A dryer not heating, with the drum turning but the air staying cold, usually has one of four causes: half of the 240-volt supply is off, a no-heat setting is on, a safety fuse has blown, or the heating element has failed (on a gas dryer, the igniter or gas valve coils). The first two you can fix in five minutes. The fuse and the element are parts, and they are routine jobs for our dryer repair technicians. Start with the checks below before you take a panel off.
Key Takeaways
- An electric dryer has two circuits. If only one trips, Samsung says the dryer "will turn on and spin but will not heat."
- Air Fluff tumbles with no heat, and Samsung's Eco Dry starts without hot air. Turn them off, along with LG's Energy Saver, before you test.
- A blown thermal fuse or thermal cut-off is often a sign of a blocked vent. Replace it without clearing the vent and it can blow again.
- In our job notes, an open heating element came up on about 27 dryer jobs, more than the fuse and thermostats combined.
- If you smell gas, leave the home and call FortisBC on 1-800-663-9911.
Check the power, the gas and the settings
- Feel for heat. Samsung's test is to "Set the dryer to Time Dry, make sure Eco Dry is turned off, and then start a cycle. After 30 seconds, open the door and feel inside." Any warmth at all means the heater works, and your problem is slow drying instead. Our guide to a dryer not drying clothes covers that.
- Electric dryers: reset the breaker fully. An electric dryer runs on two house circuits, and Frigidaire explains that "If one of these is tripped or blown, the drum may turn but the heater will not operate." GE adds that "The circuit breaker could be partially tripped even if it does not look as though it has tripped." Switch the dryer breaker fully off, wait 30 seconds, and switch it back on.
- Check the cycle. Frigidaire notes that with Air Fluff selected, "the dryer will tumble without heat." Samsung's Eco Dry setting "doesn't use any hot air at the beginning of the cycle." LG says "Energy Saver is on by default for the Cotton/Normal cycle."
- Gas dryers: check the supply. Make sure the gas valve behind the dryer is open. If you smell gas, don't touch switches. FortisBC's advice is to go outside, then call its 24-hour line at 1-800-663-9911 or 911.
- Clear the lint screen and look at the vent. A blocked exhaust makes the dryer shut its own heat off. The CPSC warns that "Lint can block the flow of air, cause excessive heat build-up, and result in a fire in some dryers." More on that below, and in our guide on how to clean a dryer vent.
If a dryer has never heated since it was installed or moved, Samsung says installation is the likely cause: the outlet, the gas hookup or the vent.
Common reasons for a dryer not heating
If power, gas and settings all check out, the fault is inside the heat circuit. Match what you see to the table.
| What you notice | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Drum turns, no heat at all, breaker looked fine | One leg of the 240 V supply off | Reset the breaker fully |
| No heat after weeks of long cycles | Blocked vent blew the thermal fuse or cut-off | Clean the vent, then replace the fuse |
| No heat, vent clear, power good | Open heating element | Element replacement |
| Heat comes and goes, or runs too hot | Cycling thermostat or thermistor | Technician test |
| Gas dryer clicks or hums but no flame | Igniter or gas valve coils | Licensed gas technician |
| Dryer won't start at all | On some models, the thermal fuse cuts the motor too | Technician test |
The heating element is a coil of wire that heats the air before it enters the drum. The thermal fuse and the thermal cut-off are one-time safety parts: once they open, they stay open and have to be replaced. The high-limit thermostat is a safety switch that cuts the heat when the exhaust can't get out and heat builds up. Whirlpool's service sheet for one electric model lists the thermal fuse at 91 °C (196 °F) and the high-limit at 146 °C (295 °F). It tells technicians that if the cut-off tests open, "replace the failed thermal cut-off and high limit thermostat. In addition, check for failed heat element, or blocked or improper exhaust system."
In our BC job notes from January 2025 to October 2026, technicians found an open heating element on about 27 dryer jobs, against about 17 for the thermal fuse, high-limit or cycling thermostat. When we replace an element, we test the fuse and high-limit as well and often change them on the same visit. The order matters. On one LG dryer in a strata building, the thermal fuse kept blowing until the building's vent was cleaned. Gas dryers are rare in our job records, and the two gas no-heat repairs we logged were an igniter and a set of gas valve coils.
A multimeter continuity test shows whether a fuse or element is open; do it only with the dryer unplugged. Never bypass a thermal fuse to get heat back, since it stops the dryer overheating. Gas work needs a licence in BC; ours is Technical Safety BC licence BC30591.
Samsung and LG dryers not heating
Samsung dryer not heating
Samsung's own steps start with the 30-second heat test and the breaker reset above. It notes that the two circuits in an electric dryer "are connected so that they will trip together" in most homes, but one can trip alone. If your Samsung has a Vent Blockage test, run it; the steps are in your manual. A result of Clg or Cg means the vent is clogged, and C90 means "Over 90% of the vent is clogged."
An HC or hE code is a heating error. Samsung says it "means that the dryer is getting too hot" and that the usual cause is a clogged lint screen or vent. It can also mean low voltage on an electric model. If the vent test passes and there is still no heat at all, Samsung's advice is to request service. We repair Samsung dryers too; see our Samsung appliance repair page.
LG dryer not heating
Turn off Energy Saver first. LG lists codes d80, d90 and d95 as airflow warnings and says tE1 "indicates a problem was detected with the dryer's thermistor". On gas models, gAS "means that the dryer is not receiving gas". We've replaced a thermistor behind a tE1 code, and traced one TE3 call to a thermostat fuse that popped after the dryer was overloaded and overheated. More on our LG appliance repair page.
When to call for dryer repair, and what it costs in Vancouver
Call if the dryer passes the checks above and still blows cold, or if you smell burning. Our diagnostic is $100 flat, and it comes off the labour if you go ahead with the repair. Most dryer repairs come to $225 to $300 in labour, diagnostic included. Most no-heat repairs are a thermal fuse ($15 to $30) or a heating element ($50 to $150) plus labour, and parts are quoted before we order them. A typical dryer repair comes to about $250 to $400 all in. Our appliance repair cost guide has the full price list.
Is it worth fixing? A dryer lasts about 12 to 15 years. Under 10 years old, an element, fuse or thermostat is usually worth replacing, since a new mid-range dryer costs $600 to $1,200.
Dryer heating questions
What does it mean when your dryer won't heat?
The heat circuit is open somewhere. It may be the power (one breaker leg off), the setting, a safety fuse that blew because the vent was blocked, or a burnt-out heating element. Gas dryers add the igniter and gas valve coils.
What are the signs of a dying dryer?
Cycles that get longer each month, a burning smell, a loud grinding or squealing drum, and repeated fuses blowing. Most of those point to a part or a vent, not the end of the dryer. Our list of 5 common dryer problems covers the noises. We'd usually suggest replacing a dryer that's over 12 years old and needs a motor, has a damaged drum, or needs several gas safety parts.
Why is my Whirlpool dryer not drying my clothes?
Run an empty heated cycle "for 5 minutes", as Whirlpool suggests, and feel inside. Warm means the heater works and the cause is airflow or a setting such as EcoBoost, which our dryer-not-drying guide covers. Cold means a breaker leg, the thermal fuse or the heating element is the likely cause.
How do I troubleshoot a dryer that isn't working?
If it won't start, check that the door is shut and the breaker is on. If it stops early with wet clothes, clean the moisture sensor bars, as our dryer sensor guide shows. If it runs cold, check the breaker, the cycle setting and the vent, then the thermal fuse and heating element. Unplug it before you open any panel.
Want a technician to find it? Call 604-265-3852 or book a dryer repair online, 8AM to 8PM, seven days a week. Read more about our technicians.
Photo: Clothes dryer 1 2018-09-29 by Fastily, CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped.