If you own a dryer and it was made any time after the 1970s, it contains something called a
Dryer Thermal Fuse Location
The thermal fuse is just 1 or 2 inches long and should be located on the exhaust duct, but the location of the exhaust duct itself may differ depending on your brand and model. Once you have located it, you're ready to figure out whether it may have blown.
Various things will cause a dryer not to start, including a blown thermal fuse, clogged vent, malfunctioning motor or control board, misaligned drum or rollers, engaged child lock, overloaded unit, broken or worn-out belt, broken start switch, defective door latch, tripped circuit breaker, faulty outlet, or an ...
The cost to replace a thermal fuse on a dryer is $75 to $150 on average. The cost of a dryer thermal fuse is $5 to $10 for the part or up to $60 for OEM parts. This safety device stops the motor when the dryer overheats. No one can repair or reset a thermal fuse.
Most dryers have a built-in safety feature called a thermal fuse. It is also known as a thermal cutoff or a temperature fuse. This device, usually white or silver in color, looks like a tiny rectangular piece with two wires sticking out from its body.
A tripped thermal fuse can have two effects. In some dryers, it simply shuts off electricity to the heating element. This means a dryer will run, but it will only air-dry clothing. In other models, the thermal fuse stops power completely.
When your dryer overheats, it can cause the thermal fuse to blow as a safety measure to prevent any further damage or potential fire hazards. This can happen if your dryer is overloaded, if the vent is clogged, or if the heating element is faulty.
Plugs for appliances rated between about 700 watts and 3000 watts (the maximum rating of a wall socket) should be fitted with a 13 amp fuse (coloured brown).
The National Electric Code requires major appliances such as refrigerators, stoves, washers, and dryers to have their own dedicated circuit. An appliance with a dedicated circuit has its own circuit breaker in your electrical box.
Some situations that may cause your dryer to not heat properly include a lack of power, an issue with the size of the load or its wetness, an issue with the heating element or a blown thermal fuse.
Resetting your Whirlpool Duet dryer typically involves disconnecting electrical power for 1 minute and then restoring power. The dryer will sometimes resume normal operations after resetting the control board by temporarily disconnecting electrical power.
Dryer repair costs will vary depending on the issue. For example, it will cost much less to replace a dryer belt than a motor. That said, if your clothes dryer is more than halfway through its lifespan—7 years or more—and the repair costs more than 50% of the price of a new one, you should consider replacing it.
The dryer belt and dryer motor are two parts that can cause your dryer to not spin if they aren't working properly. It can also be as simple as a tripped circuit breaker or an unplugged appliance.
Like cars, the most expensive part of a dryer is any electrical component, specifically the control board. For newer dryers, this single part, excluding the labor required to replace it, can easily be worth more than half the price of a new unit.
There are many things that could be the culprit for why your dryer won't start, including a bad thermal fuse; a failed start switch or door switch; a bad drive motor (what makes the dryer's drum turn and the blower wheel to work); a broken drive belt; a bad timer; a bad belt switch; a blown control board; or overall ...
Some dryer models may have a dedicated “Reset” button that allows you to reset the dryer to its factory settings. On an electric dryer, your “Reset” button may be located on the appliance's control panel with the other dryer options.
The simple answer as to whether you can repair a dryer yourself is, it depends on the problem. Simple issues such as clogged dryer vents can be fixed without calling a technician if you understand how to do so safely.