I just read why you shouldn't mend a dryer's heating element or coil.
What if the break just happens to be be two or three inches at the very end, or even just 1 inch from the end; can you stretch it out and complete the circuit?
It's for a Whirlpool Dryer.
Best Answer
It doesn't matter where the break is. You cannot repair the element without shortening it, which will reduce its resistance, causing it to burn hotter than it is designed to do. If you are very lucky it will just burn out again right away before setting your clothes on fire.
Of course the appliance designer allowed some safety margin in the specs, because manufacturing tolerances vary, and parts can fail after installation. So you would think you could get away with a little fudging of the heater element length. But what you cannot know is how close your dryer was to immolating itself before you started messing with it.