Dryer Spins But Won't Heat — Likely Causes

The dryer turns on, the drum spins, you hear it running — but after a full 60-minute cycle the clothes are still damp or cold. This is usually one of three problems. One of them you can probably fix yourself this afternoon.

1. Clogged dryer vent (this is most often the answer)

More than half of the "dryer won't heat" calls we get in West Hollywood and Hollywood end up being a clogged vent — not a broken dryer at all.

Here's what happens: lint slowly builds up in the vent line that runs from the back of your dryer to the outside of the building. When that line gets restricted, hot moist air can't escape. The dryer's safety thermostat senses overheating and shuts off the heat to protect the unit. The drum keeps spinning, but the heater is off. Clothes come out wet.

This is especially common in older apartment buildings off Fairfax, Melrose, and around La Brea where vent runs are long, often go through walls and up to a roof exit, and have never been cleaned.

How to check:

1. Pull the dryer out from the wall.
2. Disconnect the flex hose from the back of the dryer.
3. Run a quick cycle with the dryer disconnected from the vent (don't run a long one — just enough to feel if it's heating).
4. Put your hand near the back of the dryer where the vent connects. You should feel hot air after 5 minutes.

If it heats fine when disconnected, your problem is the vent line — call a vent cleaning service or carefully clean it yourself with a vent brush. If it still doesn't heat with the vent off, you have a real dryer problem (see below).

Important safety note: A clogged dryer vent is the leading cause of dryer fires in apartment buildings. If your vent has never been cleaned and the building is more than 10 years old, get it cleaned regardless of the heating issue.

2. Blown thermal fuse

If the vent is clear and the dryer still won't heat, the next likely culprit is the thermal fuse — a small safety device that permanently breaks the circuit if the dryer ever overheats. Once it blows, no heat until it's replaced.

This is a common follow-on to a vent that was clogged. The vent gets cleaned out, but the dryer still doesn't heat because the fuse blew during the previous overheating event.

Thermal fuse replacement: ~$160–$240 parts and labor. Quick repair when the part is on our trucks.

3. Heating element (electric dryers) or igniter (gas dryers)

This is the actual heat source.

Electric dryers: The heating element is a coil of resistance wire that gets hot when current flows through it. Over time these break. When they do, no heat. Common on Whirlpool, GE, Samsung, and LG units. Replacement: ~$250–$400.

Gas dryers: Have an igniter that lights the gas burner. When the igniter fails (most often after 8–10 years), no heat. Common on Whirlpool and Maytag gas units. Replacement: ~$220–$350.

How to tell electric vs gas: electric dryers plug into a 240-volt outlet (looks like a big four-prong plug). Gas dryers plug into a normal 120-volt outlet but also have a gas line connected to the back.

The order we check things on a service call

1. Is air flowing? Vent check first, always.
2. Is the thermal fuse intact? Multimeter test, 30 seconds.
3. Is the heating element/igniter working? Multimeter test, another 30 seconds.
4. Is the high-limit thermostat or cycling thermostat tripped? Less common, but we check.

If you tell us the brand, model, and whether it's gas or electric when you call, we can usually have the right parts on our trucks.

When a dryer isn't worth repairing

If the dryer is more than 10 years old and needs both a heating element and a control board, you're probably better off replacing it. A new basic dryer is $500–$700. Anything past about $400 in parts and labor on an old unit, we'll tell you straight up to replace it instead.