Dryer repair in Pickering
A dryer that takes three cycles costs you in hydro every single load, and a clogged vent is a fire risk. Tell us what yours is doing and a local technician comes out, finds the fault and quotes the repair before replacing anything.
Which one sounds like your dryer?
Pick the closest match and read what usually causes it.
Something else going on? Describe it on the phone:
These four cover most of the dryer calls we take in Pickering. Open the one that matches yours. If none of them fit, describe it on the phone and we'll tell you what it sounds like.
Dryers we work on
What usually causes it
How we sort it
A blown thermal fuse is the most common cause, and it almost never blows for no reason. Something restricted the airflow first, usually the vent. So we test the element, fuse and thermostat, and we also check the vent run. Replacing the fuse without clearing what caused it just means you call us again in a month.
What usually causes it
How we sort it
Nine times in ten this is airflow, not a broken part. We check how much air is actually leaving the outside vent, then work backwards through the duct. Lint packed in a duct is also the reason dryers start fires, so this is worth sorting even while the machine still works. If the airflow is fine, we move on to the moisture sensor and the thermostats.
What usually causes it
How we sort it
The kind of noise narrows it down quickly. A steady squeal points to the idler pulley, a rhythmic thump to flat spots on the rollers, and a metallic rattle usually means something small got past the drum seal into the blower. We spin the drum by hand with the belt off to feel where the resistance is. Rollers get replaced as a set, since replacing one just moves the noise along.
What usually causes it
How we sort it
A dryer that is completely dead and one that quits mid-cycle point in different directions. Dead usually means power, the door switch or the thermal fuse. Quitting partway through usually means the motor is overheating and shutting itself off to protect itself, which again comes back to airflow. We test the switches and fuse, then run a full cycle to see whether it makes it to the end.
Is your dryer doing something else?
Book a repair onlineSix parts cause most of the dryer repairs we do in Pickering. Here is where each one sits and what it does when it fails.
The mesh you pull out and clean. Fabric softener leaves an invisible film on it over time, so it looks clean while blocking most of the airflow. Washing it in warm soapy water every few months helps more than people expect.
Linked symptom: two or three cycles to dryCarries hot damp air from the back of the dryer through the wall. Lint packs into the duct and the outside flap sticks or gets blocked, and the dryer heats fine but the clothes stay damp. This is also where dryer fires start.
Linked symptom: two or three cycles to dryThe element makes the heat, and the fuse cuts it off if the dryer overheats. A blocked vent is what usually blows the fuse, so replacing it without clearing the vent just means it blows again.
Linked symptom: drum turns but air stays coldSmall wheels the drum rides on at the back. They wear flat over the years, and every turn of the drum turns into a rhythmic thump. We replace them as a set, since changing one just moves the noise to the next.
Linked symptom: squealing or thumpingThe belt wraps around the whole drum and runs down to the motor, held tight by the idler pulley. A dry pulley bearing squeals, and a snapped belt leaves the motor humming while the drum sits still.
Linked symptom: squealing or thumpingTells the control that the door is shut. When it wears out, the dryer stays completely dead or stops the moment it starts, which looks like a dead motor but is one of the cheapest parts in the machine.
Linked symptom: won't start or stops partwayFrom condenser units in Seaton condos to twenty-year-old vented dryers in West Shore.
Two full cycles for a load of towels and they still came out damp. Turned out the vent behind the machine was packed solid with lint. He cleared the whole run and showed me what came out of it, which was frankly alarming. One cycle now.
Drum spun fine but blew cold air. Element had gone. Fixed the same afternoon.
Heat pump dryer, which the first company I called said they don't service. These guys did, and he clearly knew the machine rather than guessing at it.
The squeal was so bad we only ran it when the kids were out of the house. Rollers were worn flat. He replaced the whole set rather than just the bad one, and explained why.
Dryer kept stopping ten minutes in and I assumed the motor was dying. It was overheating because the outside vent flap was jammed shut with a bird's nest. Cheapest repair I've ever paid for.
Honest about the fact that our dryer was fifteen years old, but said the fix was small enough to be worth doing. It was, and it's still going.
Booked in the evening, got a call back first thing, sorted by lunchtime.
Something metallic was rattling around inside every time it turned. An underwire had worked its way past the drum seal. He got it out and checked the blower wasn't damaged.
Dryer was completely dead, no lights, nothing. Door switch had failed. He talked me through what he was testing as he went, which I appreciated.
Same fault came back inside the warranty window and they came back out without charging for the labour again.
The things people ask before booking, answered the same way we'd answer them on the phone.
Before we arrive: find the model number on the sticker inside the door opening or on the back panel, and clear enough space to pull the dryer away from the wall. It tells us which parts to load on the van.
Usually not. Most of these calls turn out to be airflow: a vent duct packed with lint, a crushed flexible hose behind the machine, or an outside flap stuck shut. The dryer heats fine, but the damp air has nowhere to go.
It is worth sorting even while the machine still works. Lint packed in a duct is one of the most common causes of house fires in Canada, and a restricted vent is also what blows thermal fuses and burns out elements.
We clear the vent run as part of diagnosing a dryer that is not drying, since there is no point replacing a fuse while the blockage that killed it is still there. Tell us when you book if you already know the duct is the problem, and we will bring the right gear.
It depends on the fault. A thermal fuse and a full set of drum rollers are very different jobs, so a phone estimate would be a guess. The technician diagnoses the dryer in your laundry room and gives you the full price before starting. If you go ahead, the visit and diagnosis cost you nothing.
Tell us when you call and we will let you know whether we can take the job. Gas appliance work in Ontario has to be done by a technician holding the right TSSA certification, and we will not quietly stretch that. If you smell gas, leave the house and call your gas utility's emergency line before you call anyone about a repair.
Dryers are mechanically simple and often run 13 years or more, so they are among the appliances most worth repairing. Elements, fuses, belts and rollers are all straightforward parts.
The rough test is the same as always: if the repair costs more than about half the price of a comparable new machine, and yours is well past that age, replacing makes more sense. Our technicians will say so rather than booking the work anyway.
Usually. The vans carry the parts dryers fail on most: heating elements, thermal fuses, thermostats, belts, rollers, idler pulleys and door switches for the common brands. Control boards and drums for less common models are ordered in, and we tell you that before taking anything apart.
Our labour is covered for 3 months. If the same fault comes back in that time, call us and a technician returns with no labour charge. Keep your invoice, since it shows the repair date. Parts carry whatever warranty the manufacturer provides, and we tell you what that is when we quote.
We answer the phone from 7am to 11pm, weekends included. Call (289) 802-7279 and we will tell you the earliest slot one of our 8 technicians has open. If your dryer smells like burning or the cabinet gets hot, stop using it and say so when you call.
Elements, thermal fuses, belts, rollers and thermostats for these makes ride with the technician, which is why most dryer calls end with a working machine the same visit.
What happens next
Burning smell, or the dryer getting hot to the touch? Stop using it and ring (289) 802-7279.
Four fields, about a minute. Tell us what the dryer is doing and we'll take it from there.
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