Dryer Will Not Heat

Dryer heaters work by resisting the flow of electricity. This resistance to the flow of electrons creates friction and that generates heat. The dryer blower and air flow system forces the hot air through the clothes and out the vent. All dryer heaters must have a resistance to the flow of electricity. A wire (conductor) has little or no resistance therefore it does not get hot.

Resistance is checked using an ohmmeter.

Today ohmmeters are incorporated in multimeters. The meter sends out a small amount of electricity from its battery and measures how resistant the circuit is to the flow of electrons. The resistance to the flow of electricity is measured in Ohms. The higher the resistance a circuit has the higher its Ohm reading will be.

With both heater power terminals disconnected you can check for resistance. The typical dryer heater resistance is around 20 Ohms.

If you can not read resistance on the dryer heater then it is an open circuit and needs replaced. Also if your meter indicated an electrical path between either of the heater terminals to the heater frame (ground) then it’s bad. The heater must be isolated from its mounting frame.