Burning smell or smoke from your dryer? Turn it off, unplug it or switch off the breaker, and call us. If you smell gas, leave the home and call the gas company or 911 from outside.
Damp clothes in a damp climate
Drying clothes in Land O' Lakes is harder than it sounds. The air going into your dryer is warm and wet for much of the year. When the dryer is also fighting a clogged vent or a weak heater, a load can take forever. Long run times wear out parts faster and waste power.
We're a Land O' Lakes company. Dryer calls in 34637, 34638 and 34639 are close to where we start each day, and we offer same-day service when we have an opening.
Signs your dryer needs a pro
- It tumbles but gives no heat at all.
- It heats, but loads take two or three cycles.
- It won't start, or it stops partway through.
- You hear squealing, thumping or grinding.
- The outside of the cabinet gets very hot to the touch.
The vent matters as much as the dryer
If your laundry room is on an inside wall, the vent can run a long way to reach outdoors. Lint, bends and crushed foil ducts slow the airflow. Then the dryer runs hot, cycles off and trips its safety parts. We see this in all kinds of homes, from newer builds to older houses.
When we check a dryer, we look at the airflow too. A new heating element won't help much if the vent is blocked.
Gas or electric, we fix both
Electric dryers usually fail at the heating element, a thermal fuse (a one-time safety switch) or the thermostats. Gas dryers have an igniter, flame sensor and gas valve coils instead. Either type can need a belt, idler pulley, drum rollers or a door switch.
Gas work is not a do-it-yourself job. If you smell gas, don't touch any switches. Leave the house and call the gas company or 911 from outside.
What you can safely check first
Before you call, unplug the dryer or switch off its breaker. Then:
- Clean the lint screen and check the slot it sits in.
- Look at the outside vent hood while the dryer runs later. You should feel strong airflow.
- For an electric dryer, check the breaker. These use a double breaker, and if one side trips the drum may spin with no heat.
- Make sure the door closes firmly.
Storm surges and dryer controls
Newer dryers have electronic control boards. Power surges during summer storms can damage these boards, just like other electronics. UF/IFAS suggests surge protection, or unplugging things you don't need, to help protect them. If your dryer acts odd after an outage, we can test the board and the parts around it.
Repair or replace?
Belts, rollers, heating elements, igniters and fuses are common, sensible repairs. A rusted drum or a failed motor on an older, basic dryer may be the time to replace it. We give an upfront quote, and no work starts until you approve it. We tell you the visit price on the phone before we come.
Dryer repair near you in Land O' Lakes
We fix dryers across Connerton (Land O' Lakes mailing address), Bexley, Lake Padgett Estates, Wilderness Lake Preserve and Concord Station in Oakstead, plus homes off US 41, SR 52 and Collier Parkway.
Read more on our dryer repair service page or visit our Land O' Lakes page. Nearby, we also cover dryer repair in Lutz and dryer repair in Odessa. Washer trouble too? See washer repair in Land O' Lakes.