The Motor in My Dryer Is Overheating

An overheating dryer can cause laundry to pile up.

An overheating motor in a domestic clothes dryer is usually a symptom of poor installation, bad choice of location, lack of maintenance or overloading. Ruling out each of these trouble-producing factors helps to return your dryer to normal service without using special tools or paying for a technician. Appliance manufacturers recommend following a troubleshooting guide to help resolve technical faults such as overheating. Exact instructions may vary depending on your dryer.

Instructions

1. Reduce the size of the load in the drum. Dryer cycles should be equivalent to washing machine cycles in terms of size. Take the heaviest items out of the drum and try using the dryer a second time. Packing clothes into the dryer reduces air flow and may cause the dryer to overheat.

2. Remove the lint filter and wipe any dust into the garbage. The filter should be cleaned at the beginning or end of each cycle to ensure air is able to flow among the clothes and around the appliance. A blocked lint filter may cause the motor to heat up.

3. Run the dryer on empty and place your hand over the outdoor air vent. You should feel a steady flow of air from the vent if the dryer ventilation pipes are installed correctly and blockage free. Disconnect the tubing from the back of the dryer and look dust blockages. The vent piping should be made of metal, at least 4 inches in diameter and straight as possible.

4. Move the dryer to a new location if there is less than 5 inches of room at the back and an inch of room on the remaining sides. The appliance needs fresh air to circulate around the appliance to keep the internal components cool and dry the clothes. A lack of circulation room will cause the appliance to overheat.

References

• Whirlpool: Electric Dryer Instruction Manual
• Maytag: Electric Dryer Manual