Most Common Dryer Faults And Repair Tips

The electric dryer has become an extremely important thing in every household, successfully competing with the clotheslines. In case your dryer is nor working correctly, here are seven most common dryer problems, you may solve on your own:

Dryer Not Heating

There are two household circuit breakers or fuses in the electric dryer. In case one fuse is blown, the drum can still turn but the heat will not be produced. To restore heat generation you have to replace both fuses or reset circuit breakers. In case the thermal fuse in the dryer is blown because of a power surge or other reason, the dryer will not heat. Fuses can be replaced easily, according to the user’s manual.

Dryer Cuts off After a Short Working Period

Sometimes the dryer can shut down suddenly during the working process. As usual, this problem is caused either by the thermostat, thermal resistor or by the thermal fuse. Their purpose is to turn off the dryer to prevent overheating. Use the voltmeter to examine all these parts to learn if they are working properly or need replacement.

Clothes still wet after automatic timed cycle

Probably the load is not connecting with the moisture sensor because the dryer’s drum is not full enough or the dryer is not leveled. Small loads should be dried on Timed Dry. Clean Up the moisture sensor strips. Usually, they look like two metal strips, which are located inside the front edge of the dryer’s drum. Clean those with a cotton swab and an alcohol-containing liquid.

Dryer Isn’t Starting

First, examine the door latch. If it is not engaging, the door will not close and the drying process will not begin. Remove any dirt from the latch and clean it completely with a piece of cloth. After that, use a cotton swab and gently clean the metal contact areas with an alcohol-containing liquid. Inspect the power supply elements, including circuit breakers and fuses. If you are replacing a fuse, be sure to use a time-delay fuse. If the internal thermal fuse is blown, it needs replacement. Without it, the dryer will not start. In case your dryer is equipped with a push start knob, it may jam. Remove the knob and carefully clean it up, removing all dirt.

Unusual Noise In The Dryer

If your dryer is not leveled, it may produce thumping sound and intensive vibrations. You need to adjust each leg of the dryer and level it side-to-side and front to back. Examine the dryer drum for small items caught in it. Buttons, coins, and other trash from your pocket can be stuck between the drum and rear or front of the dryer. Arm yourself with a flashlight, inspect the drum carefully and remove any garbage you find.

In case the sound from the dryer is like loud thumping, probably the clothing inside is balled up or knotted. Maybe you are loading the dryer incorrectly. Shake up the knotted stuff and then complete the drying cycle.

Clothes Take Too Long To Dry

Clean up the lint filter. In case the filter is overloaded with lint, airflow will decrease, prolonging the drying period. After that, clean the outside exhaust vent. If the outside vent can’t open and close properly, moisture will be trapped inside the drum. Start the dryer and leave it operational for 5 – 10 minutes. Examine the outside exhaust hood and check the air movement. If the air does not come from the vent, that means the vent is blocked and must be cleaned thoroughly. Inspect the dryer vent exhaust pipe, and make sure it is connected properly and has no kinks. In case you have a flexible hose, better replace it with a rigid system. Try to reduce the size of loads. Overloaded dryer does not allow clothes to be dried in a proper way.  Also, remember, the dryer cannot function efficiently if the room temperature is below 45 degrees F. Check the air circulation around the dryer. In case your dryer is placed in a closet, there must be top and bottom ventilation openings. The dryer should have a minimum 5 inches of the airspace at the back and a minimum 1 inch at the front.

Lint is All Over the Clothes

If the screen is clogged with lint, your clothes will always be covered with lint. So, clean up the lint screen to get rid of this problem.