Dryer Not Heating
There are any number of reasons why a tumble dryer will demonstrate the fault of “won’t heat” and here we will look at the most common reasons for that fault and how to troubleshoot it.
These are the most common scenarios but they can vary depending on the make and model of the dryer. If you need any clarification or extra help please ask in the forums where you can get more specific advice in regard to a particular make and model as well as the problem.
Heating Element
The first port of call for most people or, the first thought at least, will be the heating element itself.
Obviously if the element has gone open circuit then the dryer will not heat up as the element is faulty and, just like a light bulb, if the element is broken (either visibly or internally) then it simply will not work.
For most tumble dryers checking this is merely a case of accessing the heating element and testing it with a meter. If it is open circuit then it will require to be replaced.
If the element is good in that respect then you will need to look elsewhere for the problem and, there is a far more common cause for the fault of a tumble dryer not heating.
More about replacement heating elements can be found here
Tumble Dryer Thermostats
These are a much more common reason why a tumble dryer will not heat. Especially the “overheat” thermostat being activated on modern tumble dryers.
Generally speaking you will have at least two thermostats in any tumble dryer.
One is the control thermostat, this is the thermostat that switched the heating element on and off as required, controlling and maintaining the temperature inside the tumble dryer.
The other is an overheat or protection device, sort of like a fuse that will “trip” or activate should your dryer get too hot. This is a safety device and should not, under any circumstance, be by-passed as doing so can be incredibly dangerous.
There are other articles on the topic of tumble dryer thermostats explaining them more in depth should you need them as follows:
Tumble dryer thermostat failures explained
About replacement tumble dryer thermostats
Getting the correct replacement parts are usually not too difficult, some are cheap whilst some are not. There has been a trend toward bundling the element and thermostats in one unit for a number of brands making the replacement heater and thermostats more expensive but the upside to this is that you know the whole lot is good when replaced.
I have a Bosch dryer heater pump design and it won\’t heat up after 3 hours the clothes are still damp and smell moldy ?
The water chamber doesn\’t fill either and won\’t self clean ?
I\’ve looked at the pump and cleaned it but it\’s still the same
Heat pump dryers don\’t get very hot at all and 3 hours for a cycle or longer isn\’t unusual.
However it does sound like it might not be heating but that is a job for Bosch as they are the only people with the technical info to look at it I expect.
our hotpoint condenser dryer has a heat problem. in the past i have \”popped\” the green dot stat, but upon checking last time only one bar of the 4 on the element got red, so i have replaced the element ( it did have a break in it ) , no difference, so i ordered 2 new stats. all genuine parts still only one section of element gets hot and when on high heat. what else can i look at. its a hotpoint TDC32P
I’ve got a beko DCU 8230, Which would trip the house electrics.
I tracked the problem down to the heating element which I changed.
Now with the new element fitted, the drier will turn on and spin without tripping the electrics for the rest of the house.
But the only problem is it doesn’t heat up. I’ve checked the thermostat reset and it’s ok.
Could the problem be else where?
I also noticed that the old thermostat had two metal thermostats and the new one has 1 metal and 1 plastic.
Which is weird but I can’t get a answer out of Beko and I’ve definitely ordered the correct part
I’m pretty stumped with this.
Empty water light is on , but machine empty it water.
Also will not heat up.
I HAVE A HOTPOINT 9327W VENTED DRIER. IT HAS 2 HEAT SETTINGS, LOW AND HIGH. IT DOESN’T GET PROPERLY HOT ON EITHER SETTING. i HAVE TESTED THE THERMOSTATS AND THEY ARE BOTH OK . I CAN’T TEST THE ELEMENTS WITH A METER BECAUSE I DON’T KNOW HOW THEY ARE WIRED. IS A WIRING DIAGRAM AVAILABLE FOR THIS MACHINE?
ALSO, HOW DO I GET AT THE ELEMENTS AS THE HOUSING IS POP RIVETED FROM THE OTHER SIDE. IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO ACCESS THEM FROM JUST TAKING THE BACK OFF.
I have a Hotpoint TCFS93BGP.9(UK) dryer that only gets very slightly warm
I have checked the elements and thermostats at the rear and all seem okay
The thermistor on the front reads 600 Ohm, however the rear one measures about 1000 Ohm at room temp and doesnt change if I cool it and only rises by about 200 Ohm if I use boiling water to heat it
I am suspicious of it – do you know what it should read?
Thanks