Whirlpoolm dryer not heating – please help 🙂

[KatieM]

I have a Whirlpool dryer that is no longer heating. It was taking longer and longer to dry my clothes (which I thought was because it’s in the garage). I dried a couple of throw blankets that were EXTREMELY linty (I was pulling out enough lint after 15 minutes to insulate my attic), and the next time I went to use it, it was no longer heating up.

I thought it was lint build-up, so I pulled the back off my dryer, removed a couple of screws and a couple of nuts so that I could check the lint chute, but it wasn’t clogged up. There was a little bit of lint around the fan(?) blades at the bottom, and I removed this. Still no heat.

I went and bought a new heating element, and replaced it. Still no heat. I double-checked mine after reading a post that said the coils would be broken if it was defective, and all of the coils were intact, so I put my old one back on.

Any other suggestions? It’s about 5 years old, and has worked perfectly up until the drying time started taking longer. I live in the sticks, and it would cost me a fortune just to have someone come out here let alone actually fix it, and I have 5 kids and can’t keep going to the laundry mat.

Thanks in advance 🙂

[DanO]

** Whirlpool dryer that is no longer heating. It was taking longer and longer to dry my clothes … I thought it was lint build-up, so I pulled the back off my dryer **

It could have been caused by a lint build up but more likely one *in the ducting leading to the outdoors* than inside the dryer. Did you check the venting from the dryer *all the way to the outdoors*?

You can read about dryer venting at the following link:

LINK > http://www.appliance411.com/links/jump.cgi?ID=778

While a plugged vent won’t in itself stop the dryer from completely heating, it could have been responsible for the gradual reduced drying ability but could also have caused a thermal fuse in the dryer to open (if whatever model of dryer you have has one) now preventing all heat.

If that’s not it, you can read about other possibilities at this link. Each would have to be tested for one at a time until the cause in your case if found.

Can anybody tell me the most likely scenarios for lack of heat in an electric dryer?
LINK > http://www.appliance411.com/links/jump.cgi?ID=457

If you need any further assistance please post the machine’s model number so we can find out how it was designed (they’re not all the same) and what parts it has that might be responsible for your symptom. You can find tips for locating the model and serial number tag on your appliances in the ‘Repair Parts’ section of my site linked below.

Dan O.
http://www.Appliance411.com/?ref411=Whirlpool+Dryer
The Appliance Information Site
=D~~~~~~

[Giddaymate]

Hi’
I think DanO is on to somthing when he says it could be the Thermal Fuse. There is a site that shows whirlpool dryer problems called http://www.repair2000.com/dryer it shows you a diagram of a whirlpool dryer and what the part looks like. Hope this helps you. I have 3 kids and its hard enough.I would be lost without my dryer.
regards Noelene

[KatieM]

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Okay… I couldn’t find a meter to test the switches, so I went ahead and bought both of them. The two switches came to less than the heating element, so I actually got a little refund that will pay for the gas I used going back and forth to town!

The guy at the appliance shop told me that if the one starts to go out, it usually takes out the one with the fuse. So I replaced both of them. Electrical parts are non-refundable, and I’m really tired of the back of my dryer 😉

Knowing what to look for on the back of the dryer layout, and then actually having that picture to take out to the garage with me, was the best help I could ever have gotten. Thank you so much for the help that y’all gave me! I was fixin’ to make another trip to the laundry mat this afternoon, and instead did what was suggested, so now I can stay home and do my laundry here! I’m so excited that I was actually able to do this 🙂

[Author]

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