How to troubleshoot your clothes dryer

Clothes dryers are simple machines that use electricity to heat air and a fan to blow the hot air around. Many homeowners think that only a professional technician can fix their dryer. However, before you get in touch with a dryer repair technician in your area, you should first troubleshoot your dryer since there are small issues that you could repair yourself and save money in the process.

Here are some tips to help you troubleshoot your faulty clothes dryer, no matter what brand it is. In fact, these tips may save you money or just eliminate issues, so it is easier for the technician to fix the dryer.

Check the Plug
If your dryer doesn’t start, you should first check if the dryer is plugged in properly. This may seem simple, but you probably don’t even bother to look behind the dryer. Plugs can get bumped by animals, fallen objects or work their way loose over time, especially since the dryer is always in motion when active.

Faulty breaker or fuse
After checking the plug of your dryer, if it still won’t run, you may need to check the central home electrical box. Ensure that all fuses is working as expected and there are none blown, and the breaker circuit hasn’t tripped. Replacing the fuse is not that hard, but you need to turn the breaker off before doing this.

This is also an excellent time to use your voltage meter to check if the outlets are functioning correctly. Call an electrician if they are not working at all. For gas dryers, be sure the pilot light is always lit and it has an adequate supply of gas or liquid propane.

Inspect switch and belt
If your clothes dryer is plugged in and the breakers and cord are working, but it still won’t function, consider checking the power outage or surge in your home. It is also possible that there is a damaged thermal fuse since this may cause overheating or a power surge. Thermal fuses act as your first line of defence against accidental fires, which is obviously a good thing. The fuse can be replaced easily, and it’s not that expensive.

Another thing to check are the door switches since the dryer won’t work if they are not engaged properly. These switches will malfunction or even break due to wear, so if you notice that there are visible cracks and damages on your door switches, you will need to have them replaced asap.

You can also use a cotton swab with rubbing alcohol to clean the contact areas and remove lint or dirt from the switches.

Overall, these are just some simple things you can do to troubleshoot your clothes dryer. Otherwise, you can hire a professional dryer technician to do the maintenance and repairs for you. Learn more here about our dryer repairs services.