Introduction
You take your clean clothes out of the washer, put them inside your LG dryer and the damn thing won’t start. Your first response may be hiring a professional by searching for “dryer repair near me” to fix the dryer. However, if it’s a minor problem, you can fix it yourself and save a lot of money. Let’s check out how you can troubleshoot your LG dryer that won’t start:
Tips & Tricks
- Dryer door not closed properly – Lg dryers have a safety feature that prevents the machine from running if the door isn’t closed properly. This helps you to avoid a mess in your laundry room and eliminates the need for recleaning your clothes.
Make sure that you close the dryer door firmly and engage the latch. When the latch is engaged it should create a loud clicking noise and signal the dryer that the machine can run safely. If there is electrical failure or damage to the latch, it needs to be assessed by a professional. To confirm if the latch is working, you can use a multimeter and check for continuity of the circuit.
- Power issues – Your dryer may not start if there are power issues. Check if the dryer is getting sufficient power from the socket. Make sure that the cord is plugged in, and the pins make full contact with the socket. Even if the cord is connected properly, the dryer won’t receive sufficient power if there is damage to the cord wiring.
You should also check the circuit breaker box in your home. The circuit breaker in the laundry room may have kicked in due to a sudden power surge or some other reason. Reset the breaker and check if your LG dryer is running.
It’s also important that you don’t use extension cords to run your dryer. A dryer is a power-hungry appliance that draws a lot of electricity from the outlet. Extension cords often don’t have an appropriate gauge wiring to carry enough amperes of electric current. This can cause surges and also damage the dryer. Get an electrician to add an outlet close to your dryer.
- Child Lock – Apart from the door lock safety, LG dryers also have other safety measures that may prevent your dryer from starting. One of them is the Child Lock setting. If it is enabled accidentally, your dryer won’t start or spin.
When you enable Child Lock on your LG dryer, you may notice the CL code on the LCD panel. Disable this feature to start your dryer. To disable the setting, you usually need to hold the Child Lock button beside the display panel for a few seconds. If the CL code disappears then you have successfully deactivated Child Lock.
If your dryer has a different way of disabling the Child Lock, you may need to refer to the user manual. The same needs to be done if the display panel shows an error code other than CL.
- Blown thermal fuse – If your dryer is not starting due to a faulty component, then the thermal fuse is a common part that is most likely to fail. As the name suggests, it’s a safety device that is designed to protect your dryer from overheating. If your dryer is likely to overheat, then the thermal fuse blows out and cuts off the dryer from running to prevent a fire.
The thermal fuse is usually located on the dryer’s heat source (gas burner or coiled thermal element that runs on electricity) or on the blower housing. Check the thermal fuse with a multimeter for continuity. If the circuit isn’t closed, then you need to replace the thermal fuse.
Your thermal fuse may go out if you have clogged dryer vents that prevent air circulation. You need to clean the vents and hoses regularly and get them serviced at the right time to prevent overheating. Clogged vents can become a fire hazard.
- Worn out dryer belt – The dryer belt rotates the drum with the help of two pulleys via the dryer motor. As your dryer gets old and it goes through thousands of drying cycles, the dryer belt may be worn out, damaged, or ripped. This prevents the drum from spinning and you get a wet load of laundry.
To check if the dryer belt is worn out, turn the drum by hand. If the drum spins easily with negligible resistance, then the belt may have significant wear or maybe completely torn off. You can also open the dryer and do a visual inspection of the belt. Replacing the belt should fix the problem.
- Broken dryer door switch – Dryers have a door switch that is pressed when the dryer door is properly closed. It sends an electrical signal that lets the dryer know that it’s safe to run the cycle. However, if the door switch is defective or damaged, there is no door close signal, and the dryer won’t start. Replacing the switch should fix the problem.
- Faulty drive motor – The drive motor runs the blower wheel and turns the drum. If your dryer makes a humming noise, remove the dryer belt and check the blower wheel for any obstructions.
The presence of a humming noise despite lack of obstruction is a sign of a faulty motor. Unfortunately, you can’t test the motor with your regular garage tools. You should leave this job to a professional.
- Broken start switch – Start switches on your LG dryer are designed to work flawlessly for years and should outlast the dryer itself. However, if the start switch is broken, your dryer won’t run. If your multimeter shows no continuity from the dryer switch, you should order a replacement.
Conclusion
Now that you know the troubleshooting tips, you should apply them to your dryer and check if it’s a minor problem that can be easily fixed without the help of a technician. Otherwise, you may have to search for “dryer repair near me” to hire a reputed dryer repair technician near you.