So you’ve just done a load of laundry, and now you’re putting it into your dryer; however, when you take it out of the dryer, it’s still wet. Maytag dryers are well-loved and known for their reliability, but like all appliances, they can become faulty or stop working as efficiently as they should. One example of this is if it’s not heating up correctly or at all; luckily, there are a few ways you can find the cause and fix the problem.
To fix your Maytag dryer, disconnect the dryer from power and then open your dryer up and make use of a multimeter to test each component. If you find something that is faulty, you can replace it with a new part. Then close the dryer again and test it out to see if it works.
In this article, we will be going over the topics relating to a Maytag dryer that’s not heating correctly, including what could be causing it, how to test your dryer, and how you can fix the problem. Now let’s get started!
Maytag Dryer Not Heating: Causes / How to Test and Fix Both for Gas / Electric
If you find that your dryer runs but doesn’t heat up, doesn’t get hot enough, takes a long time to dry your laundry, or doesn’t work at all, the first thing you’ll want to do is to check what is causing the problem. Let’s go over a list of things that could be causing your dryer not to heat up or run correctly.
Reasons Maytag Electric Dryer Not Heating
First, let’s go over things that could cause an electric dryer not to heat up properly.
Heating Element
As the name might suggest, the heating element is the part of the dryer that heats the air going into the dryer’s drum. However, as time passes, the heating element may wear out or completely stop working, which means that your dryer’s air won’t heat up. You can use a multimeter to test whether your heating element has blown. We’ll go over how to test for continuity in the ‘How to Fix’ section.
Hi-Limit Thermostat
A hi-limit thermostat is a device that monitors the temperature inside of the dryer and will switch the heating element or burner off to stop the dryer from overheating. If this component is not working correctly, it will switch the heater off even if the dryer isn’t overheating, which will make your dryer not heat up properly. To see if this is the case, test this device for continuity.
Power Issue
One of the most easily-fixed causes of a dryer not working or heating up is that the power source is not working/giving it enough power. Use a multimeter to test whether your power outlet is working correctly. It should give out at least 220 volts.
How to Test and Fix a Maytag Electric Dryer
Now that you know what might be causing your problems, we can move on to how you can test to see which dryer part is causing it not to heat up and then fix the problem. Testing and fixing your dryer’s parts will most likely require you to disassemble its parts, for which you’ll need some tools, both to take it apart and also to test the components once you’ve taken it apart.
What You’ll Need
- Multimeter (like this AstroAI Digital Multimeter)
- Flathead screwdriver or a putty knife
- Nut driver with the appropriate bit for your dryer’s nut size
How to Fix
- First, disconnect your dryer from the power to ensure your safety.
- Slide your flathead screwdriver or putty knife under the edges of the top of your dryer’s cabinet to release the catches that hold it closed.
- Prop your cabinet top open so that you can access the back of the cabinet. You should find all of the elements you need to test at the dryer’s top back, behind the dryer drum.
- Use your multimeter (set to the resistance Ω setting) and hold the probes to the wires connected to the heating element, the thermostat, hi-limit, and the thermal fuse. Your multimeter should measure no resistance. If one of these elements has resistance, you’ll need to replace it.
- Unscrew whichever dryer part is faulty and disconnect it from the wires. Then remove it from the dryer interior and replace it with a new component. Reconnect the wires and screw the new part in place to secure it.
- Close the cabinet top and make sure that the catches are attached to the lid again.
If you’re still a bit confused, watch this video:
Reasons Maytag Gas Dryer Not Heating
Next, let’s look over some things that may be causing your gas dryer not to heat up the way it should.
Gas Valve Coils
Gas dryers usually have multiple gas valve solenoid coils that open and close the gas valve ports to let gas into the burner. If the solenoid stops working, your dryer won’t heat up. To see if this is the case, check the dryer’s igniter. If it glows and then goes out, but doesn’t ignite any gas, your dryer’s gas valve solenoid is at fault.
Igniter
The igniter is the device that ignites the gas in a gas dryer’s burner assembly. If it doesn’t work, then the gas won’t ignite, and the burner will not be able to heat up your dryer as it should. Test the igniter for continuity with a multimeter to see if it is causing the problem.
Thermal Fuse
One of the most common reasons why both an electric and a gas dryer doesn’t heat up is that the thermal fuse may have blown. It is a safety apparatus that is made to keep a dryer from overheating. If the fuse has blown, it will mean that the electrical current can’t flow through the wires, and your dryer won’t heat up.
A blown thermal fuse is usually an indication that your vent is clogged, so be sure to check that out when replacing the fuse.
How to Test and Fix a Maytag Gas Dryer
Now that you know what might be causing your gas dryer not to heat up properly, we can move on to test each dryer part to find which one is causing the problem. Then after you’ve found the cause, we can move onto fixing it. Remember that this will require you to disassemble the dryer, for which you’ll need the following tools.
What You’ll Need
- Multimeter
- Flathead screwdriver or a putty knife
- Nut driver with the appropriate bit for your dryer’s nut size
How to Fix
- Disconnect your dryer from the power and slide it away from the wall so that you can gain access to the back panel. Unscrew the screws/nuts holding the rear panel in place and remove the panel.
- Test your thermal fuse, which is a small white strip in the center of the dryer. Disconnect the wires from the fuse and hold a multimeter probe to the prongs sticking out of the thermal fuse. If it measures a resistance, you’ll need to unscrew the thermal fuse, pull it out of the dryer and replace it with a new one. Screw it in place, reconnect the wires and replace the back panel.
- If this is not the issue, lift the top of the dryer with a flathead screwdriver or putty knife, unscrew the screws/nuts at the top front of the dryer cabinet front and remove the front. Make sure to disconnect any wires that may be connected to it.
- Test each of the dryer’s internal components (igniter, gas valve coils, and flame switch) by disconnecting the wires and using your multimeter.
- Once you’ve determined which one is faulty, you can unscrew that part, disconnect it from any wires and replace it with a new part. Once you’ve reconnected the new part, you can screw everything back into place, put the front panel back on, reconnect any wires you may have disconnected and close the dryer’s lid.
If you’re not quite sure about one of these steps, you can watch this video to guide you through this process:
Here’s another video you can watch with some helpful tips on disassembling your dryer and testing its parts:
Maytag Dryer Won’t Dry Clothes (Is It a Heat Problem?)
If you find that your dryer is heating up, but when you take your laundry out of the dryer, it’s still wet, you may be wondering if the cause for this is a heat problem after all.
An issue that could cause both an electric and gas dryer not to dry your laundry is if the vent is blocked up. If the vent is blocked up, your dryer may still heat up, but either it will take much longer to dry your laundry, or it may not dry your clothes at all. It can also cause your dryer to overheat and damage some of the other dryer parts.
Copyright article owner is ReadyToDiy.com for this article. This post was first published on November 27, 2020.
Checking your dryer vent regularly to make sure that it’s not filled up or twisted in a compromising manner is essential to keeping your dryer working efficiently.
How to Check
To ensure that your dryer’s vent is not blocked up, you’ll want to pull your dryer away from the wall and remove the exhaust pipe from the back. It is usually held on by a wire clamp or by a few clips, from which it can be easily removed.
Once removed, check inside the exhaust pipe and in the dryer’s vent cavity for a lint and dirt build-up. If there is any, clean it out thoroughly and then reattach your exhaust pipe to the dryer.
Final Thoughts
There are quite a few things that can cause your dryer not to heat up properly and will, in turn, stop it from drying your laundry. Luckily, you can fix these problems yourself with a few tools and a bit of time. If you don’t feel comfortable doing this yourself, it’s best to hire a professional to do it for you.
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ReadyToDIY is the owner of this article. This post was published on November 27, 2020.