Reasons Why Your Dryer Won’t Start (And What To Do About It)

Your household appliances can be as fickle as they are convenient, and it seems as if the slightest thing can prevent them from working correctly. For instance, if your dryer won’t start, it could be caused by too much laundry, clogs in your dryer vent, the door not closing properly, or even a touchy control panel. You can spend hours searching online for why your dryer won’t start and watching dryer repair videos. But, that’s where our Arlington appliance repair company can help.

The appliance repair professionals at Mr. Appliance of Arlington have years of experience in troubleshooting various home appliance issues, and have a pretty good grasp on why your broken dryer won’t start and how to fix it. From power issues to broken parts, our team of experts shares some of the top reasons why your dryer won’t start, and how to fix it.

Not Plugged In

“Is it plugged in?” is one of the most cliché questions that any IT professional will ask, your appliance accidentally becoming unplugged is one of the most common reasons why your dryer won’t start. Whether you were moving your clothes dryer or simply bumped into the dryer power cord, it's worth checking if it's securely plugged into the outlet before you schedule an appliance repair service.

Even if it can’t possibly be the cause of your issue, if your dryer won’t start or whenever you have issues with any appliance, it’s always worth checking to ensure it is plugged in before having a professional come out to find the cause of your issue. To check if your unit has become unplugged, simply follow the power cord to the outlet and make sure it is securely connected.

Power Supply Problems

If your unit is plugged in and your dryer won’t start, check to make sure you aren’t experiencing any power failures. Most power companies will send out alerts on social media and on their website, so check to ensure there’s nothing impacting your area.

If there’s no power shortages, your dryer circuit may have tripped. Check your electric panel to see if any circuit breakers have tripped. If there is, reset them and see if your unit will turn on. If your dryer won’t start after that, you may either have issues with your home appliance, or issues with the outlet.

Blown Thermal Fuse

Your dryer’s thermal fuse is responsible for cutting off power if it overheats. This is an important safety feature that helps prevent fires and other potential hazards. However, a blown thermal fuse can be the reason why your dryer won’t start or heat up.

A number of things can cause a blown thermal fuse, such as a clogged dryer vent exhaust duct or exhaust hose, overheating due to a malfunctioning heating element, or a faulty thermostat. It is important to identify and address the underlying issue to prevent future occurrences of a blown thermal fuse.

To check if it has blown, you will need to test it with a multimeter to see if it measures a continuity. To do the test, you will need to remove the dryer component from its place, usually by the exhaust vent or blower housing behind the pack panel of your unit, or there may be another on the heating element. Either way, if the fuse does not conduct an electrical current, you will need to schedule a dryer repair service to have it replaced to ensure you can safely use your appliance.

Controls Locked

Modern appliances may come with a lot of helpful safety features, including built-in sensors that detect potential hazards and automatically shut off to prevent accidents. In addition, they often have child lock features, a safety device to prevent young children from accessing dangerous settings or buttons, and your dryer won’t start if they’re on.

If your dryer won’t start, check to ensure the controls aren’t locked. This will often present in an indicator light that has turned on. Simply toggle the lock feature off or consult your user manual to turn it off.

Clothes Dryer Error Code

If your dryer won’t start, and you’re seeing an error code appear on your dryer control panel, you may have a problem that’s causing the dry cycle to not start. Different error codes will correspond to different scenarios or issues your laundry appliance is facing, such as a faulty sensor, a faulty dryer heating element, or air flow issues with the lint trap or dryer vent.

You can often fix these issues yourself by consulting the user manual to identify the specific error code and its corresponding troubleshooting steps. However, if the issue persists, or you can’t find the dryer issue listed, a dryer repair service appointment may be necessary to diagnose the reason why your dryer won’t start.

Broken Start Switch

Whether you have an older dryer model with a push button or a modern one with a touchpad, sometimes the reason why your dryer won’t start is that you aren’t pressing the start button or switch hard enough. They’ll need a certain amount of pressure to get working, so if you’re not pressing down long enough or hard enough on your dryer start switch, it won’t start.

If, despite how long or how hard you’re pressing the on switch, your dryer won’t start still, your on switch may be broken. If that is the case, you will need to have it replaced.

Malfunctioning Control Board

Modern home appliances often come with fancy features such as multiple drying cycles and touchscreen control panels. While they can make your clothes dryer look sleek and sophisticated, they aren’t without issues. A touchscreen or control board failure can cause many problems for your unit, such as the inability to select or adjust drying settings, leading to inefficient drying or even damage to your laundry, or creating circumstances where your dryer won’t start. Additionally, a malfunctioning control panel may also make it difficult to troubleshoot any other potential issues, making repairs more challenging and costly.

If you’re experiencing issues with the electronic control board, it may not be responding to your instructions, flash error codes, or your dryer won’t start or begin a different cycle from what you selected. In these cases, it’s best to call a professional to troubleshoot the issue and repair your faulty control panel and electrical components.

Dryer Door Switch Issues

One reason why your dryer won’t start is you have a faulty door switch. An important safety feature in laundry appliances is that they won’t start if the door isn’t securely latched shut, and will turn off when the door opens. This safety mechanism helps prevent accidents and injuries by ensuring that it cannot operate with the door open.

If you’re pressing the on switch and your dryer won’t start, make sure there is nothing that can prevent your door from closing properly. Loose laundry in the door or debris or lint build up could be blocking it from closing properly. If there is nothing in the way, check to see if the door is closing properly by gently pushing it closed and listening for a click. If the door doesn't click into place, there may be an issue with the door latch or sensor that needs to be addressed by a professional repair expert.

Overloading

Sometimes appliance problems can be caused by user error, and one of the reasons why your dryer won’t start is that you’re overloading it. While you may be tempted to try to fit as much as you can in your laundry appliances to save time and money, overloading your unit can cause it to become unbalanced and/or overheated, causing excessive strain on the dryer motor, drive belt, and drum, leading to malfunctions that ensure your dryer won’t start.

If this is the case, you’ll need the expertise of a dryer repair professional to fix it, and you'll need to take care with future laundry loads. Your user manual will provide guidelines on appropriate load sizes, but a good rule of thumb is to keep laundry loads at about half the size of your dryer drum, to allow for proper airflow and efficient drying. For denser fabrics, it may be wise to reduce that load to about a third of the drum size.

When In Doubt, Call The Arlington Appliance Repair Pros!

As you’ve seen in the above paragraphs, there are many reasons why your dryer won’t start, ranging from user error to faulty part replacements. It can be hard for the average homeowner to troubleshoot the problem on their own, but that’s what the dedicated team at Mr. Appliance of Arlington is here for, to help you solve dryer troubles like why your dryer won’t start.

If you live in Grand Prairie or the Arlington area, and are still searching online for ‘why my dryer won’t start’, all you need to do is schedule service with one of our appliance repair professionals by contacting our appliance care team and telling them: “My dryer won’t start, and I need help’.