Gas Dryer died last night

Gas Dryer, probably new when they built this house 25 years ago. nice and simple Kenmore. It is more or less what I am looking for now: A nice simple and reliable gas clothes dryer. I do not need wifi, steam wrinkle remover, or a touch panel that allows access to the internet. Just a simple gas dryer that will last.

Some of the Samsung models get good reviews, but the few bad reviews are really bad.

help?

And no, repairing it is not an option. I would do it, it's probably a thermal fuse, but I have my 75 year old mother in the house who's anxiety picks her up and carries her away. She spent all last night sniffing to make sure gas was not leaking into the basement even though I physically turned the gas off to the Dryer before going to bed.

Tell your mom to use a soapy solution and a paint brush to check for leaks.  

We bought a new dryer and when I unpacked it I noticed a water hookup on back and thought they gave us a washer.  

No, now the dryer needs a water line for that steam thingie you mention.   

Ours died 2 years ago. Wife bitched and moaned and wanted a nice red set for $2000 that her friends had 

nothing was wrong with our washer mind you
 

i said no. Went and bought the cheapest one we can find. White colour. No wifi no nothing. No screens. Simple white dials. No steam. 
 

Amana brand. Local Best Buy open box $199. I think regular is $400 

2 years running. 3x a week. 0 problems 

wife still hates it 

I am the only one who uses it 

and nobody goes in our laundry room - so I don't need to impress anyone with a matching cool looking dryer 

I'd recommend something similar to what you have if you really really have to replace it, I believe most Kenmore units were Whirlpool based.   Our current Whirlpool gas dryer is 10 plus years with only a thermal fuse and a drive belt / drum roller kit in that time.  It's used pretty much daily for at least one load.

I'd test the thermal fuse, the wiring diagram is usually hidden in the timer compartment area BTW.  If that's the case, less than 10 bucks from memory.  While you're in there use your shop vac to thoroughly de-lint everything you can reach plus clean out the dryer exhaust vent pipe.  I get the senior anxiety issue but you're not messing with the gas side at all.  Beats spending in the area of $600 bucks if you don't have to right now not to mention letting the delivery guys into the house.

I'll bet the problem with the old unit is the heat coils. 

Years ago, an old unit of mine would go through them with frequency. Was a cheap, easy fix. 

The problem would be that the unit would go round and round but never get hot. 

I realize she fears gas but will new gas make her less fearful of gas? Still using gas. 

Samsung appears to be extremely hit or miss with a really E36 M3ty service setup that can't support their unfortunate popularity. So it's probably best to just avoid them entirely.

Hi. Local appliance tech here. The dryer is gas, so I would bank on it being the primary or secondary solenoid. A quick and cheap fix. They come paired so you don't even need to order both. 
 

that said, it's old and zapping energy. However, a new gas dryer won't alleviate her fears of a gas leak. Been there. Could swap to electric, but that requires an electrician, unless you have 240vac already at the wall. 
 

im full of info, for free. My contribution to this board. Ask away. one other thing, NEVER buy LG, Samsung, or GE. Burning Chinese trash. And most of us techs won't touch them. The techs that will are struggling will take them on. It's an uphill battle. 

My gas dryer stopped working a couple years ago.  It turned out to have a reset switch for the burner control.  Front cover off and poke a button like of a GFCI outlet.  I also recently learned that the reason my white shirts suddenly had sweat stains that I could no longer get out was because I bought a gas dryer.

thanks for all the advice. Picked up a nice Whirlpool Gas Dryer that was a couple of steps up from bottom of the line. Simple, only bell and whistle was the steam option, but as the guy says, we do not have to hook it up. 

They way you capitalized this I went "who the berkeley is gas dryer'?

In reply to Mndsm :

I'm glad I wasn't the only one.

I am sorry for your loss.