My dryer runs but does not heat. Is the element gone?

Not necessarily. A blocked vent raises internal temperature until the thermal fuse cuts the circuit, which produces exactly this symptom. We check airflow before condemning the element.

How often should the vent line be cleaned?

Once a year for most households, twice for a long run, a large family, or heavy towel and bedding loads. Humidity along the Gulf Coast packs lint tighter, so err toward the shorter interval.

My new dryer is slow. Is it faulty?

Check the vent first. A new dryer connected to an old blocked line performs exactly like a broken one, and this is one of the most common calls we take after a delivery.

The thermal fuse keeps blowing. Why?

Because the restriction was never cleared. The fuse is doing its job; replacing it repeatedly means the machine keeps reaching a temperature it should never see.

Do you work on gas dryers?

Yes. Gas work involves the igniter, flame sensor and valve coils, and needs current draw testing under load — not a job to guess at.

Dryer Repair

Gas and electric

Dryer Repair Across Houston and Texas

We have completed 3,196 dryer repairs. If there is one thing worth knowing before calling anyone, it is that the vent line causes more failures than the heating element, the thermostat and the control board put together.

We service gas and electric dryers, vented and condenser, standalone and stacked. Gas work involves the igniter, flame sensor and valve coils, and the diagnostics require reading current draw under load rather than a visual check.

The single biggest cause

The Vent Causes More Failures Than Any Part

A dryer moves heated air through the drum and out. Restrict that airflow and heat has nowhere to go, so internal temperature climbs and the thermal fuse cuts the circuit — exactly as designed.

The homeowner sees a dryer that tumbles but no longer heats and assumes the element failed. Often it is fine. Replace the fuse without clearing the vent and the same thing happens within weeks, because the cause was never touched.

Along the Gulf Coast this is worse than inland: damp lint packs tighter than dry lint, so vent lines load up faster. Our dryer calls peak in July at 462 against 162 in September — a 185% swing that airflow explains most of.

Before you call

Signs the Vent Is the Problem

Clothes need two or three cycles to dry
The laundry room gets hot and humid during a cycle
The outside vent flap barely moves when the dryer runs
Clothes come out hot but still damp
The thermal fuse has been replaced before

Run the dryer and go outside. The exterior flap should be pushed open by a steady stream of warm air. Weak flow is your answer, and it is worth checking before booking anyone.

When it is the machine

The Heat Circuit Has Four Failure Points

Only one of them is the element: thermal fuse, cycling thermostat, high-limit cut-off, and the element itself. On gas dryers add the igniter and the valve coils. Three of them fail in a way that looks identical from the front panel, which is why we test the whole circuit under load rather than replacing on assumption.

A worn gas igniter still glows, so it gets ruled out — but it no longer draws enough current to open the safety valve reliably. Intermittent heat on a gas dryer is an igniter until proven otherwise.

Noise

Rumbling and Squealing Are Cheap to Fix

Worn rollers, a stretched belt or a seized idler pulley account for nearly every dryer noise complaint. All three are inexpensive parts, and all three are cheaper caught before they damage the drum.

We also clean and, where needed, replace vent ducting. Rigid or semi-rigid metal is what we fit — foil flex crushes behind the machine and catches lint in every ridge.