This is the most common laundry complaint we attend and the one where the machine is least often at fault. A dryer works by moving hot air through the clothes and out of the building. Restrict the out, and everything else follows.
What restricted airflow actually does
Moist air that cannot leave stays in the drum. The clothes stop drying, so the cycle runs longer, so the heating element runs longer, so the cabinet gets hotter than the design allows. Eventually a thermal fuse opens to protect the machine, and the dryer tumbles without heat. People then replace the fuse, which lasts until the next long cycle, because nothing has changed.
Where the restriction usually is
- The vent hood outside. Lint packs behind the flap, or a bird nests in it. Go outside while the dryer runs and feel for air. If you cannot feel a strong flow, you have found the problem.
- Crushed flexible duct. The concertina hose behind the machine gets squashed when the dryer is pushed back against the wall. A flattened section restricts more than several feet of straight pipe.
- Long runs. A basement or a mid-rise apartment often vents a long way, sometimes through several elbows. Each elbow is worth several feet of straight duct, and lint settles at every turn.
- Shared risers. In apartment buildings several dryers can feed one stack. If the building has never had it cleaned, no individual machine can be made to work properly.
The lint filter is not the vent
Cleaning the filter after every load is worth doing and it is not the same job. The filter catches what it can; the rest travels down the duct and settles. A filter that looks clean tells you nothing about the twenty feet behind the wall.
When it is the machine
If the vent is genuinely clear and the dryer still runs cold or long, then the element, the thermostats or, on a gas machine, the igniter and flame sensor come into scope. Those are ordinary same-visit repairs. But we check the airflow first, every time, because fitting a new element to a blocked vent guarantees a second visit.
The part that is not just about laundry
A dryer venting into a packed duct is a recognised fire risk. If the machine smells hot, or the cabinet is hot to touch on the outside, stop using it and call rather than running one more load.
Clear the vent once a year, more often with a long run or a large household. Call (973) 226-1000 if you would rather we did it while we are there for the repair.
