Dryer Repair in Vancouver - Gas & Electric

The single most common dryer repair call we get across Metro Vancouver is a no heat issue. In electric dryers (especially Samsung dryers or Kenmore units made by Samsung), a a blown thermal fuse on the heater assembly or the blower housing is the usual culprit. Other options include a failed heating element because it’s exposed to constant heat cool cycles over many years the metal alloy degrades and can fail open. Though, sometimes lint buildup is also a factor and can start a small fire that can damage the heating circuit.

We’ve also seen hundreds of failed cycling thermostats, and things like burned wire connection at the element terminal prongs.

In gas dryers, we often see things like failed gas valve solenoid coils, cracked or worn out igniter (same heat degradation happens here as with an element), or for example a flame sensor that’s burned out.

Whether your dryer is a Samsung, LG, GE, Frigidaire / Electrolux, Maytag or any other make & model, our technicians carry many common heating parts in their truck stock for both gas and electric dryers on the van for same-day repairs.

If your dryer runs the full cycle but your clothes come out damp, the problem is almost always some form of restricted airflow.

Usual culprits here are a clogged or damaged lint trap (these are meant to be cleaned periodically under warm water without detergent), a blocked or congested exhaust duct (if it’s very far up the duct in your wall - you’ll need a vent cleaning company to clear this), a poorly installed dryer where the transition duct hose is kinked or crushed behind the dryer, or a broken thermistor pair on the inlet and outlet that are not giving proper informatio nto the control board.

In some cases, we’ve seen a heating element only working at partial power due to a power supply issue from the control board / centrifugal switch or for newer Blomberg models, the heater itself has a low side and a high side - so only one of the sides may be working while the other burned out.

When we get there, we check everything from the full airflow path to the heating system to find the root problem. And once we’ve diagnosed it - we’ll help you get it fixed quickly & affordably.

Important Safety Note: A blocked or clogged dryer vent is one of the leading causes of house fires in Canada. If you haven’t had the dryer vent cleaned in over 1 year, it’s very important to do this ASAP, because dry combustible lint and high heat do not mix well and can lead to serious appliance damage or worse yet, a house fire.

When you press start and nothing happens there are a few reasons to go over., One of the most common problems is either a faulty door switch (the dryer won’t run unless the door sensor confirms it’s fully closed), a blown thermal fuse on some Whirlpool, Maytag & Kenmore models, a failed start switch or push-to-start button on some Frigidaire & Maytag models, a broken drive belt (many dryer models have a belt switch that cuts power to the motor if the belt snaps), or a failed motor relay on the control board (this is especially common on Whirlpool & Samsung dryers when you hear the dryer clicking but it won’t start to rotate.

Any noise issue on a dryer is purely mechanical and it simply means that either something isn’t in the right place, or it’s worn out and starting to grind against something it shouldn’t.

Thumping or rumbling usually signals drum rollers that are starting to wear out or are developing a flat-spot.

A high-pitched squealing usually indicates a a bad dryer bearing in most Frigidaire models, and a belt tensioner pulley or drum rollers seizing on most Samsung, LG, and Whirlpool (Maytag, Amana, etc) models.

Grinding or scraping sounds point to worn drum glides (the felt or plastic pads the drum rests on) or a belt that is starting to fray and split so pieces of it are hitting or scraping against the drum and other components in the dryer.

These are all wear-and-tear components that get worn out over time with normal use - replacing them before they fail completely prevents more expensive damage to other parts of the dryer like the drum or motor. For most brands & models - the tensioner pulley, support rollers, belt, and bearing (if your dryer has one) should be replaced every 5-10 years as noises start to occur.

An overheating dryer or a burning smell during operation is a big safety problem that requires immediate attention. In most cases the cause is either: a failed cycling thermostat (the dryer doesn’t know when to stop heating), a clogged exhaust vent trapping heat inside the drum, lint accumulated around the heating element or gas burner starting to get burned up, or a heating element that’s shorted to ground (we’ve seen this a few times on Samsung models). 

Over the years, and more recently we’ve also seen failing motors that are overheating under load. While this isn’t as common - this can happen with some Samsung & Electrolux models and we’ve fixed a few dozen bad motors over the last two years alone.

If you think your dryer is overheating, turn off the dryer and do not run it again until we (or another qualified technician) can get out there to inspect & repair your dryer.

A dryer that starts but stops partway through the cycle is usually to do with a thermal fuse that’s intermittently tripping (typically from a partially restricted vent), an overheating motor that triggers its internal thermal overload protector, a failing moisture sensor that incorrectly reads clothes as dry while there is still moisture in the drum, or a bad dryer control board that is interpreting the readings from the sensors incorrectly.

On some older models with mechanical timers (usually Kenmore, Frigidare & Whirlpool dryers), a worn timer motor (bad contacts or loose or burnt wiring) can also interrupt cycles unpredictably.