Lint Filter Is Full Or Damaged
Before examining your dryer for malfunctioning components, you should check its lint filter. This filter traps all the fibers that come off your items while they dry, preventing lint from building up in your dryer’s vent hose. A full lint filter restricts airflow in your appliance, lengthening the amount of time it takes to dry laundry.
Be sure to regularly check your lint filter before and after each cycle, removing any lint before beginning a new load of laundry. Regularly clearing the lint filter will ensure that drying times remain low. If the filter is damaged, you can easily find and install a replacement.
Dryer Is Poorly Vented
Proper ventilation is crucial for your dryer, ensuring that the right amounts of air and heat circulate through the unit. If your dryer is not vented correctly, it will not be able to effectively dry clothes, resulting in longer dryer cycles and potential safety hazards.
There are several common warning signs that a dryer is poorly vented. In addition to excessive drying times, you may notice that the dryer itself is hot to the touch, or that a moldy, mildew smell is coming from the unit. You may also notice lint build-up around the back and sides of the dryer. These problems all stem from faulty venting, which will prevent your dryer from effectively removing moisture from wet clothes. Lint build-up can be particularly troublesome, as the combination of lint and excessive heat can create a fire hazard in your home.
Properly venting a dryer unit is particularly challenging for many homeowners, and while you can fix this problem by referencing your dryer’s installation instructions, solving venting issues is best left to a professional dryer repair service.
Problems With Internal Dryer Parts
If your dryer is properly vented and you have no issues with its lint filter, you may indeed have malfunctioning internal components.
One common cause of a dryer that won’t dry properly is a defective blower wheel. This wheel is attached to the dryer’s drive motor, and promotes proper airflow within the unit. If it’s loose or broken, the blower wheel can reduce airflow to the point where the dryer’s high limit thermostat trips and turns off the heat circuit. As a result, your laundry will not receive the heat it needs to dry.
If you have a gas dryer, you may be experiencing issues with your gas valve coils. These coils help supply the unit with gas for heat, and defective coils result in poor heating and increased dry times.
A more common problem for all dryers is a faulty door seal. The dryer’s door seal prevents cool air from entering the unit and hot air from leaving it. A worn or damaged door seal will significantly impact temperatures within the dryer drum, resulting in longer drying times.
It can be difficult to resolve issues with your dryer’s internal components, as the solutions often require disassembling the appliance. For assistance, be sure to enlist the services of a factory-certified appliance repair service.
Restore Your Dryer To Proper Working Order
The dryer provides a wealth of advanced and effective capabilities to your laundry room, and a dryer that takes too long to dry is a major inconvenience. You expect your appliance to provide dry items whenever needed, and by understanding why your dryer is not operating properly, you’ll be better prepared to repair your unit.
Fixing a dryer that takes too long to dry may seem like a daunting task, so if you need additional help with your unit, be sure to contact a professional appliance repair service.
