Whirlpool dryer not heating. Whirlpool produces brands of dryer brands, including Whirlpool, Maytag, and Kenmore. Your dryer may heat but heat slowly as a result of a lint blockage.
A common problem with your dryer is that it does not heat at all this is most likely due to the fault of the heating element or thermal fuse, which should be tested with a multimeter and replaced if found to be faulty.
For instructions on how to manually inspect and test the components of your appliance, please continue reading.
Whirlpool dryer not heating
When there is no heat from your gas or electric dryer, the problem may be that you have a burnt heating element, a defective cycling thermostat, a malfunctioning flame sensor, or a faulty solenoid on the gas valve.
The Whirlpool dryer won’t heat, so you’ll be wasting a lot of energy running it for hours, and your clothes won’t be dry.
Fortunately, the guide below will walk you through the steps in repairing your clothes dryer. I take the same steps to repair dryers professionally. Make sure you read each section carefully.
Circuit breaker Tripped
When your clothes dryer just won’t heat, first check the circuit breaker on the back inside wall of the laundry room. If it is tripped or blown, flip it on to reset it or replace it if necessary.
Next, turn off the gas supply to the dryer at the meter where you get your natural gas.
Then check for fire by looking inside with a flashlight and making sure there are no flames escaping from openings around the exhaust duct where it meets the dryer vent pipe that runs through your home.
Never look directly into any part of a working dryer due to the possible risk of injury.
You’re done checking once you see no flame and hear no humming sound coming from inside (the motor). Don’t forget to turn everything back on after inspecting it.
Blown thermal fuse
If your drying machine’s element isn’t working, another cause can be the thermal fuse. The thermal fuse is a safety device whose sole purpose is to keep the fire from starting in your dryer.
If the dryer heats above a certain temperature, the thermal fuse trips, and the machine automatically turn off. Older models may still function but will cool down quickly because they are unable to generate hot air during cycles.
If you determine that this is where your problem lies, make sure to take note of what caused it to pop, so you know how to avoid it in the future.
Use your multi-meter to test whether or not your current fuse has continuity with its leads. Replace the faulty one with a brand-new component.
Faulty Heating elements
If your Whirlpool dryer is not heating at all, one of the most common reasons is a fault with the heating element. The heating element consists of a coil of wire inside a metal chamber.
If the coil breaks, the heating element will no longer heat and will need to be replaced. . If the coil is broken, whirlpool states that it will need to be replaced.
Use a multimeter to test the heating element for continuity if you don’t feel comfortable or do not know how to replace things right away without breaking your appliance any further.
If the heating element fails the multimeter test, it’ll need to be replaced so check out your resource again regarding this part in order to purchase it.
High limit thermostat issue
A high-limit thermostat monitors the dryer temperature and shuts off the burner if the dryer overheats. Sometimes, this part may appear to be faulty when really there are other components that are malfunctioning.
Make sure all other components are working properly before you replace the thermostat. If the thermostat is receiving power but has no continuity, it needs to be replaced.
Defective Main Control Board
The main control board (the circuit board) may look physically defective and unusable for this project, but it is usually not the case. Most of the time, you will be able to fix it by replacing other defective or burned-out components on the electronics first, such as some wires which might have gotten damaged beyond repair.
If you’ve checked all of those parts and they still can’t be fixed, replace the main control board. The main control board cannot easily be tested, but we’ll try to inspect it for signs of burning or a short-circuited component.
Faulty Timer
If the dryer isn’t heating, check to see if the timer has gone bad. It’s one of the most commonly defective components in washing machines, but this probably isn’t actually your problem.
Look at all of the other parts that are also commonly broken, like the drive motor or thermal fuse. Test these with a multimeter by following along with wiring diagrams if you have them, and replace anything that seems to be defective before replacing the timer.
Igniter issue
The igniter, which is used to initiate the flow of gas for the burner assembly, may be defective if it cannot initiate the flow of gas.
If your dryer’s gas burner does not ignite, remove the burner assembly and test the igniter for continuity. If the igniter has no continuity, replace it.
Defective Flame Sensor
A gas dryer uses a flame sensor to control the heating element. If it doesn’t detect the flame, the heating element will not turn on.
Because of this, a faulty flame sensor will prevent a gas dryer from operating at all. The first thing to check in case of a malfunction is the igniter and thermal fuse.
Testing the continuity with a multimeter will only work when they aren’t damaged, so try replacing them first.
Problems with incoming power
You may have a power problem if your dryer is not heating. In order for an electric dryer to heat, it needs two legs of 120 volts AC, totaling 240 volts.
There’s a possibility that your dryer will operate but not heat up when only a single fuse or circuit breaker trips. The fuse box or circuit breaker should be checked in order to ensure that all of the legs are getting power from the outlet.
Related Guides