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!
I have a Kenmore 27″ electric dryer, model #110.63014101. It takes longer than normal to dry a load. There appears to be heat as the clothes are warm, but perhaps not enough heat. I cleaned the blower wheel and exhaust parts which did have a fair bit lint packed in, but it still does not heat sufficiently. I am handy and can replace parts if I know which ones to replace. I have the manual with all the part numbers, so can order the correct parts. I don’t have a multimeter however.
My question is: what is the most likely issue here? Heating element? High limit thermostat? Cycling thermostat? Temperature sensor? The machine otherwise runs the same as before, so I assume it is not thermal fuse(s).
Thanks for any advice!
Hello, My Indesit PWDE 7124S washer – dryer machine taking too much time to dry clothes. Looks like the upper panel is getting warm when machine is at dry program, but clothes are not getting hot. Can you help me where to check if there are some stuff blocking air ? Thanks.
Sherry,
You most likely have a bad thermal fuse. The thermal fuse is used on a dryer as a safety fuse for overheat. Check this page here to see if this is what you are experiencing with your dryer… Dryer not heating – Thermal Fuse.
-RR
Mike,
Yes you may have the wrong thermostat. Check part number on old thermostat and order the correct OEM part. If problem still persists, let us know.
-RR
The exhaust hose isn’t blocked, I replaced the thermal fuse and the thermostat and my dryer is still not getting hot. Sometimes it works and sometimes not. I ordered the parts online and the new thermostat says it was for 240v and my original one said 120v could that be a problem? What about those two other little electrical parts going to the vertical box they at some other kind of sensor things?
My whirlpool dryer is twenty years old but is in great condition. Recently, it decided to stop heating when running. The instruction manual does not label any of the parts on the back of the dryer. We have determined that there is no continuity on the part on the upper back of the dryer but we’re not sure what it is. Can you help please?
Joyce,
You most likely have a bad thermostat, temp controller, or possible element. We would suggest to take the dryer apart and check the components we listed with a meter.
-RR
i also took the vent off the back to see if that would dry the clothes and eliminate the clogged vent somewhere. It did not seem to help and the air coming out was only luke warm
I have a front loading Electrolux dryer
Electrolux EIMGD55IIW 8.0 Cu. Ft. Gas Front Load Dryer with IQ-Touch Controls featuring Perfect Steam
It is only 1 year old. It does not seem to dry thoroughly anymore, especially since the weather turned colder. I checked the vent and cleaned it up to the roof. Actually stuck a leaf blower up the pipe to blow it all out. It did not seem to help. Any suggestions.
Pete,
If moisture is getting back into the vent hose from your Samsung dryer, there may be a component in the dryer that is not working properly. If the clothing takes forever to dry, you may have a thermostat, heating element, or control board issue. If you know for sure that all the dryer venting lines are 100% clear, then the problem is within your Samsung dryer. Use a multimeter and test all components to be sure everything is working as designed.
-RR