Before you call
Dryer runs but clothes are still damp
A dryer that tumbles but does not dry is nearly always an airflow problem, and airflow problems are also the ones that start fires. This is the guide most worth reading before calling anybody, because the fix is usually free and the consequence of ignoring it is not.
Safety
Lint is the most common cause of appliance fires in American homes. If you can smell burning, stop using the dryer now and do not restart it to "see if it does it again".
- 1
Clean the lint screen, then hold it under a running tap.
If water pools on the screen instead of running through, the mesh is sealed with fabric-softener residue — invisible, and it strangles airflow just as effectively as a full trap. Scrub it with a soft brush and washing-up liquid. People clean the lint off this screen for years without ever knowing it is blocked.
- 2
Disconnect the vent hose at the back and check it end to end.
Flexible foil ducting crushes behind the machine and collects lint in every ridge. A duct that runs a long way, or turns several corners, needs clearing more often than anyone expects. This alone fixes most "takes three cycles to dry a load" complaints.
- 3
Go outside and put your hand over the vent flap while the dryer runs.
You should feel a strong warm push of air. Weak or cold means the blockage is somewhere between the machine and the wall. Also check the flap actually opens — birds nest in them, and a painted-shut flap does the same thing as a blocked duct.
- 4
Try a smaller load.
An overloaded drum leaves no room for air to move through the clothes. If a half load dries normally, the machine is fine and the habit is the problem.
- 5
On a gas dryer, check whether the drum is getting warm at all.
Tumbling with no heat at all is a different fault from tumbling with weak heat. No heat points at the igniter, the gas valve, or a blown thermal fuse — and a thermal fuse usually blows because the vent was blocked, so clearing the vent is part of that repair rather than an alternative to it.
Where to stop
When to call a technician
Not for our convenience. These are the points where carrying on is either unsafe or makes the repair bigger.
- You can smell burning, or the outside of the machine is hot to touch.
- The vent is clear and the drum still gets no heat at all.
- The machine trips the breaker.
- It shuts off partway through every cycle — that is usually a thermal cut-out doing its job, and the cause needs finding rather than resetting.
- The duct run is inside a wall or ceiling and you cannot see all of it.
An on-site diagnosis is $65.00, credited toward the repair if you go ahead. If this page has already fixed it, better still — you owe us nothing.