Fix-It Guy: Dryer Doesn’t Dry the Clothes — 3 Easy Fixes
[ad_1]
It’s frustrating to find your clothes still damp after your clothes dryer completes the cycle. This can even happen with a dryer that’s less than two years old. Does this mean you need to throw away your clothes dryer and buy a new one? No, it doesn’t.
Of all home appliances, clothes dryers are the easiest and least expensive to repair. Other types of appliances can suffer breakdowns that are so expensive to fix that it makes more sense to replace them. Dryers, on the other hand, commonly last over 20 years. You just need to periodically replace inexpensive parts that wear out. Our dryer at home is over 25 years old and still going strong.
When a dryer doesn’t dry the clothes, most people will simply set the dryer to run another full cycle to dry the clothes. This wastes time, energy, and creates a bigger carbon footprint.
The good news is that you can usually resolve the problem with some simple dryer maintenance. Here are three easy fixes to get your dryer running like new again.
1. Clear the Dryer Vents
Obstructed airflow is the number one cause of a slow-drying dryer. Dryers require good airflow to work properly. When the hot, moist air inside the dryer can’t escape fast enough, the dryer can’t shed the wetness on the clothes. As a result, it will continue running sometimes for hours beyond the normal drying time.
The part of the dryer that is most likely obstructing the escape of the moist air is the vent tube behind the dryer.
Here’s a quick way to test your dryer’s ability to shed the moist air from the wet laundry. Start the dryer and then go outside and feel the air coming out of the dryer air vent. The flow of air coming out should be as strong as air from a hairdryer. If the airflow is weak, you have a clogged air vent.
Often, the clog is right at the air vent where it leaves the house. There’s usually some type of device to keep animals from getting inside the vent. Either three plastic louvers that hinge open or a screen.
You can easily clean away the lint from the outside dryer vent and your dryer should run strong again. This video shows how to clean this type of vent: Cleaning an Outside Dryer Vent
If the vent is clear of obstructions where it leaves the house, then the clog is inside the dryer vent tube. Most clogs form where the tube bends. If the dryer vent tube has to go up above the dryer to leave the house, then the clog will be right where the vent tube exits the dryer near the floor.
A dryer vent cleaning brush attaches to your drill and does a great job cleaning out lint buildup as seen in this video: How to Clean the Dryer Vent
If your dryer vent tube is longer than 15 feet, you’ll need to clean the vent tube up to four times per year to keep it clear. When the vent tube gets clogged, not only does it take twice as long to dry the clothes, but it also makes lint build up inside the dryer cabinet.
A buildup of lint inside the dryer cabinet can cause a fire, as I explain in this video: How to Prevent Dryer Fires
2. Replace the Thermal Fuse
The next most common cause for a dryer that doesn’t heat up to dry the clothes is a blown thermal fuse. These are inexpensive safety devices that cut power to the dryer’s heater when the dryer gets too hot. The main reason dryers get too hot is due to a clogged dryer vent tube as discussed above.
These three videos show how to easily replace the thermal fuse on three popular dryer brands:
3. Reset the Fuse
The third fix is the most fun and the fastest. It works on two of the most-sold dryer brands: LG and Samsung. When these dryers get too hot, they blow a resettable fuse that stops power from reaching the dryer’s heater. Resetting the fuse is a matter of just pressing a button as seen in this picture:
This video shows how to easily get to the hidden button: Quick LG Dryer Reset
Once again, it’s important to clean the dryer vent tube so the dryer won’t overheat again.
Additional Dryer Problem Causers
The following culprits can also cause a dryer to take too long to dry. Fortunately, the fixes are easy.
Anti-Cling Dryer Sheets
Dryer sheets are very bad for your dryer because they clog your lint filter with a waxy coating as seen in this video on cleaning a dirty dryer filter: How to Clean the Lint Filter
Dryer sheets also coat the dryer’s moisture sensor with a waxy coating that prevents the dryer controller from knowing that the clothes are dry. A natural, chemical-free anti-static solution that’s safer for you and your dryer is wool dryer balls.
Clogged Lint Filter Housing
Even if you clean the lint filter regularly, lint can clog the housing underneath the lint filter.
Here’s a video on how to clean the filter housing: How to Clean the Filter Housing
Too Many Bends in the Dryer Vent Tube
One last thing that can cause a dryer to take too long to dry the clothes is a dryer vent tube with too many bends in it. Each 90-degree bend of the vent tube takes down dryer efficiency by 15%. Try to have no more than two bends in the vent tube.
Dryers Need Good Airflow
Keeping your dryer’s airflow going strong gets your clothes dried a whole lot faster, saves energy, and reduces pollution. Plus, fixing it yourself is rewarding, extends the life of your dryer, and saves you money.
[ad_2]
Original Post
naturally like your web-site however you need to test the spelling on several of your posts. A number of them are rife with spelling problems and I in finding it very troublesome to inform the truth however I’ll definitely come back again.
Today, I went to the beachfront with my children. I found a sea shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She placed the shell to her ear and screamed. There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear. She never wants to go back! LoL I know this is entirely off topic but I had to tell someone!
you have a great blog here! would you like to make some invite posts on my blog?
It is truly a great and useful piece of info. I’m glad that you simply shared this useful info with us. Please keep us informed like this. Thank you for sharing.
Awsome info and right to the point. I don’t know if this is really the best place to ask but do you folks have any ideea where to employ some professional writers? Thank you 🙂
With havin so much content and articles do you ever run into any issues of plagorism or copyright infringement? My blog has a lot of exclusive content I’ve either authored myself or outsourced but it seems a lot of it is popping it up all over the internet without my agreement. Do you know any ways to help reduce content from being ripped off? I’d certainly appreciate it.
Hello there, I found your web site via Google while searching for a related topic, your website came up, it looks good. I have bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.
Your place is valueble for me. Thanks!…
Together with every little thing that seems to be developing inside this specific subject matter, a significant percentage of viewpoints happen to be fairly refreshing. Even so, I appologize, because I do not give credence to your whole theory, all be it exhilarating none the less. It looks to everybody that your opinions are not entirely validated and in fact you are yourself not even fully confident of the point. In any event I did enjoy reading through it.
With havin so much written content do you ever run into any problems of plagorism or copyright infringement? My blog has a lot of completely unique content I’ve either written myself or outsourced but it seems a lot of it is popping it up all over the internet without my permission. Do you know any methods to help protect against content from being stolen? I’d truly appreciate it.
Well I sincerely enjoyed reading it. This post provided by you is very effective for accurate planning.
It’s perfect time to make some plans for the future and it’s time to be happy. I’ve read this post and if I could I want to suggest you few interesting things or suggestions. Perhaps you could write next articles referring to this article. I wish to read even more things about it!
Hello! I could have sworn I’ve been to this blog before but after browsing through some of the post I realized it’s new to me. Anyways, I’m definitely happy I found it and I’ll be book-marking and checking back frequently!
Thank you for sharing excellent informations. Your web site is so cool. I’m impressed by the details that you?¦ve on this site. It reveals how nicely you understand this subject. Bookmarked this web page, will come back for extra articles. You, my friend, ROCK! I found just the info I already searched everywhere and just could not come across. What a great site.
I am often to blogging and i really appreciate your content. The article has really peaks my interest. I am going to bookmark your site and keep checking for new information.
You made various fine points there. I did a search on the topic and found mainly persons will have the same opinion with your blog.
I’m truly enjoying the design and layout of your site. It’s a very easy on the eyes which makes it much more pleasant for me to come here and visit more often. Did you hire out a developer to create your theme? Superb work!
Some genuinely select content on this website , saved to fav.
I have learn some just right stuff here. Certainly worth bookmarking for revisiting. I wonder how so much attempt you set to make the sort of fantastic informative website.
I respect your piece of work, appreciate it for all the interesting blog posts.
What¦s Happening i’m new to this, I stumbled upon this I’ve discovered It positively helpful and it has aided me out loads. I am hoping to give a contribution & assist other users like its helped me. Great job.
Very wonderful visual appeal on this web site, I’d rate it 10 10.
hello!,I love your writing so so much! proportion we keep in touch extra approximately your article on AOL? I need a specialist on this house to resolve my problem. Maybe that’s you! Having a look forward to look you.
I’ve been exploring for a little bit for any high quality articles or weblog posts on this kind of area . Exploring in Yahoo I finally stumbled upon this website. Reading this information So i am happy to show that I’ve a very just right uncanny feeling I discovered just what I needed. I most certainly will make sure to do not omit this site and give it a look on a continuing basis.
It¦s really a great and useful piece of information. I¦m happy that you shared this helpful info with us. Please stay us informed like this. Thanks for sharing.
A powerful share, I just given this onto a colleague who was doing slightly evaluation on this. And he in actual fact purchased me breakfast as a result of I discovered it for him.. smile. So let me reword that: Thnx for the treat! However yeah Thnkx for spending the time to discuss this, I really feel strongly about it and love studying extra on this topic. If attainable, as you grow to be experience, would you thoughts updating your blog with extra details? It is highly useful for me. Huge thumb up for this weblog publish!
magnificent points altogether, you simply received a new reader. What might you suggest in regards to your put up that you made a few days in the past? Any positive?
Some truly interesting information, well written and loosely user friendly.
Real wonderful info can be found on web blog.
I visited a lot of website but I think this one has something special in it in it
I went over this website and I conceive you have a lot of fantastic information, saved to fav (:.
I got what you mean , thanks for posting.Woh I am delighted to find this website through google. “Food is the most primitive form of comfort.” by Sheila Graham.
You should take part in a contest for one of the best blogs on the web. I will recommend this site!
Wow, amazing blog layout! How long have you been blogging for? you make blogging look easy. The overall look of your website is fantastic, let alone the content!
I’ve learn several excellent stuff here. Definitely worth bookmarking for revisiting. I surprise how much attempt you place to create the sort of magnificent informative site.
My spouse and I stumbled over here from a different page and thought I should check things out. I like what I see so i am just following you. Look forward to looking at your web page again.
I love forgathering utile info, this post has got me even more info! .
My husband and i were really happy when Peter could round up his web research by way of the ideas he acquired from your own web page. It is now and again perplexing to just always be making a gift of tips which often the others have been making money from. And now we already know we have you to thank for that. The most important illustrations you’ve made, the simple site menu, the relationships you help promote – it’s got many exceptional, and it is facilitating our son and our family understand the theme is exciting, which is extremely important. Many thanks for the whole thing!
Whoa! This blog looks just like my old one! It’s on a entirely different subject but it has pretty much the same layout and design. Wonderful choice of colors!
Fantastic post however , I was wondering if you could write a litte more on this topic? I’d be very grateful if you could elaborate a little bit further. Thank you!