Home / Common faults / Tumble dryer
Tumble dryerTumble dryer runs but won't heat up
If the drum turns but the clothes stay cold and damp, the dryer has lost its heat — while the motor side is still working fine.
What it usually means
Most dryers protect themselves with a thermal cut-out that shuts off the heat if airflow drops. A clogged lint filter or condenser can trip that cut-out, so the fault often starts as a maintenance issue rather than a broken component. On heat-pump dryers the picture is different and worth checking carefully.
Common causes
- Tripped thermal cut-out
Restricted airflow trips the safety cut-out. Sometimes resettable, sometimes a cheap replacement part.
- Blocked lint filter or condenser
A clogged filter or condenser unit chokes airflow — clean it and the heat often returns.
- Faulty heating element
The element itself has failed. A common, affordable part on most vented and condenser dryers.
- Faulty thermostat
The thermostat that regulates temperature can fail and leave the dryer cold.
This is frequently a maintenance fix, not a breakdown — but a heat-pump dryer needs a more careful look. A video call sorts the cheap fixes from the ones worth thinking twice about.
Note: exact fault behaviour varies by model and age — the only way to be sure is to have someone look. That's what the £29 call is for.
Is your tumble dryer worth fixing?
Book a 20-minute video call and a qualified engineer will tell you straight — for £29, with a full refund if we can't diagnose it.
Full refund if we can't reach a diagnosis. No app to download.