Repair guide
Dryer Not Heating, or Taking Too Long to Dry
Updated 10/11/2026
A dryer that tumbles but stays cold, or needs two or three cycles for one load, is most often short of airflow or of half its power. Both can be checked in a few minutes.
This guide covers gas and electric dryers: what to check yourself, what usually fails, and when to stop and call. Mend My Appliance repairs dryers at home across the Portland metro area.
Before you check anything
- If you smell gas, do not touch switches or the dryer. Leave the home and call your gas utility or 911 from outside.
- Unplug the dryer before you move it or reach behind it.
- A dryer with a blocked vent is a fire hazard. Do not keep running it until the vent is clear.
- Do not remove panels. The lint filter and the vent are yours to clean; the inside is not.
What you can check yourself
The lint filter
Clean it before every load. Now and then wash it with warm water and a soft brush: dryer sheets and fabric softener leave a film that air cannot pass. Hold the filter under the tap; if water pools on the screen, it needs washing.
The vent
Go outside while the dryer runs and feel the air at the flap. It should be warm and strong enough to hold the flap open. A weak or cool stream means the duct is crushed behind the dryer, too long, or packed with lint.
The breakers, on an electric dryer
An electric dryer uses two breakers joined together. If one has tripped, the drum turns and the heat stays off. Switch both fully off, then on.
The gas valve, on a gas dryer
Behind the dryer, the handle of the gas valve should be in line with the pipe. If the other gas appliances in the house have stopped too, the supply is the problem, not the dryer.
The cycle
Check that it is not set to air fluff, no heat or a low-heat delicate cycle. Eco and sensor cycles also run cooler and longer than timed dry on high.
The load
An overloaded drum cannot tumble the clothes through the hot air. And if the washer did not spin the load out, any dryer will be slow.
Dryer runs but there is no heat
On an electric dryer, after the breakers, the usual causes are a blown thermal fuse, a failed heating element or a high-limit thermostat. On a gas dryer: a worn igniter, the coils of the gas valve or the flame sensor.
A thermal fuse blows for a reason, nearly always a blocked vent. So the vent is cleared as part of the repair, or the new fuse goes the same way.
Dryer takes too long to dry
Slow drying with some heat is nearly always an airflow problem: lint in the filter housing, a crushed or clogged duct, or a flap stuck shut outside. On a gas dryer that heats at the start of the cycle and then goes cold, the coils of the gas valve are the usual cause.
Dryer stops, then starts again once it has cooled
The dryer is overheating and protecting itself. Check the vent first. If the vent is clear, a thermostat or the motor is failing, and that is a repair.
Is it a gas dryer or an electric dryer?
Look behind it. An electric dryer has a thick cord with a large plug of three or four prongs. A gas dryer has a thin cord, an ordinary plug and a flexible gas line. The drum, the belt and the controls are much the same; the part that makes the heat is different, and so are its faults.
What usually fails
- Thermal fuse: blown by overheating, most often from a blocked vent.
- Heating element, on an electric dryer: a broken coil gives no heat, or very little.
- Igniter, on a gas dryer: it glows weakly or not at all, so the burner never lights.
- Gas valve coils, on a gas dryer: heat for the first minutes, then none.
- Thermostats and the temperature sensor: the heat shuts off too early, or never comes on.
- Control board or timer: the heat is never called for.
When to call for a repair
- There is still no heat after these checks.
- The dryer stops in the middle of a cycle and starts again once it has cooled.
- You smell scorching, or the top of the dryer is too hot to touch.
- The drum does not turn, or it squeals or thumps.
- The breaker trips when the dryer heats.
What a repair visit involves
- Book online: choose the appliance, describe the problem and pick up to three times that suit you.
- We confirm one of your times by phone or text. You are not booked until we do.
- We come to your home, test the dryer and find the cause.
- You get the price before any repair begins. We repair it with your approval; if a part has to be ordered, we come back to fit it.
The diagnostic visit costs $90. If you go ahead with the repair, the $90 is applied toward it; if you decide not to repair, the $90 covers the diagnosis.
Our work and the parts we install carry a 90-day warranty. The terms are printed on your invoice.
Repair the dryer or replace it?
It depends on the age of the dryer, the cost of the part and what a comparable new one costs. A diagnosis gives you the numbers for your machine, and the decision stays yours.
Where we work
We come to homes across the Portland metro area in Oregon, among them Portland, Beaverton, Hillsboro, Tigard, Tualatin and Lake Oswego. Enter your ZIP code when you book and the form checks it right away.