Perhaps the BEST B1G Forum anywhere, here at College Football Fan Site, CFB51!!!

Isn't the owner responsible for this crap??

No, it's a SFH rental with washer/dryer hookups but I had to supply my own. If it turns out to be something wrong with the breaker, it's his responsibility. But the dryer is self-owned and my own responsibility. 

I don't think it's a weak breaker though. I'd expect that to have been a more progressive and intermittent issue, not something that happens literally within 1.5s of hitting the start button, when it's never tripped before. 

time to call the man

I am the man lol. Calling in an appliance repairman might be easier, but I don't think there's anything they'll be able to do that I can't, and it'll be a damn sight more money. 

Lol.

No, not GFCI. Fairly old construction. Per above, I don't imagine that a weak breaker would be an immediate trip. Especially when I see the same thing where I choose "air fluff" and so the heater element isn't even being energized. Something's drawing way too much current, and I'm thinking it's gotta be the motor.

The situation you described is very unusual.

For one thing, the heating element typically draws a LOT more juice than the motor so if it was a weak breaker it would still almost certainly work on the no-heat air fluff setting.

The motor itself should hit it's maximum draw when starting up*. Thus, if the motor was going to pop the breaker it would ordinarily do it on start-up, not a couple seconds later.

Dryer motors are usually 120v but the heating element is 240v so the motor itself is only using one half of the circuit.

Replacing the breaker isn't terribly difficult, you should be able to get one at any HD/Lowes, and that would save you some time diagnostically because you could at least rule that out.

*Example:
I've run into a situation multiple times where the kitchen breaker will trip if the refrigerator kicks on while the toaster or toaster oven is on. However, if you start up the toaster while the refrigerator is already running, no problem. The situation is basically this:

• Toaster draws 1,200 Watts. At 120V that is 10 Amps (Amps*Volts=Watts).
• Refrigerator draws 480 Watts running but 720 Watts on start-up. At 120V that is 4/6 Amps.
• The combined draw is thus 14 Amps when the Refrigerator is running and 16 Amps when the refrigerator starts up.
• If this is a 15 Amp breaker (cheaper because you can use smaller, 14 GA wire instead of larger 12 GA wire) then it will trip if the refrigerator kicks on while the toaster is on but NOT if you start the toaster after the refrigerator starts.

https://apple.news/ARbKQLg3-QyC5rMjRp0ofbg

Organized Retail Crime. 

Not an easy fix.  

Huh, so when I'm shopping at felloffthebackofatruck.com -- I'm supporting these guys?

Apparently so. 

The situation you described is very unusual.

For one thing, the heating element typically draws a LOT more juice than the motor so if it was a weak breaker it would still almost certainly work on the no-heat air fluff setting.

The motor itself should hit it's maximum draw when starting up*. Thus, if the motor was going to pop the breaker it would ordinarily do it on start-up, not a couple seconds later.

Dryer motors are usually 120v but the heating element is 240v so the motor itself is only using one half of the circuit.

Replacing the breaker isn't terribly difficult, you should be able to get one at any HD/Lowes, and that would save you some time diagnostically because you could at least rule that out.

*Example:
I've run into a situation multiple times where the kitchen breaker will trip if the refrigerator kicks on while the toaster or toaster oven is on. However, if you start up the toaster while the refrigerator is already running, no problem. The situation is basically this:

• Toaster draws 1,200 Watts. At 120V that is 10 Amps (Amps*Volts=Watts).
• Refrigerator draws 480 Watts running but 720 Watts on start-up. At 120V that is 4/6 Amps.
• The combined draw is thus 14 Amps when the Refrigerator is running and 16 Amps when the refrigerator starts up.
• If this is a 15 Amp breaker (cheaper because you can use smaller, 14 GA wire instead of larger 12 GA wire) then it will trip if the refrigerator kicks on while the toaster is on but NOT if you start the toaster after the refrigerator starts.

Yup, you're describing motor inrush current or locked rotor current.  Can sometimes be up to 20x more than normal operating current at regular operating speeds.

https://www.jadelearning.com/blog/understanding-motor-starting-inrush-currents-nec-article-430-52/#:~:text=Inrush%20current%2C%20also%20referred%20to,switching%20on)%20of%20the%20motor.

Yup, you're describing motor inrush current or locked rotor current.  Can sometimes be up to 20x more than normal operating current at regular operating speeds.

https://www.jadelearning.com/blog/understanding-motor-starting-inrush-currents-nec-article-430-52/#:~:text=Inrush%20current%2C%20also%20referred%20to,switching%20on)%20of%20the%20motor.

Yep. And although it's not motor-related, I have two real-world examples from my own industry where inrush current or high instantaneous current draw was causing device failures--but NOT to the device requiring that current. Because while you'd hope that a new device that's plugged in get its power from the power supply, it doesn't care if it gets power from wherever charge exists. I.e. in both cases, the addition of a massive power suck on the bus triggered (in one case) a reverse current protection circuit in a device that caused issues, and (another case) a localized low-voltage brownout situation on another device on a power cable that services multiple devices. 

Back in the 80s/90s, were dudes selling speakers out of the back of a white van a thing in your area, too?