Dryer not heating or drying your clothing? If your dryer is all of a sudden not drying your clothes, then we have a few simple DIY fix tips you can try yourself. If the dryer is no longer drying your clothes then the first thing to do is to check and clean the dryer lint filter trap.
How To Fix A Clothes Dryer That Is Not Drying
Check Dryer Lint Filter
We were forced to add that as our first step as there really are some people who do not realize there is a LINT FILTER that must be cleaned before or after each use. Once that is cleaned out, check if the dryer is still NOT drying your clothes.
Check Vent Hose On Back Of Dryer
If that was NOT the cause of the problem, then you will need to inspect the vent hose on the back of the dryer. Commonly this HOT AIR VENT HOSE will become clogged, caked or full of lint that is constantly being removed from your clothing when drying. When this happens your dryer is unable to expel the hot air from within, therefore making it impossible for your dryer to actually dry your clothing in a timely manner or at all.
Common Causes For Dryer To Stop Heating
- The dryer lint screen (lint trap) has not been cleaned (poor or restricted airflow).
- A clogged or kinked (bent) dryer air vent hose (inadequate or no airflow).
- Drum has stopped turning, broken drum drive belt.
- Overheated or bad motor (possible thermal overload).
- Thermal fuse or thermostat (could be caused from dryer air vent hose lint buildup)
- Heating element burnt out.
- Loose electrical plug or power socket.
- Other mechanical issue, fault or malfunction.
Click here for a faster way to troubleshoot your dryer not heating
Clothing Takes Forever To Dry
If your clothes dryer is taking forever to dry your clothes or it is not drying your clothing at all (and you already thoroughly cleaned the lint filter screen), then the first step is to CLEAN OUT THE INSIDE OF THE DRYER VENT HOSE.
First, unplug your dryer from the electrical socket on the wall. Slide the dryer forward very carefully so you can get behind it. Locate the (usually silver colored) air vent hose, and remove it from the wall and the dryer (2 connection points).
Do this by squeezing the clip at both ends and pulling the hose outward. Using a long dryer vent brush or similar, clean out the inside of the air vent hose by removing all of the built up lint and dust looking material.
Clean the area on the back of the dryer and the hole in the wall where the air is vented out. Most of the time the lint will be built up in both of these areas.
Once all of the lint is cleaned out, reattach the vent hose and slide the dryer back in place. Make sure you DO NOT KINK the vent hose when repositioning the dryer as this will cause the dryer to NOT expel the hot air properly.
If you kink the hose the dryer will not function properly and your clothes will take forever to dry. Next, plug the dryer back into the power outlet and run a test. If your dryer is now heating and properly drying your clothes then you fixed the problem. If not, read on…
If you know what Dryer Replacement Parts you need, here is where to get them at a GREAT PRICE and most have FREE shipping.
Here is how much lint that can become stuck in your dryer vent hose.
This much lint in the hose or in the wall, will prevent your dryer from properly drying your clothes.
DO NOT LET THIS HAPPEN! Dryer air vent hose clogged with lint.
Clean your dryer AIR VENTING HOSE on a yearly basis!
It is the reason your dryer takes forever to dry AND can be a fire safety hazard!
Dryer Has Overheated
At times your dryer can overheat and this can cause the motor that turns the drum to stop working temporarily. There is a safety mechanism built into the motor that makes it stop working if it gets too hot. This is called a thermally protected motor.
Your dryer may seem to be running but the motor will not be turning the drum. If the drum is not turning then the clothes are not moving. Therefore they can not get DRY. So if your dryer motor is NOT turning on but the rest of the dryer works, such as the lights and other mechanical parts, then your motor is probably overheated.
For this, you need to just give the motor some time to cool down. If you suspect that this is your problem then give the dryer about an hour to cool down and run a test after that. If your motor has overheated then you may be overloading your dryer with too many clothes. Try running the dryer with less clothes in it the next time you dry a load and this should remedy the issue.
The solutions above are the most common causes for this specific malfunction. If the explanations above have not been your specific problem, then there can be a number of things wrong. If you feel comfortable you can remove the front panel of your dryer (while unplugged) and look to see if there are any obvious causes of the problem.
A possible loose wire, loose part, burnt area, pieces of the dryer that have come off, fried or burned mechanical switches, etc. If the problem is not visual and you do not know what the issue can be, we recommend going here and posting an appliance repair question to online appliance repair technicians. If all else fails then simply leave a comment or question below and we PROMISE to answer your question in a timely manner.
Other components that could be at fault would be the Thermal fuse, Thermal cutoff, Heating element, Operating thermostat, and High limit thermostat. You can check all of these for continuity with a multimeter. If any are determined bad, remove and replace.
How Does It Work? Basic Clothes Dryer Function
Dryer Parts Schematic Parts Location Diagram Chart
If you still need help, assistance, or answers to fix your Dryer Not Heating problem, ask your
questions over at our Appliance Repair Help page for free answers to fix your broken appliance!
No error code, apparently the dryer thinks its working just fine. The Model # is GGW9260PW0.
Andrew,
Is your gas dryer giving you any type of error code? We will need the model number of your Whirlpool gas dryer to look into your issue further.
-RR
Hi, I have a Whirlpool “duet Electronic Gas dryer” and I’m trying to figure out if its worth calling a repairman, working on it myself, or just replacing. The dryer will turn on and and the drum spins just fine, but on certain presets the unit will not heat. That’s the part that boggles my mind. On some settings it heats up, and on others it doesn’t. It would make more sense if the working/nonworking settings were 100% consistent, but I don’t think they are. Any help is much appreciated!
Hi Jenny,
Since you have already replaced the majority of parts that would cause your dryer to not heat… Visually inspect the exterior wiring to the dryer. Check the service cord prongs that plug into the wall for burn marks and check where the service cord hooks to the terminal block on the back of dryer. Also, perform an extensive visual check inside your dryer to be sure there are no burnt or frayed wires. One broken connection can allow the dryer drum and timer to operate properly but there will be no heat.
Do you have a multimeter? With your dryer unplugged ohm out the heater and thermostat. Ohm meter check the timer points. Ohm meter check the motor switch. Ohm meter check for open wires or look for burnt wires. Performing this should tell you where the fault is located.
-RR
Hello, my dryer stopped producing heat, yet still turns. I have replaced the heating element, thermostat and thermal fuse. Cleaned out the lint trap, exhaust hose and the internal exhaust duct. What else should I consider before calling a repair person? I am in need of a quick fix, but would prefer to do it myself.
Hi Everardo,
If your dryer runs (drum turns) but the dryer is not producing heat, the most likely part that is at fault is the dryer thermal fuse. If you have a meter you can test it. If not, it is a very cheap part and can be found online for around $10 dollars. Here is our Dryer Fuse Replacement Repair Guide. Have a look and hopefully this will fix your clothes dryer.
-RR
Hello. I have tried the trouble shooting tips for a dryer that doesn’t dry but to no avail. I have suspicion that it might be a heating element any tips or advice?
My Kenmore 90 series electric dryer spins but gives out no heat. Opened and took the drum out, the whole housing looked like it had an insulation material from all the lint. I’m hesitant to put it back together, in case I need to open it again if it still does not work after cleaning.
What else could I check while the dryer is open?
Hi Ray,
Try setting the HEAT TEMP to a lower setting. If the temperature setting is not working properly then there is a fault in the switch or control board. Try changing different settings to see if that will reduce heat. If all else fails, take the clothes out of the dryer earlier than normal to avoid overheating.
-RR
I have an electric dryer which is running too hot. The vent is clear, but the clothes are coming out too hot to handle.