Dryer problems, and what usually causes them

What usually causes it

On electric dryers this is usually a blown heating element or a tripped thermal fuse, and a tripped fuse almost always means restricted venting caused it. On gas dryers it is more often the igniter or the flame sensor.

Check this first

Check the lint screen and the vent outside. A tripped thermal fuse is usually a symptom of blocked venting, not the cause.

Safe to keep using?

Stop using it. Running a dryer that cannot shed heat is how the next fault becomes a fire.

What usually causes it

Commonly the door switch, the start switch or the thermal fuse. A dryer that hums without turning usually has a seized blower wheel or a failed motor start winding.

Check this first

Check the breaker, and on an electric dryer check both halves of it. A dryer can tumble without heat when only one leg of the circuit is live.

Safe to keep using?

Safe.

What usually causes it

Nearly always the drive belt, which snaps and leaves the motor running freely. Worn idler pulleys and drum rollers are the next candidates, and they are what wore the belt out.

Check this first

Turn the drum by hand. If it spins freely with no resistance at all, the belt has usually snapped.

Safe to keep using?

Stop using it. A motor running against a seized drum will burn out.

What usually causes it

Almost always airflow. A lint-packed vent run, a crushed transition hose or a blocked exterior flap will double a cycle time long before any component has actually failed.

Check this first

Disconnect the vent hose at the back and run it for two minutes. If it dries normally that way, the fault is the vent run, not the dryer.

Safe to keep using?

Safe to finish a load, but treat it as urgent. Restricted airflow is the most common cause of dryer fires.

What usually causes it

A rhythmic thump is usually a flat spot on a drum roller. A scrape is often the drum glides or the rear felt seal worn through, letting the drum ride on metal.

Check this first

Listen for whether the noise follows the drum or the motor: a thump once per drum turn is a roller, a constant whine is usually the blower.

Safe to keep using?

Safe for now, but a thump becomes a scrape and then a seizure.

What usually causes it

Drum rollers, the idler pulley or the rear drum bearing. Worth fixing early: a squeal is the warning before the part seizes and takes the belt with it.

Check this first

No useful home check on this one. A squeal is a bearing or roller starting to fail, and it only goes one way.

Safe to keep using?

Safe briefly. Fixing a squeal is far cheaper than fixing what it turns into.

What usually causes it

Usually a thermal cut-out doing its job because the machine is overheating from poor venting. It can also be a failing motor dropping out once it is hot, or a cracked solder joint on the control board.

Check this first

Clean the lint screen and check the vent, then run it with the door of the room open so it is not pulling hot air back in.

Safe to keep using?

Stop using it. Cutting out mid-cycle usually means a thermal cut-out is doing its job because the machine is overheating.