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!
My 4 year old Samsung dryer is turning on as soon as the door is closed. The display unit is not coming on at all and I can only turn it off by opening the door. It’s not heating either. The heat canister and 2 thermostats were just replaced in January. Any thoughts ? I’m ready to throw this thing into the woods, what an expensive piece of junk.
Conor Fitzgerald,
Check on YouTube using your make and model number of your dryer to find where it is located.
-RR
Thanks for replying so quickly. I’m a bit of a novice at so so excuse my ignorance. Will I have to open the back of the dryer to find the thermal fuse? Thanks
Conor Fitzgerald,
Try checking the thermal fuse at the back of your dryer. It may have blown and therefore no heat.
-RR
My dryer has stopped heating up. Everything else seems to be working fine but it won’t heat. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
I have a 1979 Maytag DG410 gas dryer that I am (stubbornly) reluctant to replace because it hasn’t completely given up the ghost and we’re on a tight budget. Here’s what it does: If I run it after it has been sitting for a few days I can usually get it to dry one load if the “delicate” button is pushed rather than “regular” and if I use it on “more dry” rather than the timed or the permanent press options. When I push “start” the igniter glows white hot and there is an audible click and then the gas ignites. The problem is, after the cycle is about 30 or so minutes in, the igniter is no longer able to ignite the gas. You can hear the click where it’s trying to but it’s as if the gas isn’t being released (or at least not making contact) even though it was earlier in the cycle. So naturally at this point the cycle becomes nothing more than air fluff and clothes remain damp. I realize this is a very old dryer and it’s only still kicking because I’ve already replaced the igniter, a belt and some drum related part (can’t remember which one). My husband thinks this is unlikely but is there anyway there could be a partial obstruction on the gas line? And if so, who does one call for help with that? Our local gas company?
lacey,
Is the dryer tumbling and powering on or just NOT HEATING? You may have a 2 breaker system in your home to the dryer and one of them reset.
-RR
Our dryer just stopped heating, we have been unplugging it to conserve energy, do you think this is what the problem may be and how can I fix it?
Megan,
Yes, if your Whirlpool dryer is actually heating (and set on HIGH heat) but the clothes are taking forever to dry, then yes there is most likely a clog of lint or another blockage. If the air is vented through and up to the roof, the issue could be at roof level. Have the condo HOA association get someone to go and check to see if the clog is actually at the roof level. The clog or blockage could be in the venting duct going from somewhere in between the wall (behind the dryer) and up and to the roof opening. Let us know what you find.
-RR
Hi we bought a used Estate by Whirlpool heavy duty super capacity electric dryer and it tumbles, heats up (inside feels hot outside feels warm) but my clothes are taking six hours to dry. They’re warm to touch but still just super wet. The lint trap is clean the back hose is new. We live in a condo that vents it out through the roof. Before my husband goes and buys parts. Is it most likely the vent going out since everything heats up and tumbles?