We have a 10 year old Maytag Performa washer & dryer set. A few weeks ago, we noticed that upon starting the dryer, it made a horrible racket and then went back to normal within a few seconds. It gets hot, but the clothes are not really dry, even after a 70 minute cycle.

Is this the fan, possibly? Do I need a pro for this?

Thanks very much for your time.

I'm not a dryer expert, but perhaps the belt is broken and the drum may not be spinning. If so, it could be a fire hazard, so sounds like you need a repairman unless you know how to replace a belt. I wouldn't use it until you have it repaired.

Didi

Thanks for responding--the drum is moving, which is why this is kind of odd.

Sorry I couldn't help. This is more than odd... if the heat is on and the drum is turning you would think the clothing would dry!

Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will respond. Good luck!

Didi

The easiest thing you could do is, unplug the dryer, and remove the back casing (usually 10 screws or so). Where the Dryer hose goes into, fish around in there and make sure if free of debris and lint. To do a more detailed cleaning, you may have to remove another casing depending upon your model.

Its recommended to do this every couple years, or if its used often, maybe every 1- 1 1/2 years.


You might also check the vent system/hose you have in place, and also make sure they are free of debris and lint.

As long as your dryer is drying (somewhat), and the drum is moving, you can rule out belt replacement, or there being a bad heating coil, or a bad thermal fuse.

I agree if it is getting hot and spinning the only thing that would prevent it from drying is improper air flow. Thousands of house fires are caused by lint clogged vent hoses each year. If you have a wet/dry vac try to vacuum up as much lint as you can from the vent hose and then move the vacuum hose to the blowing side of the vac and blow out the vent hose. Be sure to use some duct tape around the dryer vent hose and the vac hose or else you will get a face full of lint! The other problem could be the blower wheel on the dryer. The racket you heard may have been the blower wheel bearings going out. If removing the lint from the vent hose doesn't fix the problem then you may want to check the blower wheel.