Like all other appliances, clothes dryers experience their share of problems after a while. While some of these require appliance repair from a reputable dryer repair company, some problems can be easily remedied at home. When a dryer stops tumbling the clothes, but everything else seems to work, there are a number of reasons this could be happening. The following tips may help consumers to determine what the cause is, and whether they need dryer repair services, or can fix their appliance on their own.
What to Look for When Dryers Don't Tumble
When a dryer produces heat and air, and the controls seem to all work but it does not tumble, these are the most common reasons why:
- Dryer Door Switch - No matter what the make or model is, one thing all dryers have in common is the door switch. Dryer door switches tell the machine when the door is fully closed, and it is safe for the drum to tumble. When the switch goes bad - a common occurrence - this message is interrupted and the dryer does not know the door is closed, something requiring an appliance repair.
- Circuit Breakers - Some dryers require two fuses to run fully, including running the motor that turns the drum. It is possible for the dryer itself to be working while the drum fails to turn if one fuse on the dryer’s circuit is blown. Check the circuit breaker panel in the house to make sure both are intact, and reset, or replace fuses as necessary. Also, check the electrical outlet the dryer is plugged into, as the outlet itself may contain a circuit breaker that needs to be reset. This is something you can do yourself, with out calling a dryer repair company for dryer repair services.
- Dryer Belt - The belt that connects from the motor to the drum can become worn, or even break over time. It is easy to check the dryer belt by unplugging the dryer, then removing the front panel under the door. The belt should be flexible, with lots of grip on both sides. If it is stiff, smooth, frayed or shows other signs of wear, or if it is broken altogether, it should be replaced.
- Idler Pulley Assembly - The idler pulley assembly tensions the dryer belt, and can wear out or break over time. If the dryer makes a squeaking, squealing or thumping noise, or the drum turns slower than normal, or not at all, this could indicate a problem with the idler pulley assembly.
- Drive Motor - To turn the drum via the dryer belt and idler pulley assembly, a dryer has a drive motor. When the belts and pulleys are fine, sometimes the drive motor itself has gone bad. Sometimes this can be detected by a humming sound coming from the motor while the drum fails to turn, but a definitive diagnosis requires electrical testing by a qualified appliance repair tech.
- Thermal Fuse - The thermal fuse on a dryer is designed to prevent the dryer from becoming too hot, which can cause a fire. Normally, when the thermal fuse pops because there is a heating problem, or because the fuse itself breaks for some other reason, the dryer just stops creating heat. Some dryer models are designed to also stop tumbling as well.
The above list represents several different reasons why a dryer might stop tumbling, some of which require dryer repair services and some that do not. Most homeowners should be able to check circuit breakers and belts on their own, and more often than not, one of these will be the problem. When the concern is something more significant, appliance repair by a reputable dryer repair company should be arranged. In most cases, whatever is preventing the dryer from tumbling is a fairly straightforward repair!
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