Check these first
Smell gas? Leave the home now, then call FortisBC at 1-800-663-9911 or 911 from outside.
Five minutes, no tools, nothing you can break.
- Clean the lint screenPull it, clear it, rinse it if it looks waxy from dryer sheets. A choked screen is the cheapest fix there is.
- Electric dryer: check both halves of the breakerDryers run on a 240 volt double breaker. If one half trips, the drum can still spin with no heat. Switch it fully off, then on.
- Feel the vent outside while it runsA strong, warm push of air is good. A weak puff means the duct is blocked somewhere, and that's what blows fuses.
- Ventless or condensing dryer: clean the condenserMost pull out from behind a panel at the bottom front. Rinse it, let it dry, and empty the water tank if yours has one.
- Gas dryer: is the gas on?Check the valve on the line behind the dryer is open, especially after a move or a renovation.
Smell burning? Stop the dryer and unplug it, then call us.
What's usually wrong, by dryer type
Electric
- Blown thermal fuse or thermal cutoff
- Heating element burned through
- High limit thermostat or cycling thermostat
- One leg of the 240 volt supply missing
Gas
- Igniter that no longer glows, or glows and quits
- Gas valve coils that won't open the valve
- Flame sensor
- Thermal fuse, same as electric
Ventless and condensing
- Condenser clogged with lint
- Heater or thermistor fault
- Water tank full, or the pump can't empty it
- Slow, not cold: often airflow, not heat
Washer dryer combos
- Overloaded for the dry cycle (it takes far less than a wash)
- Condensing water valve or heater
- Lint in the condensing duct
- Long dry times are normal; no heat isn't
In a condo, the vent may not be yours
A lot of dryer trouble in towers starts in the duct, not the dryer. A long run to the outside wall, or a shared riser with a booster fan, can choke airflow until the fuse blows. In BC, ducts that serve more than one unit or run through common walls are often common property under the strata plan. Check your bylaws, and let the tech tell you which side of the wall the fault is on.
Usually yours
The dryer, its lint screen and condenser, and the short flexible hose from the dryer to the wall.
Often the strata's
Ducts inside the walls, shared risers, booster fans and the exterior vent hood. Ask your property manager.
Where's the sticker on a dryer?
Open the door. Look up, on the frame.
- Open the door and look up and around the inside of the opening, on the frame.
- Not there? Check the inner edge of the door itself, then the back panel.
Worth fixing?
Usually worth fixing
Fuses, heating elements and igniters are among the most fixable faults a dryer has. The cases we talk through with you: a worn drum bearing on top of the heat fault, or a control board on an older machine. Either way the tech tells you straight, repair or replace, before any work starts.
Dryer repair across Metro Vancouver
Towers, townhouses and houses, from the North Shore to Langley.
Dryer heat questions
Why does my dryer run but not heat?
The drum turning means the motor and belt work; the heat side has stopped. Electric: a thermal fuse, the heating element, or half the breaker. Gas: the igniter or the gas valve coils. A blocked vent is a common reason the fuse blew.
Can I just replace the thermal fuse myself?
You can find the part, but a fuse blows for a reason. If the vent is still blocked, the new one goes too, and running a dryer around a bypassed fuse is a fire risk. Find the airflow problem first.
Is my condo's dryer vent my problem or the strata's?
It depends on your bylaws and strata plan. Ducts serving more than one unit or running through common walls are often common property. The tech can tell you whether the fault is in the dryer or the duct.