# Dryer repair in Warren, MI | XT Appliances Warren Source: https://warren.xtappliances.com/dryer-repair XT Appliances ยท Hazel Park, next door to Warren # Dryer repair in Warren, MI No heat, slow drying, squealing or a drum that won't turn. A technician diagnoses your gas or electric dryer at your home, and you approve the price in writing before any work. [Call (636) 367-1968](tel:+16363671968)[Check the symptoms](#check) * 25% off for seniors and veterans * 90-day warranty * Same-day most weekdays ## What's your dryer doing? Pick the closest match to see what it usually means and what you can safely check first. Runs but won't heat Most often a blocked vent that overheated the dryer and blew the thermal fuse, or on an electric dryer a burned-out heating element. ### What it usually is * **Blocked vent or lint screen**Packed lint traps heat inside the dryer until a safety part cuts it off. If the outside flap barely moves while the dryer runs, start here. * **Thermal fuse**A one-time safety that opens when the dryer overheats, almost always because the vent is blocked. It doesn't reset, and a new one blows again if the vent stays packed. * **Heating element (electric only)**The coil burns through, so the drum keeps tumbling while the air blows cold. It's the most common no-heat part on an electric dryer, and a blocked vent is often what burned it out. * **Gas igniter or valve coils (gas only)**If the igniter never glows, the igniter has usually failed. If it glows bright and shuts off with no flame, the igniter is fine and the gas valve coils aren't opening the valve. * **Burnt terminal block or half a breaker (electric only)**An electric dryer needs both halves of its double breaker. Lose one to a tripped half or a burnt connection where the cord meets the dryer, and it tumbles with weak heat or none. ### Try this first * Clean the lint screen. * Check the vent hose behind the dryer for kinks and packed lint. * With the dryer running, go outside and check that the vent flap opens and blows strong, warm air. * Check the breaker. Electric dryers use a double breaker, and one half can trip. Stop using it and call now if * A burning smell, or the top is too hot to touch. * Gas smell from a gas dryer. * Scorch marks or melting at the plug or the outlet behind the dryer. [Call (636) 367-1968](tel:+16363671968)[Read the full guide](https://warren.xtappliances.com/dryer-repair/no-heat) Takes too long to dry Usually lint restricting the vent, since the moving air is what carries the water out of the clothes. ### What it usually is * **Blocked vent, lint screen or outside flap**Moving air carries the water out of the clothes. When lint chokes the vent, the drum feels hot but the load stays damp, and the outside flap barely moves. * **Blower wheel**The fan that pushes air out the vent can pack with lint or slip on the motor shaft. Weak air at a clean vent, sometimes with a rattle, points here. * **Moisture sensor bars**Metal bars in the drum tell auto cycles when the load is dry. A film of fabric softener fools them, so auto cycles stop early while a timed cycle dries fine. * **Weak heat**On an electric dryer, a cycling thermostat holding the wrong temperature or a lost half of the power supply keeps the heat low. On a gas dryer, a burner that lights and keeps going out points at the flame sensor. ### Try this first * Clean the lint screen before every load. * Look behind the dryer for a crushed or kinked vent hose. * With the dryer running, go outside and feel for strong air at the vent flap. * If auto cycles stop with the clothes damp, unplug the dryer and wipe the two metal bars inside the drum with a cloth and a little rubbing alcohol, then let them dry. Stop using it and call now if * The top or sides get too hot to touch, or you smell burning. * Scorch marks or lint piling up around the door. * Gas smell from a gas dryer. [Call (636) 367-1968](tel:+16363671968)[Read the full guide](https://warren.xtappliances.com/dryer-repair/takes-too-long) Squealing, thumping or grinding A low rumble usually means worn drum rollers, and a high squeal usually means a dry idler pulley. ### What it usually is * **Drum support rollers**The drum rides on these wheels. When they wear flat or dry out you get a low rumble or thump that rises and falls with the drum. * **Idler pulley**This spring-loaded pulley keeps the belt tight. A dry bearing gives a high squeal or chirp, and a seized one can shred the belt. * **Rear drum bearing**On many designs it holds up the back of the drum. A worn one grinds or squeals from the back of the dryer, louder with a heavy load. * **Drum glides and felt seal**The front of the drum slides on these pads and seals against the felt. Worn through, they scrape metal on metal and let warm air leak, so drying slows too. ### Try this first * Listen for the kind of sound: a high squeal, a low rumble, a scrape or a grind. * Note whether the noise comes from the front or the back of the dryer. * Run it once with a small load and once with a full one, and note whether the noise gets worse with weight. * Tell us what you heard when you call. It helps us bring the right parts. Stop using it and call now if * A burning or hot-metal smell, or the top is too hot to touch. * A squeal that ends with the drum no longer turning. [Call (636) 367-1968](tel:+16363671968)[Read the full guide](https://warren.xtappliances.com/dryer-repair/noisy) Drum won't turn Most of the time the drive belt has snapped, so the motor runs while the drum sits still. ### What it usually is * **Drive belt**The thin belt around the drum stretches and snaps with age. The motor runs normally, and with the dryer unplugged the drum spins by hand with almost no resistance. * **Seized idler pulley**A pulley that locks up shreds the belt. If the dryer squealed for a while before the drum stopped, both need replacing. * **Drive motor**If the motor hums but can't turn and the belt is intact, the motor may be seized. A motor that gets hot and quits partway through a cycle is tripping its own overload. * **Motor centrifugal switch**A switch on the end of the motor that helps it start. Worn contacts show up as a dryer that starts fine cold but only hums after a cycle, until it cools down. ### Try this first * With the dryer unplugged or its breaker off, turn the drum by hand: if it spins with almost no resistance, the belt has most likely snapped. * Press Start and listen: a motor running smoothly with a still drum points at the belt, and a hum with nothing turning points at the motor. * If it won't restart right after a cycle, let it cool and try again, and tell us whether it starts cold. Stop using it and call now if * The motor hums but nothing turns. Don't keep pressing Start. * A burning smell, or the top is too hot to touch. [Call (636) 367-1968](tel:+16363671968)[Read the full guide](https://warren.xtappliances.com/dryer-repair/drum-wont-turn) Won't start Often a tripped breaker, or a door switch that no longer tells the dryer the door is shut. ### What it usually is * **Tripped breaker or no power**If nothing lights or responds, check the breaker before suspecting any part. A burnt plug or outlet can also cut the power. * **Door switch**The dryer won't run unless this switch reports the door shut. No click when you close the door, or a door-open message on the display, points here. * **Start switch**Its contacts wear out. Pressing Start gives no hum and no click, or the dryer runs only while you hold the button in. * **Broken-belt safety switch**On many Whirlpool and Kenmore designs, a switch held closed by the belt cuts the motor when the belt snaps. A dryer that went completely dead right after a thump often has a broken belt inside. * **Thermal fuse**On models where it sits in the motor circuit, a fuse blown by overheating stops the dryer from starting at all. A history of slow drying points at the blocked vent that blew it. ### Try this first * Check the breaker. Electric dryers use a double breaker, and one half can trip. * Close the door firmly and listen for the door switch to click. * Press and hold Start for a moment, and tell us if it only runs while you hold it. Stop using it and call now if * The breaker trips again as soon as you reset it. * Scorch marks or a burnt smell at the plug or outlet. [Call (636) 367-1968](tel:+16363671968)[Read the full guide](https://warren.xtappliances.com/dryer-repair/wont-start) Stop using it and call now if: * A burning smell, or the top is too hot to touch * Gas smell from a gas dryer * Scorch marks or lint piling up around the door * Lint in the vent is a fire risk. If the dryer feels very hot or smells of burning, stop using it. If you smell gas, leave the house and call your gas company from outside. Don't switch lights or appliances on or off. ## Dryer repair, diagnosed first Most dryer calls come down to a handful of things: a vent packed with lint, a heating part that has opened, a snapped belt, or worn rollers and pulleys. The vent comes first on almost every call, because a blocked vent is what overheats a dryer until the thermal fuse blows or the element burns out. Replace the part and leave the lint, and the new part fails the same way. That's why we diagnose before we quote. Our technician checks the airflow, then tests the parts that can cause what you're seeing, and you approve the price in writing before any work starts. Lint in the vent is a fire risk, so if the top of your dryer gets too hot to touch or you smell burning, stop using it and call. We repair gas and electric dryers, stacked units included. Electric dryers heat with an element on a double breaker. Gas dryers light a burner with a glow igniter. If you smell gas, leave the house and call your gas company from outside. Don't switch lights or appliances on or off. ## Where a dryer usually fails The parts that fail most often, and what you notice when each one goes. ![Side view of a dryer showing the drum, belt, heating element, lint screen and the vent to outside](https://warren.xtappliances.com/_x/fixguide/assets/img/dryer.799ba3cc00.svg) Door switch: Won't start. Drive belt and idler pulley: Drum won't turn, or it squeals. Heating element or gas igniter: Runs but doesn't heat. Drum rollers: Thumping or squeaking. Lint screen: Takes two cycles to dry. Thermal fuse: Won't start, or no heat after overheating. Vent to outside: Slow drying, very hot top. A fire risk. ## Dryer questions Do you fix gas dryers? Yes, gas and electric. If you smell gas, leave the house and call your gas company from outside. Don't switch lights or appliances on or off. Why does my dryer take two cycles? Most often a blocked vent, sometimes a failing heating part or a fouled moisture sensor. We check the vent first, because parts replaced behind a blocked vent tend to fail again. Is lint in the vent really a fire risk? Yes. Lint in the vent is a fire risk, and a blocked vent makes the dryer run hotter than it should. If the top is too hot to touch or you smell burning, stop using it and call. My dryer's thermal fuse blew. Will a new one fix it? Only if the reason it blew gets fixed too. The fuse opens when the dryer overheats, almost always from a blocked vent, so we clear the airflow before we replace it. Should I keep using a dryer that squeals? It will usually keep drying for a while, but a squeal is most often a dry idler pulley, and a seized one can shred the belt. Stop using it if you smell burning or the drum stops turning. Do you work on stacked washers and dryers? Yes. ## Rather we call you? Leave your number and what's wrong. We'll call you back. Or call [(636) 367-1968](tel:+16363671968)