A dryer that tumbles but never gets warm is frustrating, especially with a full laundry basket waiting. Sometimes a heating part has failed. Just as often, the cause is something outside the dryer, such as the breaker, the settings or a blocked vent. Work through the checks below before you book a repair. If none of them helps, you will know exactly what to tell the technician.
Safety first: unplug the dryer, or switch off its breaker, before you move it or touch the vent. If you have a gas dryer and you smell gas, do not touch switches or the dryer. Leave the house and call your gas utility from outside.
1. Check the breaker (electric dryers)
Electric dryers run on a 240-volt circuit with a double breaker. If only one half of that breaker trips, the drum and motor can still run while the heating element gets no power. Go to your panel and turn the dryer breaker fully off, then back on, even if it looks like it is in the on position. If it trips again, stop and call for service.
2. Check the cycle and settings
An "air fluff", "air dry" or "no heat" setting runs the drum with the heat off, and these are easy to select by accident. Choose a regular timed dry on a normal or high heat setting and try a small load. Some dryers also have a control lock or a delay start that can make it look as if the dryer is not working properly.
3. Clean the lint screen and look at the vent
Restricted airflow is the most common cause of heating trouble. When hot, moist air cannot get out, the dryer overheats. A safety thermostat then shuts the heat off, or a one-time thermal fuse blows and stops the heat for good until it is replaced. Clean the lint screen, then pull the dryer out and check the flexible duct behind it. It should be short and free of crushed sections, and made of metal rather than thin plastic or foil.
4. Check the outside vent hood
Go outside while the dryer is running and find where it vents. You should feel a strong flow of warm air, and the flap should open. Lint, bird nests and, in winter, ice can block the hood. In townhomes and other homes where the vent runs a long way through a wall or the roof, lint builds up inside the duct over time. A dryer that takes two or three cycles to dry a load is often telling you the vent needs professional cleaning.
5. Confirm the gas supply (gas dryers)
On a gas dryer, check that the shutoff valve on the gas line behind the dryer is open, with the handle running parallel to the pipe. If other gas appliances in the house have also stopped working, the problem is the gas supply rather than the dryer. Do not try to adjust or repair any gas parts yourself.
6. Make sure the washer is spinning the clothes
Sometimes the dryer is fine and the clothes are going in soaking wet. If loads come out of the washer heavy and dripping, the washer is not spinning or draining properly, and the dryer cannot keep up. Our guide to a washer that won't spin or drain covers that problem.
When to call a technician
Book a repair if any of the following apply:
- The dryer still does not heat after you have reset the breaker, checked the settings and cleared the lint screen and vent.
- The breaker trips again after you reset it.
- You notice a burning smell, a scorched smell on clothes, or the outside of the dryer is very hot.
- You have a gas dryer and the heat will not come on. Gas parts should be serviced only by a technician.
Common repairs include the heating element, thermal fuse and cycling thermostat on electric dryers, and the igniter, flame sensor and gas valve coils on gas dryers. A technician should test these parts before replacing them. A blown thermal fuse usually means there is an airflow problem that also needs fixing.
Dryer repair in Stafford and Fredericksburg
We repair gas and electric dryers of every major brand across Stafford County and Fredericksburg, and we check airflow on every dryer call. Learn more about our dryer repair service, or book an appointment online.