor) measures temperature.
The Moisture sensor exists as two bars found inside and at the edge of the drum. They are usually mounted on a black plate.
This sensor has a connection to the electronic control board that allows it to send the signal to it when clothes become dry.
How to Clean Moisture Sensor on Samsung Dryer?
To properly clean the moisture sensor on the Samsung dryer, you need a damp rag, fine-grit sandpaper, or rubbing alcohol and dry rag.
The reason why you need to clean your sensor is that over time your dryer becomes inefficient.
Due to the continuous use of the dryer, the sensor becomes coated with lint, dirt, and other fabric softeners.
The sensor’s dirt and debris usually cause the Samsung dryer sensor to signal the drier to shut down, even though the dryer cycle has not been completed and clothes are not dry enough.
Next, the following four steps will ensure that you clean your moisture sensor as you are supposed to:
#1. Find the moisture sensor
The older models of drying machines usually had the sensors at the back wall of the dryer drum.
The newer models have their moisture sensors located in the front of them and held to the lint filter housing.
#2. Use sandpaper or rubbing alcohol to scrub
It would be best to have fine sandpaper or rubbing alcohol with a rag to clean sensor bars. Use sandpaper to remove the lint and dirt that may have caked on the sensor bars after a long time.
Nevertheless, I will not advise that you use sandpaper on a sensor as it would be too extreme for the surface.
Although, a rag that is soaked in rubbing alcohol can equally remove dirt and lint from your sensor.
#3. Use a dry rag
With a dry rag, a complete polishing of the bars will make them look as good as new. This is done after the sandpapering or rubbing alcohol, as it also removes leftover debris.
#4. Test run your dryer
To confirm that your dryer is working well, put in some damp clothes and ensure that the auto-dry setting is on.
If the dryer should stop when the clothes are dry, it means that the dryer’s moisture sensor is working well.
But if this fails, I will advise you to call a professional.
Furthermore, not all the time your Samsung dryer fails to complete its cycle will the problem be attributed to the sensor.
The sensor may also react to the clogged exhaust vent by stopping.
The following steps will be beneficial to you in cleaning up the flue and ensuring that your Samsung moisture sensor is working well.
- Pull your dryer some inches away from the wall and disconnect it from the outlet. Then, use your fingers to remove the clamp and screwdriver to loosen and remove the vent hose.
Then, take out any lint found in the vent and dryer outlet. Finally, leave the vent in a disconnected state.
- Then unscrew the cover of the vent outlet and pull out every removable lint.
- Next, by using a vacuum cleaner, vacuum the lint found on both ends of the vents. The vacuum’s hose should be allowed inside the duct as far as possible so that you can do more cleaning.
- Blow them with a leaf blower for parts of the vents that your vacuum can not reach. You
should do this by blowing from the dryer inside the house with direction toward the outside vent.
- Use the vent auger to remove buildups in the pipes that seem very difficult to clear out. Just like the plumbing auger, the vent auger has a combination of both a brush and hook attached to it.
Since a drill reaches 15 feet, it is more than enough for any dryer vent.
- Screw the vent cap back to the outlet and reconnect the dryer with the vent.
How to Turn Off Moisture Sensor on Samsung Dryer?
The truth is that there is no way to turn off the moisture sensor of your Samsung dryer once the drying cycle begins.
There is no button designated primarily for the dryer moisture sensor.
But, you can still be aware of when to take out your clothes if you use the timed dry cycle. That way, your clothes won’t stay in the dryer over time.
Nevertheless, there are two other ways to turn off the Samsung moisture sensor.
First, you can turn off your dryer’s moisture sensor by either shutting down the machine or bypassing the dryer moisture sensor.
Simply unplugging the machine from the power source will cause the sensor to turn off.
At the same time, you can bypass the moisture sensor by disconnecting the sensor’s wire from the electronic control board.
This will trick the dryer into thinking that the clothes are already dry, and the timer would be heading toward off if it is in a state of auto-dry.
How to Bypass Dryer Moisture Sensor?
Your Samsung dryer has models with four wires connected to the electronic control board, while other models have three wires.
With the aid of your user manual, you can bypass your Samsung dryer by cutting off the sensor wire from the electronic control board.
This makes the control always think that the clothes or load is dry and the timer.
Another way to bypass the moisture sensor is to select a timed dry cycle and wait for it. But the truth is, l will not advise that you bypass your dryer by cutting the wires of the sensors.
This will expose you to many risks; for instance, your dryer may continue to run after being dry. In addition, this will waste electricity and cost you money.
If matters should get out of hand, the excessive heat generated from the dryer could lead to a fire outbreak.
And trust me when I say that a fire outbreak in your home, especially from your laundry area, can be dangerous.
Notwithstanding, there are very safe ways to bypass your Samsung dryer sensor when there is a malfunction.
The two ways you can bypass your dryer sensor are resetting your dryer and troubleshooting it.
#1. Resetting Your Dryer
You can unplug it from the power source and turn off the power from the circuit breaker.
Then wait for about five minutes, when every trace of electrical current would be cleared out and then power up again. That is all you need to do.
Note that you can also carry out a network reset to clear up all the information in your Wi-Fi and network from the dryer.
For example, if you have a dryer with a network feature, then the following steps will help you reset it:
- Press and hold the intelligent control until there is a display of AP for three to four seconds.
- Press and hold Temp until OK appears, and then the display will return to AP.
- Finally, you can then turn off the dryer.
#2. Troubleshooting Your Dryer
Sometimes, when there is malfunctioning, and you can’t pinpoint the problem, it can be nerve-wracking.
But, the good thing about troubleshooting is that it addresses all parts of the dryer, including the dryer’s moisture sensor.
Here are all the reasons for you to troubleshoot your dryer:
#1. Insufficient Power Supply
To troubleshoot the Samsung dryer, you must first confirm all power sources. For example, the dryer would not spin in a condition where there is an inadequate power supply.
When power is at fault, you would most likely receive an error code from the control panel, which usually comes as 9C1, 9E, 2E, or 9E1.
Once you are sure the fault is from the power, this is how to troubleshoot;
- Confirm that voltage is adequate at about 2400
- Find tripped breakers and fix them
- Confirm that your power cord is functioning well
#2. Problem With the Settings
The drying time and temperature vary according to the type of setting. They are two of these settings;
- Sensor dry, which only stops when items are dry to prevent over-drying
- Eco-dry reduces the heat available during a longer drying cycle. This is done to save energy.
#3. When Idler Pulley is Broken
It is one of the pulleys that holds the drive belt in place. The drum cannot spin if the belt is broken. If it is damaged, or there are signs before that, endeavor to change it.
#4. Faulty Door Switch
Since the door switch signals when a cycle can begin, the switch can’t signal the start of the cycle if the door becomes faulty.
#5. Failure From Drive Motor
If the dryer’s sound is a humming sound without starting after pressing the start button, the blower wheel obstruction is the fault.
But, if there is no sound, it is the drive motor and needs replacement.
#6. Worn Dryer Belt
If the dryer belt is worn, you should replace it before it becomes broken. A broken belt would prevent the drum from spinning.
Conclusion
Samsung dryer sensor works by sensing moisture and measuring humidity in the dryer drum. It is located inside the drum and is best to clean with a rag and rubbing alcohol.
However, this article has clarified that you can turn off the moisture sensor by shutting down the machine or bypassing the dryer sensor.
And although you can bypass the sensor by cutting the sensor wire, it is best to reset the dryer or troubleshoot it.