Your clothes have been in the dryer for a full cycle and they’re still wet? Obviously this can often be an indication that some parts have failed and have ultimately caused the dryer to stop producing heat, though this is not always the case. Another possible cause could be (and often is) a venting issue.
While your dryer is producing heat and tumbling, the air is pushed out the exhaust on the back of the machine. As the air travels through the connected vent (with it’s final destination to outside) it may encounter a couple obstacles that can slow or stop the drying process. The more common obstacle being, over the years the vent has collected excessive lint and finally that lint has built up enough to block the air from being blown to the outside. The result is the hot wet air returns to the dryer tub and continues to saturate your clothes. The other obstacle would be that the venting run (from the dryer to outside) is so long that the blower from the dryer cannot push the air far enough which means it may take 2 or 3 cycles to dry your clothes. The way to diagnose if you have a venting issue is usually very simple.
Steps to take:
- Pull the dryer out so the venting is accessible
- Using a screwdriver, or the proper nut driver, loosen the clamp that attaches the vent to your dryer
- Remove the vent and run a load of wet clothes in your dryer
- If your clothes have dried properly you know that you’ll need to fix your venting
- It may be time to contact an expert to come out and service your vent. Though this is not a service we provide, we’d be happy to refer you to some local options
