DIY: Dryer Troubleshooting and Repair

As a dryer is a standard piece of domestic equipment in pretty much every home, it's a good idea to know how to carry out a dryer repair should things go wrong. The good news about dryer repair is that they are such a simple appliance that anyone should be able to fix one with a bit of prior research.

To start off with the basics of dryer repair, let's look at how the machine is put together. All you really need to know is that a dryer consists of a large drum that directs hot air from an electric heating element onto wet laundry. The drum is powered by a motor via pulleys and belts. The speed at which laundry is dried is regulated by the speed at which the drum revolves the temperature set by thermostats that are controlled on the outside panel. If you master dryer repair, you can avoid the expense of calling out an engineer to fix minor problems.

A common dryer repair job is fixing a faulty belt. A broken belt is more often than not the reason your dryer has stopped working. Don't panic, this is one of the easier dryer repair jobs and can be completed in just a few minutes using with some basic tools. Once you've opened the dryer, remove the lint screen cover and the screws holding it in place, slide in a thin knife between the top cover and the front panel to release the locking mechanism and then remove the broken belt from the drum. Drop the new belt over the drum and fix it into place before replacing the pieces and screws that you removed.

Another common dryer repair job is fixing the timer. If your dryer's timer stops working, you only need to replace the timer motor rather than the whole thing. This can be found behind the control panel. Once you have removed the knob from the shaft together with the mounting screws, place the new timer in the same position and the job is done.

If in doubt, it's best to call out a professional rather than damage the appliance.