Dryer don't dry as good no more

[FightingChance]

Over time my front load clothes dryer has been getting less efficient; I assume it's getting clogged/dirty. Anyone have any tips on cleaning it out or otherwise restoring it's drying powers?

 

[JohnAn2112]

...clean your dryer filter.

 

[zerocool1]

well...

but anyways. clean out the lint trap. don't know what else to tell you.

 

[Kwaipie]

I bet your output vent hose is clogged. I went from 90 minute to 35 minute dry cycles once I had that thing cleaned. You can confirm this by detaching the output hose and trying a cycle.

Fun fact: My mother had a family of opossums living in her output hose.

 

[Safeway]

Turn the dryer around and see if you can open the back panel. From there, you might be able to clean up some of the mess. If that doesn't work, I wouldn't mess with it for fear of messing the dryer up.

 

[JDMnAR1]

Definitely clean the lint trap, and check to make sure your vent hose isn't clogged/kinked.

 

[FightingChance]

Thanks Kwaipie. And yes, I clean out the lint trap every time.

 

[Joemonkey]

we had this issue and the exhaust port outside the house had a small basket type filter under it (i'm assuming to keep out vermin) and it had gotten clogged w/ lint

 

[Bryophyte]

My in-laws had this problem. Their dryer would run for two hours and the clothes would still be damp. They talked my spouse into looking at it, and he found that the vent hose had sagged and filled with water, like a p-trap on a sink. It was a flexible hose, and it ran from the middle of the house, down into the crawlspace, and out to the outside wall.

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

many dryers have a replaceable heating element, much like an oven. if the dryer is more than a few years old, that may need replacement.

 

[jupiter57]

Originally posted by: FightingChance
Thanks Kwaipie. And yes, I clean out the lint trap every time.

If your lint trap is clean, you need to check your vent hose and/or outlet.
It may be kinked, smashed, or full of lint or water.
My wife inevitably pushes her dryer back against the wall every couple of months, scrunching up the hose so that it is restricted & stopping the airflow.
She then complains that her dryer is on the fritz, insists I tear it apart & fix it. I just go & pull it out from the wall and viola! It works again.
You would think after a couple of dozen times, she would catch on.

Oh yeah, take a peek behind the dryer before moving it out. If it is not kinked,just pull the dryer out and check that the vent hose is clear, then check the vent itself.

 

[xboxist]

Assuming that you clean the lint screen every load or two, then you can be virtually assured that it's a clogged vent. Usually it's just a big duct that goes from the back of your dryer to the outside wall. You can test this by disconnecting it from the back of your dryer and do a test load. You'll get a TINY amount of lint behind your dryer, but it's an easy way to test. We ended up discovering a bird nest in our duct.

There's a small chance it's mechanical failure, obviously.

 

[jupiter57]

Originally posted by: xboxist
Assuming that you clean the lint screen every load or two, then you can be virtually assured that it's a clogged vent. Usually it's just a big duct that goes from the back of your dryer to the outside wall. You can test this by disconnecting it from the back of your dryer and do a test load. You'll get a TINY amount of lint behind your dryer, but it's an easy way to test. We ended up discovering a bird nest in our duct.

There's a small chance it's mechanical failure, obviously.

Best answer/solution yet!

 

[imported_Baloo]

Yeah, like's been said, clean out the lint trap, both the on on the dryer, the other at the end of the exhaust - the one outside.

 

[DrPizza]

Another place to look is between the lint trap and the opening in the back of your drier. There's a metal plate that sort of funnels the outgoing air to where the hose is connected to the drier. If the vent hoses aren't clogged, then there's most certainly a clog there.

For what it's worth, a drier is one of the simplest home appliances to completely take apart. This is the perfect project to start learning on. You might want to check on a couple websites for your specific model to find out how the cabinet opens. Sometimes, a face or the top may be held on by those (darn it, I haven't got a clue what it's called... it's a piece of metal folded into a sort of prong.) But, mechanically, it's very very simple.

 

[Paperdoc]

I've repaired my dryer for years. Most of these replies are right on for a starting point - check out the air exhaust hose and filters to clear any plugs. If you can get to it, turn on the empty dryer and go outside to where the exhaust vent is. The flow of air should be substantial, and pretty warm. Sometimes the end of the vent is closed with a flap, or several small flaps, to keep out rain, etc when not blowing. Make sure those flaps are moving freely so they open well when the dryer is running. And if you can get the flap(s) off or at least open, you may be able to reach in and clear out any lint at the end of the vent.

Inside with the dryer off, take a close look at the flex hose from dryer to vent. As many have said, check to be sure it is not kinked or squashed. Usually it is connected with simple ring clamps tightened by screws. You can loosen the screws, pull the flex hose off the duct pipe, and get access to cleaning out the hose and ducts in case they are clogged. Re-assemble and tighten the clamp screws.

Two types of problems can kill the heating element. One is when it breaks or "burns out". In that case there will be no heat at all in the dryer. If you feel the vent ducting or flex hose, it never heats up no matter how long the dryer runs. But it still will run! The other is when it breaks and then manages to drop down to where the broken end shorts out to the frame. As long as the dryer is properly grounded, the unit will still run AND it will generate some heat, just not enough. Meanwhile you will not get a shock from it if it's got a good electrical ground, so you may not notice the problem. In this case you have some heat in the vent ducting, but it's hard to tell whether it is enough or not. So here's a test for this condition. Usually when the dryer is running properly the heating coil gets hot enough to glow bright orange. Now, most have the heater well protected and you can't see it directly. But if you get it running and warmed up for a couple minutes, then open the front door and look in right away, you can see the orange glow through some holes or gridwork near the back of the big drum. It will fade out in 5 to 10 seconds, because opening the door shuts it all off. You also can reach in and feel the gridwork at the back with your hand - carefully! If the dryer's heater is operating completely normally, you should see the orange glow when you first open the door, and the hand test will show uou it is quite hot back there. If you see no glow but you can feel some warmth at the back, probably the heater coil has broken and shorted out to the frame. If you get no glow AND no heat, the coil is dead.

If your checking says the heater coil is broken and needs replacing, you can fix it yourself if you are a really handy home electrical repair person. Otherwise, call a service tech and grab your wallet.

OH, one more cheap thing to check. A dryer works on a split 110v / 220v supply for the heater, but the motor runs on only one side of that. So it is possible to blow the fuse only on the side that does NOT supply the motor. In that case the motor will run normally, but there's no heat. So, check your fuse panel and look for a blown fuse on the dryer supply. Or, if you have a breaker, take a close look at it and maybe deliberately shut it off, then back on to reset, just in case. Then try the dryer again. A related possibility is for one electrical connection to be broken or loose. Could give you the same effect. but that's more of a problem for electrical troubleshooting inside the dryer or wiring boxes, and I suspect that's not in your of tricks.