My tumble dryer is not spinning!

If the drum in your tumble dryer is not spinning, then you will almost certainly have to arrange an appliance repair. If you have an appliance breakdown service contract with 24|7 Home Rescue, then you simply have to give us a call and we will take care of the rest. Otherwise, read on to find out why your tumble dryer is not turning.

If you have no experience repairing tumble dryers, do not attempt it!

Why do dryer drums stop spinning?

Broken tumble dryer drive belt

Although modern dryers contain strong and sturdy drive belts that should survive for the life expectancy of a dryer, the manufacturing process is not flawless, and these belts can occasionally stretch, break, or come loose. This problem is far more commonplace among older models and becomes more likely to occur the older the appliance becomes, eventually resulting in the dryer drum not spinning.

You can tell if the drive belt is broken because the tumble dryer will still consume electricity and the motor will continue to make noise when it is in operation. Put your hand on the drum and give it a spin manually; if it takes less effort to spin the drum than it normally would, then the drive belt is not providing the resistance it should.

Unplug the appliance and remove the dryer cover so you can see if the tumble dryer belt is still connected as it should be. If the belt is broken, then you will have to buy the right drive belt for your particular appliance and fit it properly. We strongly recommend that you only replace your drive belt if you know what you are doing!

Seized drum

Has your drum stopped spinning? If the drum is harder to manually move than it normally is, then the drum may have seized up. There are a lot of moving parts in electric dryers that make the dryer spin, and when these wear down or if they are badly fitted, then the drum can seize up.

The causes of seized-up drums are numerous; some of the most common include:

• Worn drum glides and support rulers
• Improperly-aligned bulkheads
• Badly-installed drum felt seals
• Broken tumble dryer drum bearings
• Broken idler pulleys

Broken motors and start capacitors

If the lights on your tumble dryer are still working properly but the appliance is not making any noise, then the motor or start capacitor has probably broken. You can find out which component has broken by spinning the drum by hand and quickly closing the door; if the drum continues to spin, then the start capacitor has broken, whereas if the drum does not spin, then the motor has broken.

Remember, tumble dryer motors can still hold a dangerous amount of static electricity, even when they are unplugged. You will need to replace the broken component and fit it properly; again, this is a job that is best left to the professionals.

Still having trouble?

Don’t forget, we offer cover for a range of household appliances to ensure you have peace of mind should yours ever suffer a breakdown. Please contact us via our website or on 0345 3192 247 to find out more. Or call us today for urgent assistance. Our technical teams will run through some simple diagnostics to see if it can be fixed over the phone, and if not, they’ll send a manufacturer engineer where possible to take a look.

Don’t attempt to repair the appliance yourself unless you’re really confident in what you’re doing. A number of things could go wrong, including risks of jamming, electrocution, burns, scalds, cuts, and much more. We’ve got a number of highly skilled engineers up and down the country – so you’ll never be far from help when you need it most.

Experiencing other tumble-dryer problems? Read about what to do if a tumble dryer is not heating up or if a condenser dryer stops collecting water.