2 Potential Causes Of A Dryer That Won't Produce Heat

Unless you're one of those who still hang their clothes out on a line to dry, an electric air dryer is one of the few indispensable home appliances. Thus it is normal to be worried when your dryer stops working the way it should. If your electric clothes dryer has stopped producing heat, but still spins the way it should, read on. This article will teach you how to troubleshoot--and possibly solve--two common sources of this problem.

Check for a blown breaker.

Electric clothes dryers use a large amount of energy. In fact, they put such a heavy demand on the electrical system of a home that they are given two separate switches in the circuit box. This is meant to minimize the chances of a blown breaker. One switch controls the energy flowing to the dryer's motor; the other is responsible for powering the heating element.

Unfortunately, even with two switches, clothes dryers manage to blow fuses on a fairly regular basis. Thus, if your dryer is spinning but not giving off heat, the simplest possible cause is that one of the breakers has blown. Take a look in your circuit box to see if you need to reset the appropriate switch.

See if the heating element has become broken.

An electric clothes dryer produces heat by means of the heating element. This is essentially a long, corkscrew-shaped wire. At its two ends are terminals that, when plugged into the appropriate slots, permit electricity to pass through the wire, which in turn generates heat. But if the heating element has broken, the electricity will no longer be able to flow through it, and thus it won't give off any heat.

You can make a visual inspection of your heating element in one of two ways. If you're lucky, all you'll have to do is remove the back panel of the dryer. Certain machines may require that you also take out the drum itself. Consult your manual to determine the appropriate course of action. Protect against the risk of electrocution by unplugging the dryer before taking it apart.

A broken heating element is easy to spot. The coil will be physically severed in one or more locations. This is the natural result of the metal becoming weak by the extreme temperature changes it undergoes on a regular basis. Gently remove the broken coil from its ceramic supports, then unplug the two terminals. Check your owner's manual to see what the heating element's part number is; you'll need this information when ordering a replacement.

For more information or assistance, contact an expert in appliance repair, like one from A OK Appliance Service.