Doing laundry isn’t a favorite household chore, but it gets even less fun when your dryer won’t heat up. The resulting damp clothes can create an annoying smell that’s hard to get rid of and a lack of hot air makes your dryer ineffective at its job. Luckily, not all dryer issues require the services of a professional repairman. Derrick Baylor, a Spencer’s appliance expert, shares some of the common problems that lead to your dryer not heating up and simple fixes you can make yourself.
A tripped circuit breaker or blown fuse cuts off power to part of your dryer, which means it won’t run or produce heat. If this is the case, try turning it back on and reseting the breaker or fuses.
If you’re still not getting any hot air, check your vents for blockages and clean them out if necessary. A clogged vent can limit the amount of hot air that can flow through your dryer, which prevents it from producing any heat.
Another cause of your dryer not heating is a broken cycling thermostat. This is located on the blower housing and controls the temperature inside the dryer drum. If it is defective, your dryer won’t produce any heat and will shut down to protect the unit from a fire. Using a multimeter, you can test the cycling thermostat for continuity to determine whether it is defective or not.
If you’re still not getting any hot or warm air from your dryer, it could be that your load is too big or too small. This can cause your machine to heat at a lower level or shut off prematurely, believing that the load is dry. If this is the case, you can try separating your loads or adding smaller or lighter items to help it produce more heat. dryer not heating up