A broken or poorly working dryer can bring your whole home-life to a screeching halt. Suddenly, your railings and chair backs are populated with t-shirts and jeans hung out to dry, and all the necessary uniforms, work clothes, and towels that you use every day aren’t on hand when you need them. Don’t let this madness go on any longer than necessary. Find out what you can do to troubleshoot some common dryer problems, and when you should call a pro for appliance repair service.
The first and most important guideline to DIY appliance care is: if you’re not comfortable tackling it on your own, call a pro. There’s no sense making yourself nervous or doing something that feels unsafe. If the very thought of delving into the workings of your dryer makes you break out in a sweat, put the dryer repair manual down and pick up a phone. There’s no shame in calling a professional when you
need to.
If you’re ready to get your homegrown troubleshooting skills going, keep that repair manual to hand and dive in. Take a common and fairly dramatic scenario: your dryer stops working altogether. No matter what buttons you push, nothing happens. The first thing to check is the door. Almost all dryers have a door latch safety feature that has to be engaged before the machine will start. Shut the door firmly to make sure it’s latched properly and see if that helps.
If the door latched but still nothing happens, then it’s time to check the reset switch. This is a prime troubleshooting solution especially if your dryer has recently been running. The machine may simply have overheated. Wait about ten minutes for things to cool down, then consult your manual to find out where the reset switch is. It’s often on the control panel. Make