DryerRepair.center (844) 314-5837Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm Book a visit
A white front-loading electric dryer stands on a tiled floor in a US home laundry room.

Electric
Dryer Repair

The most common dryer in US homes: a 240-volt heating coil, a belt-driven drum and a vent to the outside.

(844) 314-5837

Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm

  • 4 things that fail on it
  • 13 makes build it
  • 6 problems it shows

Book a visit

Three short steps, about a minute.

or call (844) 314-5837

Is yours
an electric?

An electric dryer heats air across a coiled resistance element and pulls it through the drum with a blower wheel, then pushes it out through a 4-inch vent. It runs on a dedicated 240-volt, 30-amp circuit with a three- or four-prong cord. Because the motor usually runs on one side of that supply and the heater needs both, an electric dryer that tumbles but stays cold is often telling you about the circuit or the coil, not the motor.

A technician holds a digital thermometer probe at the open door of a front-loading dryer in a US home laundry room. What fails on an electric dryer

How to tell

01

The plug is large, with three or four heavy prongs, and it goes into a wall outlet bigger than an ordinary one.
02

There is no gas pipe or shut-off valve behind the machine, only the cord and the vent duct.
03

The label inside the door or on the back lists 240 volts or 120/240 volts.
04

It sits on its own double breaker in the electrical panel, usually marked 30 amps.

Not yours?Gas dryerStackable dryerVentless dryer

What fails
on this design.

On an electric dryer: an open heating coil, one leg of the circuit, thermal fuse and hi-limit thermostat, belt, rollers and idler pulley.

The problems it shows

An open heating coil

The element is a long coil of resistance wire in a metal housing. It stretches and thins with years of heat, and once it breaks the drum keeps turning with no warmth at all.

One leg of the circuit

A 240-volt dryer draws on two halves of a double breaker. If one half trips or a cord terminal burns, the motor may still run on the other half while the heater gets nothing.

Thermal fuse and hi-limit thermostat

These safety parts sit on the heater housing and the blower outlet. When the vent is restricted and the housing runs hot, one of them opens, and the dryer loses heat or refuses to start.

Belt, rollers and idler pulley

Every load puts weight on the rollers and tension on the belt. Squealing, thumping and a drum that no longer turns are the usual signs of wear in the drive.

Getting at it,
and whether to.

Most electric dryers open from the front or the top, and the drum has to come out for belt, roller and heater work.

What repairs cost

On the visit

  1. The cord and outlet are part of the check, since scorched terminals cause the same no-heat complaint as a failed coil.
  2. The breaker is switched off before any panel is removed, and a meter confirms that both legs are dead.
  3. The vent is looked at on every visit, because a crushed duct is the most common reason the heater parts failed.

Repair or replace

Electric dryers are among the most repairable appliances in the house. The heater, the fuse, the belt and the rollers are all modest parts, so an older machine with a sound drum and motor is usually worth fixing. A failed control board on a dryer near the end of its life is where the decision really opens up.

Book a visit for an electric dryer

The problems
it shows.

On an electric dryer, most often dryer not heating.

All problems
A hand holding damp towels just taken from an open front-load dryer in a US home laundry room, the drum interior visible.

Dryer Not Heating

6 causes, cheapest first

 An open residential electrical panel in a US home laundry room with a double-pole breaker in the off position among rows of breakers. Fire or gas risk

Dryer Tripping Breaker

5 causes, cheapest first

 A lint screen held under a running laundry sink faucet in a US home laundry room, water beading on the mesh instead of passing through.

Dryer Takes Too Long to Dry

5 causes, cheapest first

 A front-load dryer with its door open in a US home laundry room and an empty drum, a hand resting on the drum baffle as if turning it.

Dryer Not Spinning

5 causes, cheapest first

 A crushed silver foil dryer duct pinched between the back of a dryer and a painted drywall in a US home laundry room, lint caught at the fold. Fire or gas risk

Dryer Overheating

5 causes, cheapest first

 A front-load dryer in a US home laundry room with its door open and the lint screen pulled halfway out, a thin gray layer of lint visible on the mesh. Fire or gas risk

Dryer Burning Smell

5 causes, cheapest first

Who builds
an electric.

13 of the makes on this site build an electric dryer. Each mark opens that make's own page.

All 14 brands

Electric dryer repair,
where we come out.

9 metros, each with its own page.

All service areas

Tampa BayFL · 31 areas

OrlandoFL · 30 areas

Miami / South FloridaFL · 47 areas

New York MetroNY · 75 areas

HoustonTX · 36 areas

ChicagoIL · 50 areas

Los AngelesCA · 95 areas

San DiegoCA · 31 areas

San Francisco Bay AreaCA · 74 areas

A parent and a child folding warm towels together on top of a front-load dryer in a bright laundry room
For the heart of your home.

Questions about
electric dryers.

Why does my electric dryer tumble but not heat?
The motor and the heater draw power differently, so a drum can spin while the coil gets nothing. The usual answers are a broken heating element, a blown thermal fuse, an open thermostat, or one half of the double breaker tripped. Resetting both halves of the breaker is the first thing to try.
Is a three-prong or four-prong cord a problem?
Both are found in US homes. Older houses often have three-prong outlets and newer ones four-prong, and the cord has to match the outlet. What matters is that the terminals at the back of the dryer are tight and not discolored, because a loose one overheats.
Can an electric dryer run on a normal outlet?
A full-size electric dryer needs a 240-volt circuit. Some compact and heat-pump models are designed for a standard 120-volt outlet, and the label will say so. A 240-volt dryer will not heat properly on anything less.
How long should the heating element last?
Often many years, but a restricted vent shortens it a great deal. Hot air that cannot leave the dryer keeps the coil and its housing hotter than they were designed for, which is why a new element goes in alongside a vent check.
My breaker trips when the dryer heats. What does that mean?
It points at a short to ground, most often a heating coil that has broken and touched its housing, or a damaged cord or terminal block. Leave the breaker off and do not keep resetting it. This one needs a meter before the dryer runs again.

Back to your everyday

Is it an electric dryer?

Say so when you book — it changes what the technician brings and how the visit is planned.

Schedule a repair Call (844) 314-5837
(844) 314-5837 Schedule a repair