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Dryer Not Heating: Causes & Fixes

The drum turns but the clothes stay cold and damp.

The first thing to rule out costs nothing: an air-only cycle adds no heat at any point, and a cycle left on fluff or cool-down will tumble a full load cold. Whirlpool, Maytag and GE all list cycle and temperature selection ahead of any component fault.

Before you work on your dryer

  • Power: Unplug the dryer or switch off its circuit breaker before removing panels or touching wiring.
  • Water: Turn off the water supply valve before disconnecting hoses or the inlet valve.
  • Heat: Water and the heating element can be hot right after a cycle; let the dryer cool first.
  • Sharp debris: Wear gloves when reaching into the filter or sump; broken glass often collects there.
  • Stop: If you smell burning, see smoke or sparks, or find water near wiring, switch off the breaker and call a technician.
  • The circuit breaker keeps tripping: A breaker that trips again as soon as you reset it, or trips every time the dryer heats, is reporting a fault in the wiring or the appliance. Do not keep resetting it and do not tape or wedge it on.
  • Gas burner, igniter, gas valve or gas line work: Opening the burner housing, testing or replacing the igniter or gas valve coils, and any work on the gas line or its connections are not do-it-yourself repairs on a gas dryer.
  • Mains wiring, the power cord, the outlet, or grounding is involved: Work on the dryer's power cord, its terminal block, the outlet, house wiring, or the appliance ground is not a do-it-yourself repair. Do not rewire a 3-prong cord to a 4-prong outlet or the reverse by guesswork.
  • You smell gas around the dryer: If you smell gas near a gas dryer, stop. Do not touch any electrical switch, do not unplug anything, and do not use a phone inside the building. Do not light a match or any flame.
  • Disconnect power before opening the dryer: Unplug the dryer or switch off both of its circuit breakers before removing any panel, before touching the terminal block, and before testing the thermal fuse, thermostats or the heating element.
  • Lint is the fuel in a dryer fire: Clean the lint screen before or after every load, and clean the lint that collects behind and under the dryer. Lint that builds up inside the cabinet or the duct is what catches fire when the dryer overheats.
  • A blocked exhaust duct overheats the dryer: A dryer that runs with a blocked or crushed exhaust duct traps its own heat. Do not keep running it to finish the load: clear the duct first, and check that air is actually leaving the outside vent.

Why your dryer is not heating

  1. Clogged lint screen restricting airflow: A clogged lint screen is the most common restriction, and CPSC ties the symptom straight back to it: clothes still damp at the end of a normal cycle, or cycles that take longer than they used to, are a sign that the lint screen or the exhaust duct is blocked. Difficulty 1/5.
  2. Blocked, crushed or over-long exhaust duct: Past the lint screen, the exhaust duct itself is the restriction. LG tells owners to check that the exhaust hose behind the dryer is not crushed, dented, kinked or compressed; Whirlpool adds excessive length to the same list. Difficulty 2/5.
  3. One of the dryer's two circuit breakers has tripped: An electric dryer runs on two circuit breakers, not one. Whirlpool and Maytag document a separate 30-amp circuit fused on both sides of the line, with one side running the motor and the other the heating element, so a single tripped breaker leaves the drum turning with no heat at all. Difficulty 1/5.
  4. Blown thermal fuse (usually downstream of a blocked vent): When a dryer tumbles normally but makes no heat whatsoever, the thermal fuse is the classic culprit: iFixit describes it as the last line of defence, and says a blown one leaves the machine either dead or running with no heat. Difficulty 4/5.
  5. The gas shutoff valve behind the dryer is closed: On a gas dryer the equivalent free check is the gas shutoff valve. Whirlpool and Maytag both state that the drum of a gas dryer will turn but will not heat if the gas shutoff valve is closed, which is the single most common cause after a move or a new installation. Difficulty 1/5.
  6. Burned-out heating element (electric dryers): On an electric dryer the heating element itself can burn open. iFixit checks it with a multimeter and expects roughly a 10-ohm reading; no continuity means the element is burned out. Difficulty 4/5.
  7. Failed igniter (gas dryers): The gas equivalent is the igniter. iFixit's check is to watch the gas burner and see whether the igniter glows, and gives an expected igniter resistance of about 80-400 ohms. Difficulty 5/5.
  8. An air-only, fluff or cool-down cycle was selected: The first thing to rule out costs nothing: an air-only cycle adds no heat at any point, and a cycle left on fluff or cool-down will tumble a full load cold. Whirlpool, Maytag and GE all list cycle and temperature selection ahead of any component fault. Difficulty 1/5.
  9. Failed cycling or hi-limit thermostat: Two thermostats sit between the controls and the heat source. iFixit describes the cycling thermostat as the first line of control that turns the heat source on and off, and the hi-limit as the one that cuts the heat when the operating thermostat fails or the dryer is overheating. Difficulty 4/5.
  10. Worn gas valve solenoid coils (gas dryers): A gas dryer whose igniter glows but never lights the burner usually has failed gas valve solenoid coils: iFixit notes the coils wear out over time so that they no longer open the gas valve when they should. Difficulty 5/5.
  11. Only one leg of the 240-volt supply is reaching the dryer: This is why a half-dead supply looks like a heating fault: GE states that an electric dryer may run on a partial 120 volts but will not heat without a 208V/240V supply, and Whirlpool states that an electric dryer needs a 240-volt supply to operate correctly. Difficulty 5/5.
  12. Overloaded drum: the load never dries: An overloaded drum reads as a dryer that will not heat because the load never dries. Whirlpool's guidance is that overloading restricts tumbling and airflow, and that the drum should be about one-half to three-quarters full. Difficulty 1/5.

Find the cause for your dryer

Before anything else: do you smell gas near the dryer, or do you smell burning, see smoke, or find scorched lint?

Step-by-step checks for a dryer not heating

Check both of the dryer's circuit breakers

About 10 minutes

  1. Find the dryer's circuit in the breaker panel: an electric dryer uses a double breaker, two poles on one 30-amp circuit.
  2. A half-tripped double breaker often does not look tripped. Switch it fully off, then back on.
  3. Run the empty heat test again and see whether the drum now heats.

Check which cycle and temperature were selected

About 5 minutes

  1. Look at the cycle and the temperature setting used for the load that came out cold.
  2. Air Only, Air Fluff and no-heat settings tumble without heat at any point in the cycle.
  3. Set a normal dry cycle with a heat setting, not fluff or cool down, and start it again.

Check the gas shutoff valve behind the dryer

About 10 minutes

  1. Look at the shutoff valve on the gas pipe behind the dryer, without moving the dryer more than you must.
  2. The valve is open when the handle lies parallel to the pipe, and closed when it sits across the pipe at 90 degrees.
  3. If it is closed, open it, then run the empty heat test again.
  4. If you smell gas at any point, stop and follow the gas warning above.

Check and clean the lint screen

About 10 minutes

  1. Pull the lint screen out and hold it up to the light: a film of fabric-softener residue blocks air even when the screen looks clean.
  2. Clear the lint off, wash the screen in warm water if it is filmed over, and dry it before putting it back.
  3. Clear any lint you can see in the screen housing itself.

Check the load size

About 5 minutes

  1. Look at how full the drum was when the load came out damp.
  2. Aim for a drum that is about one-half to three-quarters full so the load can tumble and air can move through it.
  3. Split an oversized load in two and run it again.

Check the airflow at the outside vent while the dryer runs

About 15 minutes

  1. Start the dryer on a normal cycle.
  2. Go outside to where the dryer vents and put your hand at the vent hood.
  3. Check that the flap opens and that air is actually coming out; clear any lint, debris or nests from the hood.
  4. Weak airflow or none at all means the duct or the hood is restricted.

Run the empty five-minute heat test

About 10 minutes

  1. Take everything out of the drum and close the door.
  2. Select a heated timed cycle, not Air Only, Air Fluff or a cool-down setting.
  3. Run it for 5 minutes, then open the door and feel inside the drum.

How to fix a dryer not heating

Clean the lint screen before every load

About 10 minutes · Difficulty 1/5

  1. Clear the lint off the screen before or after every load.
  2. Wash the screen in warm water with a soft brush if softener sheets have left a film on it, and dry it before refitting.
  3. Clear the lint that collects in the screen housing and behind the dryer.

Open the gas shutoff valve

About 10 minutes · Difficulty 1/5

  1. Turn the handle on the shutoff valve so that it lies parallel to the gas pipe.
  2. Run the empty heat test again.
  3. If you smell gas at any point, stop, leave the building and call your gas supplier from outside.

Dry smaller loads

About 5 minutes · Difficulty 1/5

  1. Load the drum about one-half to three-quarters full so the clothes can tumble.
  2. Split heavy items such as towels, bedding or work clothes into two loads.

Reset both poles of the dryer's breaker

About 10 minutes · Difficulty 1/5

  1. Switch the dryer's double breaker fully off, then back on: a half-tripped pole often does not look tripped.
  2. Run the empty heat test again.
  3. If the breaker trips again, stop and leave it off.

Run a heated cycle instead of Air Only or Fluff

About 5 minutes · Difficulty 1/5

  1. Select a normal timed or sensor dry cycle with a heat setting.
  2. Check that the temperature is not set to Air Only, Air Fluff or a no-heat option, which never add heat.

Clear the exhaust duct and the outside vent hood

About 60 minutes · Difficulty 2/5

  1. Unplug the dryer or switch off its breakers before pulling it out.
  2. Disconnect the duct at the dryer and clear the lint out of the duct and the wall connection.
  3. Outside, check that the vent hood flap opens freely and clear any lint, debris or nests.
  4. Straighten kinks, free anything crushing the duct, and keep the run as short and straight as possible.
  5. Reconnect the duct to both the dryer and the outside vent before running the dryer again.
  6. Clean the whole run every one to two years, or sooner when drying takes longer than it used to.

Replace plastic or foil accordion duct with rigid metal

About 90 minutes · Difficulty 3/5

  1. Unplug the dryer or switch off its breakers first.
  2. Replace plastic or foil accordion-type ducting with rigid or corrugated semi-rigid metal duct.
  3. Keep the run short and straight, with as few elbows as the installation allows.
  4. Check your model's installation instructions for the maximum length it permits.

Test the heating element for continuity (electric dryers)

About 120 minutes · Difficulty 4/5

  1. Unplug the dryer before opening the cabinet.
  2. Check the heating element's resistance with a multimeter; roughly 10 ohms is the expected reading.
  3. No continuity means the element has burned out and needs replacing.
  4. Clear the exhaust duct at the same time: elements usually burn out because the dryer has been overheating.

Test the thermal fuse, and clear the duct before replacing it

About 90 minutes · Difficulty 4/5

  1. Unplug the dryer before removing any panel.
  2. Find the thermal fuse on the exhaust ducting downstream of the blower.
  3. Test it for continuity with a multimeter: no continuity means it has blown.
  4. Clear the exhaust duct before fitting a new fuse. A thermal fuse blows because the dryer overheated, and a restricted duct will blow the new one too.

Test the cycling and hi-limit thermostats

About 90 minutes · Difficulty 4/5

  1. Unplug the dryer before opening the cabinet.
  2. The cycling thermostat switches the heat source on and off; the hi-limit cuts the heat when the dryer overheats.
  3. Test each for continuity at room temperature with a multimeter.
  4. A tripped hi-limit is a symptom of restricted airflow, so clear the duct before replacing anything.

When to call a technician about a dryer not heating

  • Have an electrician check the 240-volt supply
  • Have the gas valve coils diagnosed by a technician
  • Have the igniter diagnosed and replaced by a technician

Sources

  1. Electric Dryer - Runs But Does Not Heat, GE Appliances (retrieved 2026-09-21)
  2. Gas Dryer - Runs But Does Not Heat, GE Appliances (retrieved 2026-09-21)
  3. GE Appliance - Circuit Breaker Trips, GE Appliances (retrieved 2026-09-21)
  4. Electric Dryer Not Heating - iFixit Troubleshooting, iFixit (retrieved 2026-09-21)
  5. Gas Dryer Not Heating - iFixit Troubleshooting, iFixit (retrieved 2026-09-21)
  6. LG Dryer - What to Do If You Smell Gas Around Your LG Dryer, LG Electronics USA (retrieved 2026-09-21)
  7. LG Dryer - Why is My Dryer Not Heating, Not Drying or Taking a Long Time Drying?, LG Electronics USA (retrieved 2026-09-21)
  8. LG Dryer Owner's Manual DLEX8000W / DLGX8001W, LG Electronics USA (retrieved 2026-09-21)
  9. Dryer is Not Heating, Maytag (retrieved 2026-09-21)
  10. Overheated Clothes Dryers Can Cause Fires, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (retrieved 2026-09-21)
  11. Not Heating - Electric Dryer, Whirlpool Corporation (retrieved 2026-09-21)
  12. Dryer is not Drying or Experiencing Long Dry Times, Whirlpool Corporation (retrieved 2026-09-21)
  13. Dryer is Not Heating, Whirlpool Corporation (retrieved 2026-09-21)

Last updated September 30, 2026 · facts last verified September 21, 2026 · How we source and verify

Guidance only; follow your appliance manual and local codes. If anything looks unsafe, stop and call a qualified technician. Safety disclaimer