No matter how you feel about the chore of doing laundry, you’re probably thankful to have a washer and dryer to help you clean those clothes.
You may even take it for granted that you have these machines to make this task faster and less labor-intensive for you.
Until you go to turn on your dryer and it won’t work. Now you’re stuck with a load of wet clothes, or worse, towels, that you need to dry.
When you’re dryer won’t start, it’s often because the thermal fuse has blown. Every dryer sold in the USA is required by law to have a thermal fuse. It’s not the same as an electrical fuse, though your dryer may also have one of those too.
Thermal fuses blow when the temperature gets too high. The dryer then stops working as a safety precaution. That’s great because you’ve avoided a house fire. But now you’re stuck with wet laundry which isn’t so great.
So, you’ve called someone in to replace that thermal fuse. Or you’re handy and did it yourself. But your dryer keeps blowing that thermal fuse. What’s going on here? And how do you get things back on track so your laundry doesn’t pile up even more? Keep reading to find out!
Here Is Why Your Dryer Keeps Blowing Thermal Fuse
The most common cause of having a thermal fuse blow is a clogged or restricted exhaust vent for your dryer. You should always clean that lint screen after every use. Yearly, you should make sure to remove the debris and lint built up in the dryer vent. Check these things to see if they are clogged and clear them away.
Since every dryer sold in America features a thermal fuse because it is legally required to have it, you have to do your part to keep that thermal fuse from blowing.
A thermal fuse in your dryer will blow when the temperature in your dryer gets too high. This is not the same as drawing too much current. When it gets too high, it will completely stop the dryer from running. No heat. No tumbling. Nothing.
You will need to replace your thermal fuse if you want your dryer to function again.
How do I know if the thermal fuse on my dryer has blown?
It doesn’t matter what model you have. It could be Maytag, GE, Samsung, Whirlpool, Whirlpool Duet, Crosley, or any other brand. They all have a thermal fuse in place designed to keep you and your family safe from a fire.
Depending on the model you own, your dryer may simply just stop working completely. You could pile your just-washed clothes in there, close the door, set the cycle, and push the button, but if it doesn’t come on, it might be your thermal fuse.
Some models are equipped with display screens. For these, it may give you an error code that will help you confirm that the thermal fuse is blown.
To determine that this is the cause, you’ve got to open up the dryer. But before you go to that trouble, if you’re so inclined, or call a professional for repair, there are some other things you need to do.
Thermal fuses are just part of the situation here. When it blows, there is a reason for it. You can’t just replace that fuse without finding out what caused it.
Doing so will result in that thermal fuse blowing again and again. You’ll keep having the same problems and you may even burn your house down!
Why does my dryer keep blowing thermal fuses?
If you’ve already replaced your thermal fuse on your dryer, you need to find out why it keeps blowing. Dryers have many parts to them and those parts can certainly go bad at any time.
The function of the thermal fuse is to prevent house fires. Thanks to this fuse, it has made this less of a problem. However, it’s a different kind of problem when you need to use your dryer and it won’t work.
Here are some of the things you should look for when trying to solve the mystery of why your dryer keeps blowing thermal fuses:
- Thermal fuse on the blower wheel
- Failed relay for control board
- Lint around thermal fuse
- Tripped thermal cutoff
- Clog in dryer hose or vent line
- Grounded heating element
– Thermal fuse on the blower wheel
Your dryer’s blower wheel has a thermal fuse. This is what takes note of the temperature in your dryer. When it gets too high, it will shut down the power to the motor, but not for the heating element.
To see if this is the problem, you need to use a multimeter. This will help you check for continuity between the two points of contact. Before you do anything, turn the dryer off and remove the power cord from the outlet.
Since every dryer is different, you will need to look at your manual to see how to take it apart and get to this fuse. If you aren’t all that handy, this would be a job for a professional to repair.
Make sure you hire someone that won’t just replace the thermal fuse yet again and will inspect the entire dryer to find the problem causing it.
– Failed relay for control board
With both Maytag and Whirlpool dryer models, it is very common for the thermal fuse to keep tripping because of a failed relay on your control board.
Most often, the relay gets stuck while in the “ON” position. It sends power to your heating element but it ignores the commands for “ON” or “OFF” coming from the control board.
When this happens, it will make the control board continue to deliver power to the heating element while the dryer is running. So, when the critical be-all-end-all temperature is reached, it blows the thermal fuse.
You’re likely to note this happening at the end of the drying cycle, when your dryer goes into “Cool Down” mode.
Unfortunately, if this is happening to you, you will not only need to replace the thermal fuse but also the entire control board. The relay is stuck and there’s no other way out of this endless blowout cycle.
You can check it yourself if you like. Here’s how:
- Be sure to unplug your dryer from the wall outlet.
- Unscrew the screws on the back of your dryer that are holding your control panel there.
- Turn it over to look at the control board. You’ll see a relay switch on the lower right portion.
- Look for black marks or melting, a surefire indication it has failed.
Sometimes, you may see nothing amiss. But don’t let it fool you. You should change it out anyway to prevent another thermal fuse blow.
– Lint around thermal fuse
Modern dryers are convenient, but they aren’t perfect. The lint can sometimes get past the lint trap and go to places it doesn’t belong in your dryer.
And yes, that includes getting itself wrapped around your thermal fuse in that blower wheel. When lint does this, it causes the fuse to overheat and then blow thanks to built-up heat.
For stuck lint, you’ll need to take a look at the blower wheel and clean any lint and debris away that you find around it.
The blower fan is attached to the drive shaft motor so look there, and don’t forget you will also need to replace that thermal fuse again to avoid another blowout.
– Tripped thermal cutoff
You’ll find your dryer’s thermal cutoff on the heater assembly. It is responsible for controlling your dryer’s temperature as well as monitoring the amount of heat it produces.
This is likely the case if your dryer drum is spinning just fine but not producing heat. That indicates the thermal cutoff switch has blown.
Just a warning… your dryer might even be creating just a teensy bit of heat. But this heat is not enough to dry your clothes. You could run it through several drying cycles and still have majorly damp to wet clothes.
You’ll need to troubleshoot this thermal cutoff. Testing it for electrical continuity will give you clues but you will still need to figure out why it failed to begin with.
– Clog in dryer hose or vent line
Without a doubt, one of the biggest causes for your thermal fuse to keep blowing out is when your dryer hoses or the vent lines are clogged. With a clog present, it halts proper air circulation.
When the air can’t properly circulate, your dryer will overheat. Accumulated lint is often the leading causes of a clog. If you haven’t cleaned your dryer vent out in a while, that’s the place to start.
It’s also possible that the venting wasn’t set up properly to begin with. You’ll want to clean your vent and make sure it is completely unobstructed.
Another possibility here is that your thermal fuse may be at the end of its life cycle. If there is no lint in the way and no clogs you can see, some other failure is causing it to overheat.
Where is your dryer located? If there isn’t enough clearance on all sides or you have it too close to your furnace, this may be the cause.
So, how do you check to see if it’s a clogged vent line? Follow these steps to clean your dryer vents yourself:
- First, make sure you unplug the dryer power cord from the wall.
- Move the dryer so you can find the vent on the back of the machine.
- Remove whatever is holding the vent to your dryer, usually clamps or tape.
- Clean your duct from the interior portion of the vent behind your machine.
- Go outside to the exterior vent and clear that portion too. Some townhomes and two- or three-level homes may have this vent on the roof. This will require a ladder or a professional willing to climb up and pull the debris out.
- After removing all the lint from the inside and outside vent portions, reconnect everything.
You’ll still need to replace the blown fuse to power on your dryer, but once you do, it should work great.
– Grounded heating element
Your heating element has coils. When they expand, they can touch the metal casing. This will ground the heating element.
Should this happen to you, the dryer’s heating element will stay on constantly, even if you’re using a fluff cycle. That’s because the cycling thermostat isn’t able to control the heat produced by the heating element.
Don’t let this keep happening or else your dryer will overheat. Then the thermal cutoff fuse will be tripped and you’ll have more trouble on your hands.
If you notice your dryer is doing this, you can try to repair it yourself:
- As always, start by unplugging your dryer from the power outlet.
- Take the back panel off your dryer.
- You’ll see the heating element down at the bottom. Disconnect the wires that run to it.
- Mark where each wire goes so you’ll remember to put them back properly later.
- Take the high-heat thermostat from your old heating element and move it to the new one.
- Put the new heating element onto the heater box correctly, then screw it into place.
- Put your wires and back panel back on.
- Plug in the dryer and see if it works now.
Basically, whatever happens here, when you have a thermal fuse blow or a cutoff trip, it is going to need to be replaced. That’s because the problem that caused it destroyed that particular part and it will not function properly without solving the initial cause.
Conclusion
The thermal fuse in your dryer is a one-time use part and can’t be reset. Every time it blows, you have to replace it, which can get expensive, not to mention, frustrating.
To keep this from happening, the best course of action is to keep your dryer vent lines clean. You can do that yourself or hire a dryer vent cleaning service to do it for you.
Other times, the problem is something more severe. Regardless of what caused the thermal fuse to blow, you will need to discover what the cause was to prevent an endless cycle of replacing fuses.
These fuses just don’t blow for fun. Something is causing it and that’s the mystery you’ll need to solve first to get your dryer functioning properly again.
Solving the root cause of your dryer’s problems means you can comfortably rely on it to dry your clothes, towels, and linens. Of course, if your dryer is very old, it may be time to get a new one. Many modern models come with a display that can help you when problems arise though the ones that don’t have this feature will still tumble for you when you need to dry your laundry.
Unless of course you’ve blown that fuse, but now at least you know exactly what to do to get it back on track again!