Dryer Repair — Tips, Guides & Common Problems

Dryer Not Heating — The Most Common Cause

Open the dryer door after a full cycle and everything's still damp. The drum was spinning, you heard the motor running — but there was no heat. This is the single most common dryer complaint, and the cause depends almost entirely on whether you have a gas or electric dryer.

On an electric dryer, the heating element is the first suspect. It's a coiled resistive wire inside a metal housing that heats up as current passes through it. When one section of the coil breaks, the element stops generating heat entirely. You can test it with a multimeter for continuity — a broken element reads as an open circuit. It's one of the more straightforward dryer repairs: the part is typically affordable and the replacement is accessible from the back panel.

On a gas dryer that runs but won't heat, the igniter is usually the culprit. The igniter glows orange-hot to light the gas burner, but igniters weaken over time and eventually can't generate enough heat to open the gas valve. You can sometimes see this happen if you watch the igniter glow but the flame never catches. The other gas-specific failure is the thermal fuse — a one-time-use safety device that blows if the dryer overheats. Once it blows, the dryer won't heat until the fuse is replaced, even if the underlying cause (usually a blocked vent) is already fixed.

Why Your Dryer Takes Too Long — and the Danger of Ignoring It

A dryer that takes two cycles to dry one load isn't just inconvenient — it's a fire hazard. Slow drying is almost always caused by restricted airflow, and the most common cause of restricted airflow is a lint-clogged exhaust vent.

The exhaust duct runs from the back of the dryer through the wall and exits outside the house. Over time, lint accumulates in the duct — particularly in sections with bends or long horizontal runs. The duct fills slowly, airflow decreases gradually, and most homeowners don't notice until the dryer is taking twice as long and running much hotter than it should. At that point, the risk of a dryer fire is real.

Clean the lint screen after every load. Clean the exhaust duct at least once a year — more often if you run large loads frequently. Use a dryer vent brush kit (about $20 at any hardware store) to clean from the dryer end. If the duct run is long or has multiple bends, have a technician clean it — you want to make sure lint isn't packed in the sections you can't reach.

Beyond the duct, slow drying can also come from a failing heating element (the heat is there but weaker than spec), a partially blocked moisture sensor (the dryer thinks clothes are dry when they're not), or consistently overloaded drums. An 8-pound load in a dryer rated for 7 pounds will take longer. It's not a mechanical problem — it just physics.

Thumping, Squealing, and Grinding — What Dryer Noises Mean

Dryers aren't quiet, but there's a difference between normal operation noise and something that warrants attention. A low rumble or hum is normal. Here's what the abnormal sounds usually mean:

Thumping: Usually a worn drum support roller or a flat spot that's developed on one of the rollers. Dryers use two or four small wheels to support the drum as it rotates. When they wear, the drum dips slightly with each rotation, creating a rhythmic thump. The fix is replacing the rollers — typically done as a set.

Squealing: Almost always the drum belt or one of the idler pulleys. The belt is a long, thin loop that wraps around the drum and is driven by the motor. As it ages, it dries out and begins to squeal against the drum edges. An idler pulley maintains belt tension and its bearing can fail, creating a high-pitched squeal that's worse at startup. Replace the belt and idler together — they're cheap and it saves a second disassembly later.

Grinding: Could be the drum glides (the plastic pieces the front of the drum rests on) or a foreign object caught between the drum and the dryer cabinet. Coins, underwire from bras, and pens are common culprits. Grinding that only happens when the drum is loaded typically points to the glides — they wear down and the drum starts scraping the metal housing beneath them.

When to Repair vs. Replace a Dryer

Dryers have fewer moving parts and lower repair costs than washers, so they're usually worth repairing unless the unit is over 15 years old or has a failed motor or drum bearing. A heating element, thermal fuse, belt, or roller set costs relatively little and most repairs take under two hours of labor. A motor or drum bearing failure on an older unit is the point where replacement starts making more sense financially.