Tumble dryer blowing cold air and not heating? What to check

A tumble dryer that hums away and tumbles the clothes but blows cold, leaving everything damp at the end, has stopped heating. Not heating up is the single most common tumble dryer fault our engineers are called to, at around 26% of recent repairs. The good part is that the most common cause is one you can often sort yourself.

Start with the airflow

A tumble dryer makes heat, and it needs air moving freely to carry that heat away. Block the airflow and the machine overheats, which trips a safety cut-out that shuts the heat off but leaves the motor running. The result is a drum full of cold air. Nine times out of ten that blocked airflow is the thing to fix first.

Clean the lint filter. You should do it every load, but really clear it now, including the fluff down in the housing you can't see. Our guide on cleaning the lint filter covers it.

On a condenser dryer, pull the condenser unit out and rinse it, and empty the water container. A clogged condenser chokes the airflow just like a blocked filter. Our guide on cleaning the condenser shows how it comes out.

On a vented dryer, check the hose and the outside vent aren't crushed or packed with lint.

Once it's all clear, let the machine cool down for an hour and try again. Some cut-outs reset themselves once the dryer has cooled.

Check you're not on an air cycle

Worth thirty seconds. Most dryers have an airing or cool-tumble setting that runs with no heat on purpose, and it's easy to knock onto one. Make sure you're on a proper heated programme.

When it's a fault

Cleaned everything, cooled it down, right programme, and still cold. Now it's a heating fault. The heater assembly is the part our engineers replace most on tumble dryers, and it's the usual answer. A thermal cut-out or thermostat that's blown and won't reset, often after the airflow has been blocked for a while, is the other common one.

Heat pump dryers work differently. They heat with a sealed refrigeration system rather than an element, so no heat there points at the compressor or a refrigerant fault. On an older heat pump machine that's often not worth repairing, and we'll tell you straight rather than sell you a repair that doesn't make sense.

What a repair costs

Our band for a tumble dryer that won't heat is £89 to £150, with any parts quoted separately and the price confirmed before we start. The engineers carry the common parts, so most repairs are done on the first visit.

Book a tumble dryer repair

If the filter and condenser are clear and it's still blowing cold, book a tumble dryer repair or find your local tumble dryer engineer.

Frequently asked questions

Why is my tumble dryer blowing cold air?

Most often a blocked lint filter or condenser has made it overheat and trip a safety cut-out, which stops the heat but keeps the drum turning. Clean the filter and condenser and let it cool. If it's still cold, the heater or a thermostat has likely failed.

Why is my tumble dryer not heating but still running?

The motor and the heater are separate, so the drum can keep turning while the heating has failed or been cut off. A blocked airflow tripping the cut-out is the common cause, then a failed heater assembly or thermostat.

Can I fix a tumble dryer that won't heat myself?

The airflow side, yes: clean the filter, condenser and vent, and let it cool so a tripped cut-out can reset. Replacing a heater or thermostat means opening the machine and is a job for an engineer.

How much does it cost to fix?

£89 to £150 for a heating fault, with any parts quoted separately and the price confirmed first. On an older heat pump dryer a sealed-system fault may not be worth repairing, and we'll tell you before you spend anything.