It is the most common laundry complaint we are called out to, and the machine is usually healthy. What has changed is the air.
Why airflow decides everything
A dryer works by moving heated air through the clothes and pushing the moisture outside. If the vent run is restricted, that moist air cannot leave, so the machine keeps running and the load stays damp. The drum gets hotter, the cycle gets longer, and eventually a safety thermostat cuts the heat entirely.
What you can check yourself
- Clean the lint screen every single load, not every few.
- Go outside and watch the vent flap while the dryer runs. It should be open with warm air moving through it.
- Feel the laundry room after a cycle. If it is hot and humid, air that should be leaving the building is staying in it.
When it is the machine
If airflow is good and the load still will not dry, the usual causes are a failed heating element on an electric dryer, or a weak igniter or coil set on gas. Both are ordinary same-visit repairs. What is not normal is a thermal fuse that keeps blowing: the fuse is protecting the machine from heat it should never see, and replacing it without clearing the restriction guarantees a repeat.
How often the vent needs clearing
Once a year for most households, more often with a large family or a long duct run through an attic. It is the cheapest job we do and it prevents the most expensive ones.
