Home Repair Center Clothes Dryer Repair Tips, DIY Help, and Information Common Questions About Dryers (FAQs) Why is my dryer getting too hot?

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[Why is my dryer so noisy?]

A dryer usually overheats because of a kink or blockage in the duct work, blockage in the outside wall cap, or because of a defective cycling thermostat. The cycling thermostat tells the dryer when to heat and not to heat. Clean any lint from the inner and outer ductwork. You can also remove the vent from the back of the dryer for a load or two to determine if the clothes dry faster or not. If this doesn't fix it, go ahead and replace the cycling thermostat. Make sure to use the appropriate setting to dry the clothes.

The dryer pulls in air from the front, so any piles of clothes may be blocking air flow. Vents should be rigid or flexible metal. Plastic venting collapses easily, collects water, and collects lint. If your dryer can't get rid of any excess heat or moisture, the heat will build up in the dryer drum, and becomes a fire hazard.

Clothes dryers are one of the leading causes of residential (household) fires in the United States. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reported an estimated 14,800 dryer fires in the United States in 1998. This number of fires resulted in 16 deaths, about 300 injuries, and cost over $75 million dollars in property damages. The major source of ignition for a lot of the fires was the dryer vent stack. Because the smoke and pollutants from the fire are vented outside, many traditional residential smoke alarms will not go off until the fire is in a highly advanced state.