The majority of users embrace the Kenmore dryer since they have a durable product coupled with the fact that they rarely have issues after a few years of usage, which makes it a preferred choice for customers.
The Kenmore dryer specifically comes with perks such as its auto dry feature which gives a perfect dry without any experience of odors or wrinkles.
If you have a Kenmore electric dryer or a gas Dryer and you are here because you are stuck with your Kenmore dryer not heating, you are at the right place. Your Kenmore dryer sometimes gives up issues like this when it is affected by either power-related issues or overheating.
Anyway, I will be breaking down the reasons why you are stuck with your Kenmore dryer not heating and the appropriate troubleshooting steps you should take to resolve it.
That said, let’s delve into it.
Why is your Kenmore Dryer not heating
If you are experiencing this issue, there are a series of troubleshooting techniques you can use to diagnose your Kenmore dryer not heating on your own. While some might require the services of a technician unless you are experienced with electronic devices. However, if you plan on tinkering with it yourself, ensure to always unplug the dryer from the power source since it makes use of a high voltage.
In no particular order, below are the reason why your Kenmore dryer is not heating for both electric and gas dryers.
- Heating element
- Burnt Thermal fuse
- Clogged vent
- Thermostat
- Clogged lint screen
- Uneven Load
- Tripped Circuit breaker
- Faulty Main Control Board
- Faulty Gas Igniter
How to fix Kenmore Dryer not heating [Electric Dryer]
Kenmore comes with both an electric dryer and the gas dryer. The electric dryer makes use of a 2- 120 voltage to power the dryer, while the second 120 voltage is used to heat the dryer. However a Kenmore Gas dryer function differently since it uses gas to heat y the contents inside the dryer.
Tripped Circuit breaker
One of the reasons I brought this up is because your dryer won’t function if its circuit breaker is tripped Off.
The dryer uses a 240-volt circuit breaker to power the dryer and performs heating functions. In a scenario where one of the circuit breakers is tripped off due to power-related issues, the Dryer would not function correctly, so the first thing you should verify is if your circuit breaker has not tripped off.
If it has, you need to reset your circuit breaker.
Are you unsure about how to do that? if yes you can follow the steps below.
How to Reset a Tripped Circuit Breaker
- Turn all the lights off and unplug all your devices
- Now, open up your electrical panel and locate the breaker that was flipped in the wrong direction
NOTE: if the breaker is damaged quit the resetting process and call for the services of an electrician for replacement if not, continue to the next step.
- On the breaker, move the switch to the OFF position to fully reset it
- After doing that, move the breaker to ON and be patient for at least 10 seconds.
After doing all this, your Kenmore dryer should start heating, however, if you are still stuck with your Kenmore dryer not heating proceed to the next step.
Defective Heating element
Your heating element has one job, which is to generate hot air that would be passed to the dryer through the resistance it creates. If your heating element is not functioning well it wouldn’t be providing enough resistance to generate heat for the system.
To troubleshoot your heating element, you only need to measure its resistance using a multimeter or ohmmeter.
If the resistance is lower than 15ohm, then your heating element is faulty, However, if it exceeds that range then you should proceed to the next troubleshooting step.
Clogged vents
Among other things, another common issue users can face is a clogged vent. The vent simply allows for the passage of warm air out of the dryer. In a scenario where the vent or exhaust vents are clogged, it will make the Kenmore take more time to dry your clothes and prolonged usage of the dryer could result in a fire hazard when it is not resolved earlier.
If you are faced with these issues or maybe you don’t know if you are struggling with them, here is what you should do
- Remove the back cover of the fridge compartment at the back
- Locate the vent pipe and check if any particles are blocking it
- If there are remove them with any appropriate cleaning materials.
- And fit it back into its rightful compartment
After doing that, try running your Kenmore dryer to see if it’s still heating. If there are no positive changes and you are still stuck with your Kenmore dryer not heating, try out the next troubleshooting step
Blocked Lint Screen
Apart from the clogged vent, your lint screen has to be cleaned regularly since it gathers lint after every dry cycle and when the lint gathers too much lint over time it can affect the lint screen. That is one of the reasons why it is advised to clean the lint screen before every dry cycle.
If your lint is blocked or filled with lint
- Simply unscrew it and clean out all the lint
- After doing that give the lint a good wash by immersing it in warm water and soap while cleaning of any debris or lints.
- Once all the particles are gone you can insert the lint screen back and restart a cycle to see if the issue has been resolved.
Burnt Thermal fuse
A burnt thermal fuse might not be an immediate issue since it is less common when compared to the troubleshooting steps listed above. Your thermal fuse is located on the blower housing or at the dryer’s heat source or the burner if you are using a Kenmore gas dryer.
That said, your thermal fuse job is to prevent overheating of your Dryer. Once the dryer overheats and the thermostat doesn’t trip off the unit, the thermal fuse would trip off either the heating element or the whole device’s power.
However, you should know that a thermal fuse issue comes from other background issues such as a clogged vent pipe or a faulty thermostat or a clogged lint screen.
- You can check your thermal fuse by testing for continuity using a multimeter.
- If there is no continuity, then the thermal fuse is brunet and needs a replacement.
However, you should check for other background issues when you are faced with this.
By now, you should have been able to self-diagnose your Kenmore dryer not heating, however, if you are not able to resolve it, you should request the services of a repairman or contact Kenmore customer support.
How to fix Kenmore Dryer not heating [Gas Dryer]
If you own a gas Dryer instead. Below I will be listing the different ways you can troubleshoot your Kenmore gas dryer.
Faulty Igniter
Your dryer igniter has one job which is to ignite the gas so that it produces heat for the dryer. If the igniter is faulty you can use a multimeter to test for its continuity. If it doesn’t have continuity then you need to get a replacement for it.
Defective Thermostat
In a scenario where your ignition isn’t glowing when checked or it glows but it isn’t turning off anymore then you might have an issue with your cycling thermostat. To resolve this, all you have to do is get a replacement thermostat.
However, if you are not too sure of this, you can double-check with a multimeter by testing for its continuity.
- On the bottom left of the dryer, you would see the cycling thermostat.
- Now, remove the thermostat’s wires gently till it slips off the terminal.
- Use a multimeter to test the connection by touching the probe leads against the two terminals.
- IN a scenario where the meter reads q or OL. It signifies that the thermostat is faulty and needs a replacement.
Defective flame sensor
The flame sensor has one job, which is to detect heat from the flames the igniter creates. If your flame sensor isn’t working, you might not be able to conclude that, unless you’ve tested for continuity with a multimeter. However, this should be among the last set of things you should test after checking all other possible issues like the thermal fuse and the igniter.
Defective Solenoid Gas Valve
The solenoid coil has one job which is to open the gas valve and let gas flow into the burner. If you are faced with a scenario where the igniter glows and shuts off, but there is an absence of flame, then the gas valve solenoid coil has issues and needs replacement.
How do you fix a Kenmore dryer that won’t heat?
If your Kenmore Dryer isn’t heating as it is supposed to you need to check through these troubleshooting steps to fix it. Below are proven steps you can follow to resolve it.
NOTE: while some of these self-diagnosis steps can be done alone some will require the services of a repairman if you are not comfortable tinkering with the dryer.
That said, below are the troubleshooting steps
- Check the Heating element
- Check for Burnt Thermal fuse
- Clear out Clogged vent
- Check the Thermostat
- Check for a Clogged lint screen
- Inspect Uneven Load
- Check for Tripped Circuit breaker
- Check if the Main Control Board is Faulty
- Check for a Faulty Gas Igniter
- Check the Solenoid Gas valve
Why is my dryer running but not heating?
If your dryer is running but it is not heating, it is either the electric circuit that is assigned to heat your dryer has tripped off or the thermostat has tripped off the heating element of your dryer due to overheating or properly your gas igniter or solenoid gas valve is faulty
If you have other brands of dryer you can check here if you are struggling with a heating problem.
Conclusion
Figuring out the reasons behind your Kenmore dryer not heating isn’t hard if you’ve gone through this article, however, you might experience some challenges fixing it on your own unless you have some experience fixing electronic devices, if you don’t you can contact Kenmore customer support to address your repair issues.