Before calling a Repairman - Dryers

Did you ever think your dryer was broken and you needed to have repairs done but it turned out it was fine?  Here are a few things to check before calling for an appliance technician.


Power - Does the machine not even turn on, no lights, no display?  Check your fuse box before calling someone.  Big appliances like washing machines and dryers tend to be put on their own circuit in newer homes and you might not realize that it's tripped.

The dryer takes hours to dry anything - This tends to be a maintenance issue, you might need to call an appliance tech but you should take a few steps yourself before calling.  Typically, the reason this happens is because you have not cleaned out your dryer or dryer vents recently enough.  The harder it is for air to vent the more heat and moisture will stay in the machine.  If you have a condenser dryer (ductless dryer) your problem is not something that can be fixed, slow dry times is just part of the way the machine works.

Not drying at all! - Are the clothes even slightly warmer than they were when they came out of the wash?  Check that you aren't using an "Air Fluff" or similar cycle; not all cycles on the dryer actually heat up.  If you are using a regular dry cycle you will need to call for help.

Shuts off right away - Check that you haven't over loaded the machine.  Try spinning the drum gently to ensure it's moving or doesn't spin wildly.  Some things like this will make the dryer not run if you have a newer model with safety features built in.  If the drum doesn't spin or spins with no traction at all you'll need to put in a service call.

Grinding or screeching noises:  Likely a maintenance issue; clean your machine.  If you can't solve it call for help.

Banging Noises:  Just wanted to put this here to distinguish between them; aside from checking that you haven't put something heavy or hard inside that is making the bang you will need to call for help on this.