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 an LG Dryer DLE2101w.
I just moved and the new place i was forced to switch from a 4 prong to a 3 prong cord.
I did that and hooked up the wires as specified but when I turn on the dryer it works fine but there is no hot air.
Did I do something wrong and how do i diagnose it?
Maybe a thermal fuse or heat unit?
Admiral dryer. It turns on and the drum turns but it is not heating. I took the heating element, all thermostats, and the thermal fuse and had them checked and they are all working fine. I’ve cleaned out any lint that may have been in there, replaced the dryer hose and the vent from wall to the outside is completely clear, no lint or blockage seen. Any other suggestions?????? I’m on a tight budget and can’t afford to pay a repairman.
Amanda,
The fan in your Kenmore dryer is either burned out and needs to be replaced, or the wiring connection is loose or damaged.
Check the wiring harnesses for damage or simply being loose.
Reconnect the wiring if needed.
If you believe the blower fan in your dryer is bad, type the model number of the Kenmore dryer into Google.
Find your Kenmore dryer on an appliance parts website and find the blower fan part number.
Order the fan and remove and replace.
This will be cheaper than hiring a technician or buying a new dryer.
Make sure you shop around to find the best price for the part you need.
Even try Amazon if possible as they have many parts for appliances and next day shipping.
Watch some YouTube videos to see how to take the dryer apart and replace the blower fan.
If you need additional assistance, please let us know.
-RR
I have a Kenmore, front load, stackable dryer. It has heat and the drum turns, but the fan seems to have stopped working. There is no airflow at all. We have cleaned the hose and trap fully. We have taken the hose off and the fan still does not blow. What could be the problem? Would it be cheaper to have it fixed or just buy new. We got them second hand but they are probably only about 5 years old.
Thanks for the quick response.
He did not check anything other than the outside vent. Once he cleared the airflow, we immediately got heat. So he collected his payment and left. He mentioned that if they dyer got heat, then the thermal fuse should be working fine and it did not get blown or need replaced.
I did find the model number for the GE Dryer – DHDVH52GF1WW – and also discovered it is gas not electric.
If it is the thermal fuse, is there an easy way to replace this myself?
I did not know the lint filter in the dryer was there!
Cleaned it and works great now!
Mitch,
Did the repair guy check the thermal fuse?
You may have a bad fuse or possible faulty thermostat, wiring, or control panel/timer assembly issue depending on the model number of your GE dryer.
The most likely issue is a bad thermal fuse.
Also, be sure you are getting the proper voltage to the dryer, you may have it on 2 breakers and one is tripped.
-RR
Had a repair guy come in and look at our dryer. Our outside vent was clogged causing us to not have heat. After it was unclogged it went back to working, paid the man and thought I learned my lesson on keeping the vents clean.
Came back 2 days later and we are back with no heat. Checked and airflow seems to be good.
Any thoughts on what the problem could be? We have a GE electric dryer – not sure of the model.
Williams,
Yes it will be okay for one load. This troubleshooting procedure will tell you if the problem is in the wall (lint build-up) or if the dryer is not drying as designed and a part needs to be replaced.
-RR
My dryer vents out a long way from the laundry room (over 30 feet). I’ve had the vent line cleaned but clothes still take a long time to dry. Repairman says heating element works fine. Should I detach vent hose from back of dryer, dry a load and see if it works? If this works, then I would know the problem is with the venting, not the dryer itself, right? Is it ok to vent into the house for just one load?