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Your dryer smells like burning

Stop the machine and unplug it. Then call. This is the one symptom on this site we ask you not to wait on.

Call (417) 414-0284 Book a repair

Do this first

Step 1

Stop the cycle

Power the dryer down at the machine rather than letting the cycle finish.

Step 2

Cut the supply

Unplug an electric dryer. Shut off the gas at the valve on a gas dryer.

Step 3

Do not rerun it

Running it again to check whether the smell returns is the thing that starts fires.

Step 4

Call

Describe the smell. Sharp and electrical, hot rubber, and scorched lint point at different parts.

What it usually is

Three smells, three different failures. Which one it is changes what gets checked first.

Scorched lint

The most common by far. Lint has passed the screen and reached the heating element or the housing. It usually comes with long cycle times, because the same blockage that traps lint also traps heat.

Hot rubber

A belt slipping against a drum that is no longer turning freely, usually because a roller or the rear bearing has seized. Often preceded by squealing for a week or two.

Sharp and electrical

A failing motor, a scorched terminal block or a damaged wire. This one does not improve on its own and should not be run again before it is opened up.

Questions

Is a burning smell from a dryer dangerous?
Treat it as dangerous. Lint is highly combustible and a burning smell usually means it has reached the heating element, or that the motor is overheating. Both are how dryer fires start.
What should I do right now?
Stop the cycle, unplug the dryer, or shut off the gas. Do not run it again to see whether the smell comes back. Clear the lint screen and check the vent outside if you can reach it safely.
Is it always lint?
No. A sharp electrical smell can be the motor, the terminal block or a scorched wire, and a hot rubber smell is often a slipping belt on a seized drum. All three need the machine opened.
What if the dryer is new?
A new dryer can smell hot for the first cycle or two as manufacturing oils burn off. A burning smell after that is not normal and should be looked at.

Do not run it again

Unplug it, then book the first slot that works. Call if you would rather describe it out loud.

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