Clothes Dryers Takes too long to Dry Clothes? Fix Household Appliance at Home

Specific failure symptoms include: 1) The clothes dryer is running longer than normal. 2) The clothes are extremely damp at the end of the drying cycle.

Although the problem could be that the automatic washer is not spinning your clothes properly, in most cases the problem is inadequate air movement in the dryer.

Before blaming the dryer, you should check the automatic washer. At the end of the spin cycle, open the washer lid and check to see if there is excess water left in the washer basket. If so, (1) check for a bind or kink in the washer drain hose, (2) open the washer top and see if discharge hose from pump assembly has kinked, (3) check the washer water pump for a possible hose kink or restriction within pump assembly, (4) check for a restriction within washer self-cleaning filter, (5) check to make sure the washer is spinning correctly (if any trace of excess soap remains in the clothes, the washer is not spinning in the cycle or not spinning properly).

Check Ventilation

If the washer is OK, move the dryer out from the wall and look behind the dryer to see if the exhaust duct tubing has developed a kink or restriction. If so, remove the old duct material and replace.

After replacing the dryer exhaust duct, never move the dryer all the way against the wall.

Leave about 6 to 8 inches from the wall.

Lastly, check the dryer for other restrictions that would result in improper air flow. Locate the outside dryer exhaust duct, usually on an outer wall or on the roof. Place one hand over the exhaust deflector flap and check for air flow. If there appears to be little or no air flow at all, there probably is a lint restriction somewhere in the exhaust duct that you must clear for the clothes dryer to operate properly.

NOTE: If a clothes dryer has been vented through an inside wall and onto the roof, it would be normal for the dryer to take longer to dry the clothes, because the exhaust air is being pushed through the vent upstream to distances of up to 10 to 12 feet.

When checking an exhaust vent outside the wall of the house, make sure that the exhaust deflector flap or door is opening and closing properly. This door is spring-loaded and it should stay closed when the dryer is in the OFF position. When the dryer is ON, the exhaust air flow will open the door. If the vent door is not operating properly, water, insects, and rodents can enter the vent and cause an air-flow restriction.

Check Drum Belt

Another possible cause of slow heating is a slipping or broken drum belt. This belt is used to move the dryer drum. With the dryer running, open the door and quickly check to see if the drum is revolving. If the drum appears to be sitting still, you can assume that (1) the dryer drum belt is slipping or broken, (2) idler pulley is frozen.

The next possible cause for the dryer taking too long to dry is a defective adjustable thermostat. The dryer heating element may be cutting OFF too soon, due to incorrect signals from the thermostat.

REPAIR PROCEDURES

Unplug the dryer power cord or gas supply before servicing the clothes dryer. Move dryer out from wall.

To Replace Drum Belt

To replace a slipping or broken drum belt, remove the screws that secure the dryer top to the fan scroll. Raise the dryer top by wedging a small screwdriver between the top and the dryer cabinetand lean it against the wall. Using hand tools, remove the screws on the left- and right-hand sides of dryer cabinet. Loosen the screws that secure the dryer front panel to the cabinet. Remove the wiring harness wires that are connected to the door switch. Remove toe plate and remove the door springs by disconnecting them from the cabinet and the door. Next, remove the dryer front panel.

If the drum belt is broken, remove it from the drum and install the replacement drum belt (with grooves down) in the same position on the drum as the broken belt that was removed. Next, install the idler pulley in the slots next to the drive motor. There will be excess slack in the belt that should be run through the idler pulley and over the drive motor front pulley. NOTE: It is important to position a replacement belt correctly on the dryer drum. Installing a belt improperly could result in belt slipping on the drive motor pulley.

After installing the drum belt, reassemble all parts in the reverse order from which they were removed. Connect the dryer power cord to a 220-240 volt receptacle, and turn the dryer timer dial to the ON position. Check the new drum belt by starting and stopping the dryer for a few minutes. This procedure will allow the belt to properly align itself on the idler pulley.

To replace the drum belt on the gas dryer, follow the same procedures outlined above for the electric dryer.

To Replace Idler Pulley

When replacing the idler pulley on the gas dryer, follow the same procedures as outlined for the electric dryer.

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