There are a whole lot of reasons why your dryer might not be getting hot, for the most part, your dryer isn’t getting hot due to problems like a blocked link trap, absence of gas, or probably you have a broken thermostat etc. However, you can’t easily get the answer to the question why isn’t my dryer getting hot, unless you’ve carried out a few tests on the dryer.
While you might feel you are not very good with electronics, most of these tests can be carried out by almost anyone including some of the advanced troubleshooting steps.
However, if you are not comfortable handling it on your own, you can request the services of a local repairman near you.
That being said, let’s delve into some easy ways you can carry out a self-diagnosis on your dryer and also how to fix them.
Why isn’t my Dryer Getting Hot?
There are a couple of reasons why your dryer isn’t getting hot. Whether you are using a Gas dryer or an Electric Dryer. However, I will be listing all the reasons that are synonymous with both of them before we proceed to how you can self-diagnose the question “why isn’t my dryer getting hot”?
Recommended: Check out this article on how to fix gas dryer not heating up
- A blown-out thermal fuse
- An issue with your Thermostat
- Your Timer is faulty
- The lint screen is clogged
- The vent is blocked with lint
- The Power to the Dryer has been tripped off
- The heating element is broken.
Now that you are aware of the answers to the question, why isn’t my dryer getting hot, let’s delve into how you can self-diagnose it.
How to Self-diagnose: Why isn’t my Dryer Getting Hot
If your dryer isn’t getting hot below are some ways you can troubleshoot it.
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1 . Check the exhaust Vent
This should be the first step of action, since the lints that are gathered on the lint trapper could settle on the vent, blocking it while making it hard for air to move freely in the vents.
Since this block the release of hot air from your dryer drum, it can cause the dryer to overheat which in turn could result in your thermal fuse blowing out.
To resolve this:
- Remove the lint screen.
- Clean it with warm water and soap
- Get a vacuum attachment and insert it into the slot where the lint screen goes to.
- Use a magic wand or another cleaning equipment to clean through the hose.
- Unscrew and unclamp it to gain better access to it.
- Once you are done with this, assemble the dryer and start the Dryer
2 . Check for Tripped Circuit Breaker
If your dryer doesn’t get a sufficient amount of power, it won’t operate optimally. The majority of dryers use a total of 240 volts breaker. One 120 volt is for the power while the other one is for heating.
However it is most common with electric dryers, that is why some users experience a scenario where the Dryer is spinning but not heating most time.
See this: Why your GE Dishwasher won’t Start
That being said, here is how you resolve it:
- Check electric parts and the power outlets for defects
- If there are none, check the electrical panel and see if the switch to the dryer is tripped off.
- If it is, reset the panel by following these 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.
To be double sure the reset procedure is successful the breaker mustn’t move away from this position (ON).
If it doesn’t, the rest procedure is complete.
However, if it does then the electrical panel is faulty and needs a replacement
3 . Check for Gas if you are using a Gas Dryer
The electric Dryer makes use of electricity to heat your clothing while a gas dryer uses gas flames to heat your clothing.
For the gas to be supplied to the system and work properly, certain components have to be working optimally such as the Gas pipe, the gas valve and the flame sensor. If any of these are having issues or any related parts working with the Gas, your clothing will not get heated making you stuck with the question why isn’t my dryer getting hot?
To resolve it:
To resolve that you might have to disassemble these inner components of the Dryer
- Check if there is gas being supplied to the unit
- Inspect the pipe to ensure the pipe is moving freely into the dryer
- If it is disassemble the dryer and test the Gas Valve with a multimeter
- If it is faulty, you need to get a replacement
- Check the flame sensor with a multimeter to see if it isn’t faulty
- if it is, get a replacement
4 . Check Thermal Fuse
The thermal fuse has one job which is to cuts off power to the dryer when it begins to overheat. This stops the dryer from causing a fire outbreak.
Now, if the thermal fuse is faulty, usually it might trip OFF the heating element or the whole dryer. In either case, the dryer won’t heat your clothes making you stuck with the question why isn’t my dryer getting hot?
Resolve:
To check up on the thermal fuse follow the instructions below:
- Remove the Dryer from its power outlet and move it to a distance from the wall.
- Now, locate the large real panel and unscrew the screws holding the panel to the dryer.
- After doing this, get the faulty thermal fuse and disconnect any wires connected to it.
- Now, insert the replacement thermal fuse by using a mounting screw to attach it to the dryer and connect the required wire
- Also, cover the panel back and try starting up your dryer
5 . Check Your Thermostat
The Thermostat works just as similar as the Thermal fuse, the only difference is the Thermostat doesn’t necessarily blow up, unlike the fuse.
It acts as the first line of action to prevent the Thermostat from overheating
While the thermostat might not be the root issue, you should endeavour to check the exhaust vent and the timer to get to the root of the matter before replacing the thermostat.
To resolve:
- Remove the Dryer from its power outlet and move it to a distance from the wall.
- Now, locate the large real panel and unscrew the screws holding the panel to the dryer
- After doing this, locate the thermostat and test it using a multimeter for continuity
- If the Thermostat is faulty simply get a replacement for it and replace it with the old one.
6 . Check for Defective Timer
Your timer would not progress to the next cycle if it is faulty, And this might cause an issue of overheating since the timer won’t control when the dry cycle would stop. This could lead to a blown thermal fuse or cause the thermostat to trip off the whole system
If you are faced with a scenario like this, all you have to do is disassemble the dryer and replace the timer with another one similar to the model you have.
7 . Check the Heating Element
The heating element basically feeds the dryer with hot air. Once the dryer is on, the coil gets heated up making the air passing through it warm
In a scenario where the heating element is faulty. The dryer might work, but it won’t feed hot air into the dryer.
If you have gone through the steps above them your heating element might be faulty.
here is how to resolve it:
You can check for a defective heating element by following the steps below
- Unplug your dryer from the power outlet.
- Move your dryer a distance from the wall to access the rear panel
- Remove the panel by unscrewing it from the dryer
- Now, remove the wires connected to the thermostat before removing the heating element
- Use a mounting screw to insert the new heating element into the dryer and assemble the inner components into their rightful place
After doing all these you should figure out the answer to why isn’t my dryer getting hot, below let’s take a look at some commonly asked questions from other.
How do you fix a Dryer that won’t heat up?
If your dryer isn’t heating up below are some of the things you have to check for.
- Check the exhaust vent
- Check Your Thermostat
- Check for Defective Timer
- Check Thermal Fuse
- Check for Gas
- Check for Tripped Circuit Breaker
- Check the exhaust vent
Maytag Dryer Not Heating
Maytag dryer is easily embraced by people due to its short dry cycle, however, it also faces similar issues related to the dryer not heating. If you have one, check here to learn how you can fix your Maytag dryer.
Why is my Dryer running but not heating?
If your dryer is running or spinning but it is not heating. Then one of the components has either tripped off the heating element or the heating element is faulty.
The exhaust vent. The timer, the thermostat and the thermal fuse can trip off the heating element due to overheating when those components are complicated or have some defect.
Conclusion:
Since you’ve gone through this article you should have figured out the question of why isn’t my dryer getting hot. That said, you also have to ensure that you’ve unplugged the dryer from the power outlet before tinkering with the inner component since it uses a high voltage and it might be risky to lose the inner component while it is still ON.