DIY: Electric Dryer Doesn't Get Very Hot
- 1
A dryer's circuit breakers need to be in the correct position.Thinkstock Images/Comstock/Getty Images
Open the door to the home's circuit breakers and check to see if any have been tripped. An electric dryer requires two circuit breakers and, although not a common occurrence, one may trip and the other may remain open causing the dryer to run but not heat. All breaker switches should face toward the middle of the breaker panel. - 2). Check the heating element with a multimeter. Elements are typically accessed by removing the back panel of the dryer. Normally, the panel is held in place with hex-head, self-tapping screws. A driver and a small socket -- 3/32 inch or so -- will remove the screws. Unplug the dryer before working on any inside parts. The heating element looks like a long coil of wire. Set the multimeter to the ohm setting and at its lowest scale, most likely RX1. Touch a probe to each end of the element. If the meter continues to read infinity, the element is bad and needs to be replaced. Each dryer is different, but the element is usually held in place with a few screws.
- 3). Find and check the thermal fuse for continuity. A thermal fuse is about an inch long, oblong in shape and white with black resin on top. It is located along the duct near the back-bottom of the dryer. A thermal fuse shuts off electricity to the heating element in the event the exhaust gases exiting the dryer are too hot. The purpose is to prevent fires that could occur in the duct. On many dryer models, the drum continues to rotate when a thermal fuse is blown, but heat will not be applied to dry the clothes. Test the fuse for continuity in the same manner as you did the heating element. If the multimeter reads infinity, the fuse is bad and needs to be replaced. One or two screws holds the fuse in place. Also check the dryer duct for any lint buildup or obstructions that may have caused it to overheat.
- 4). Remove the two wire leads from the cycling thermostat, also located on the duct. The thermostat is small, round and attached to an oblong mounting plate. These thermostats sometimes fail, causing the dryer to overheat and the thermal fuse to blow. It is a good practice to replace both the thermal fuse and the cycling thermostat at the same time. Check the thermostat with the multimeter. It should give a reading of zero. If it registers any other reading, replace the cycling thermostat.
