# clothes dryer still taking too long to dry



## oldfella1962 (Apr 20, 2017)

Okay, my clothes dryer was taking forever (three or four hour-long cycles!) so I bought the long flexible brushes and completely cleaned the venting from the dryer to the outside of the house. I removed wads and wads of wet lint built up over the years! I took the back off the dryer and cleaned all lint from everywhere in the dryer. I checked the inside of the dryer to see if it got hot (OUCH! Indeed it is hot) but to my surprise my dryer is still taking forever.  Any thoughts as to what the problem could be? BTW what does "automatic moisture sensing" and "wrinkle guard" do? We've never used them, but just asking in case it's relevant to my situation.
Could it be that all the moisture that was in the venting from the lint clogging it will take time to dry out? It was very wet lint so I'm thinking a lot of moisture would remain in the 15 feet long venting from my dryer to the outside of my house, which terminates in a "floating cap" style vent outlet. Any thoughts?


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## Lukikus2 (Apr 20, 2017)

If the drum is getting hot that part is fine. Sometimes the duct from the lint catcher will get a buildup also especially if the lint was wet so you may need to clean it good. If it still has buildup in it the dryer will cycle the heat on and off taking longer than normal. Wrinkle rid just cycles it with less heat toward the end and moisture sensing the dryer will shut off once there is no more moisture in the load.


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## treemanjohn (Apr 20, 2017)

Moisture and lint cause clogging. I'll bet the outlet on the exterior of your house is closed. I have a roof dryer vent and our dryer did the same thing. Climbed up on the roof and problem solved


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## NOYDB (Apr 20, 2017)

You've checked the lint trap - good.
Check at the output vent, is there airflow coming out? 
If not you may have missed a blockage.
Make sure the drum is turning, on some there is a belt around a drive pulley and the drum to make it turn. If the belt is broke or slipping the clothes sit in the bottom of the drum and don't dry very well if at all.


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## oldfella1962 (Apr 20, 2017)

treemanjohn said:


> Moisture and lint cause clogging. I'll bet the outlet on the exterior of your house is closed. I have a roof dryer vent and our dryer did the same thing. Climbed up on the roof and problem solved



No the dryer vent is fine - it's about knee level just above my foundation - it has a floating cap design and I can see the cap floating up and feel the air coming out.
And like I said I reamed out the whole distance from my dryer to the outside vent and replaced the metal flexible tube that comes out the back of the dryer to the wall.


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## oldfella1962 (Apr 20, 2017)

NOYDB said:


> You've checked the lint trap - good.
> Check at the output vent, is there airflow coming out?
> If not you may have missed a blockage.
> Make sure the drum is turning, on some there is a belt around a drive pulley and the drum to make it turn. If the belt is broke or slipping the clothes sit in the bottom of the drum and don't dry very well if at all.



yep - the drum turns and I can feel air coming out from the outlet vent on the outside of my house.


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## Crakajak (Apr 20, 2017)

If its electric the heating element could be bad and not keeping a constant heat temp thus causing excessive moisture(heat,cool,heat,cool) in the exhaust line


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## Davey (Apr 20, 2017)

Dryer duct from dryer to out of house should be no more than 4 to 5 feet or it will cause these problems too..


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## elfiii (Apr 20, 2017)

I'm suspicious of your flapper valve on the outside vent. It may not be opening enough to vent an adequate amount of vaporized moisture causing it to back up in the duct.

Consider replacing your outside vent with an always open vent and cover that with an animal exclusion cage to keep the chippermonks etc. out.

Just one problem, lint will collect in the animal exclusion cage so you need to clean it out periodically.


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## NOYDB (Apr 20, 2017)

Do a load of T-shirts. Put them in dryer and inspect every 10 minutes. Observe the first 10 minutes. What symptoms do you see?
Assuming you have used the unit before what is different now?


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## oldfella1962 (Apr 20, 2017)

Davey said:


> Dryer duct from dryer to out of house should be no more than 4 to 5 feet or it will cause these problems too..



I can't control that - that's the way the house was designed. My 220 volts for the dryer is right in the center of the house - 15 or 20 feet to the nearest outside wall.


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## oldfella1962 (Apr 20, 2017)

elfiii said:


> I'm suspicious of your flapper valve on the outside vent. It may not be opening enough to vent an adequate amount of vaporized moisture causing it to back up in the duct.
> 
> Consider replacing your outside vent with an always open vent and cover that with an animal exclusion cage to keep the chippermonks etc. out.
> 
> Just one problem, lint will collect in the animal exclusion cage so you need to clean it out periodically.



I don't have the flapper vent kind - I have the "floating cap" which is a round PVC cap that floats up when the dryer air hits it, then drops back down to make a seal when the dryer is off.


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## Davey (Apr 20, 2017)

oldfella1962 said:


> I can't control that - that's the way the house was designed. My 220 volts for the dryer is right in the center of the house - 15 or 20 feet to the nearest outside wall.



http://www.homedepot.com/p/Deflect-o-Lint-Trap-Kit-LTF/100021996


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## Crakajak (Apr 20, 2017)

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...=20985&usg=AFQjCNFJCk55hIXrVjDlrf2J1ypwf4ndIg


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## j_seph (Apr 20, 2017)

Take the back cover off, there should be 3 small object that have wires going to them. Unplug dryer, each of these items are thermal fuse, thermostat, and thermostat fuse. Unplug the 2 wires off each and take an OHM meter and check for Ohms by touching probe to each terminal. I just replaced the themostat fuse on my parents because it would not get hot and dry. You can also check the heating element with Ohm meter. Google it for help with specific brand


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## Milkman (Apr 20, 2017)

You must have a component letting your heating element shut off most of the time.  

I bet a high limit device is failing.  No way a regular load of clothing can take more than 1 hour to dry.


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## lagrangedave (Apr 20, 2017)

Thinking out of the box here. Is your spin cycle on your washer working properly?


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## Wycliff (Apr 20, 2017)

lagrangedave said:


> Thinking out of the box here. Is your spin cycle on your washer working properly?



This is what I was thinking also


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## NOYDB (Apr 20, 2017)

Who does the laundry at your house every day 
(week, month, year, whatever)?

Did it just start happening?

Has it gotten worse all of a sudden?

What's different?


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## Lukikus2 (Apr 20, 2017)

lagrangedave said:


> Thinking out of the box here. Is your spin cycle on your washer working properly?



Explains the wet for sure.


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## Artfuldodger (Apr 20, 2017)

Davey said:


> http://www.homedepot.com/p/Deflect-o-Lint-Trap-Kit-LTF/100021996



That would be nice in the winter.


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## Artfuldodger (Apr 20, 2017)

Unhook the dryer vent hose for one cycle. That would rule out the hose and narrow it down to the dryer.

Is the "automatic moisture sensing" sensor used on every cycle or can you select a cycle that doesn't use it. Maybe it's opening and closing the circuit to the heating element if faulty. I guess the dryer would work fine on a "timed cycle" if this sensor was bad. 

Maybe it's working on only one leg of the 220 circuit. Is that even possible? You could close and open the breaker to reset it.

It could be as mentioned, what ever acts as a thermostat to control the juice to the heating element.


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## red neck richie (Apr 20, 2017)

oldfella1962 said:


> Okay, my clothes dryer was taking forever (three or four hour-long cycles!) so I bought the long flexible brushes and completely cleaned the venting from the dryer to the outside of the house. I removed wads and wads of wet lint built up over the years! I took the back off the dryer and cleaned all lint from everywhere in the dryer. I checked the inside of the dryer to see if it got hot (OUCH! Indeed it is hot) but to my surprise my dryer is still taking forever.  Any thoughts as to what the problem could be? BTW what does "automatic moisture sensing" and "wrinkle guard" do? We've never used them, but just asking in case it's relevant to my situation.
> Could it be that all the moisture that was in the venting from the lint clogging it will take time to dry out? It was very wet lint so I'm thinking a lot of moisture would remain in the 15 feet long venting from my dryer to the outside of my house, which terminates in a "floating cap" style vent outlet. Any thoughts?



Sounds like the blower wheel or motor is bad.


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## CHANDLECTRIC (Apr 20, 2017)

You have to have both legs of the 240 v.Circuit for the dryer to operate any.


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## Artfuldodger (Apr 20, 2017)

If it's got two heating elements, maybe one is bad.


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## GA native (Apr 21, 2017)

oldfella1962 said:


> I can't control that - that's the way the house was designed. My 220 volts for the dryer is right in the center of the house - 15 or 20 feet to the nearest outside wall.



Builders and architects should be slapped for such a design. I had the same problem with my dryer. The exhaust vent went up the wall eight feet, and across the ceiling 20' feet. Denim would not dry. The wife's delicates, on low heat, would not dry.

I rerouted my vent through the garage and out of the wall. It is now 5' long with three 90 degree turns. Everything dries fine now.

You've got a ton of ideas here, and I would say just keep eliminating suspects. 

I would disconnect the drier from the exhaust vent, and see if the situation improves. If it does, then your vent is likely the cause. But it could be that the blower fan is clogged. Or the blower motor is weak.


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## Bill Mc (Apr 21, 2017)

Too much soap can cause that.


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## GoldDot40 (Apr 21, 2017)

I'm thinking if it was a vent length issue, this would've been a problem from day 1. If it's something that just started recently, I'm thinking it's mechanical. What brand dryer is it? I'm betting the answer is Maytag.


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## oldfella1962 (Apr 21, 2017)

lagrangedave said:


> Thinking out of the box here. Is your spin cycle on your washer working properly?



yes I checked that last night. Since I'm an electronic tech by trade I'm going to go the checking the thermostat & shut off switches/sensors/heating element and whatnot as suggested by some of you - if it's something along these lines I can replace the parts by myself. Now I can't wait for the workday to end so I can try these things out! Thanks everyone for the advice & ideas.


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## oldfella1962 (Apr 21, 2017)

GA native said:


> Builders and architects should be slapped for such a design. I had the same problem with my dryer. The exhaust vent went up the wall eight feet, and across the ceiling 20' feet. Denim would not dry. The wife's delicates, on low heat, would not dry.
> 
> I rerouted my vent through the garage and out of the wall. It is now 5' long with three 90 degree turns. Everything dries fine now.
> 
> ...



I'm a big fan of having a laundry room adjacent to the garage or entryway with a straight shot right from the dryer to an exterior wall, just a couple of feet of tubing total, so you can just replace that section every now & again for about ten dollars.


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## firebreather (Apr 21, 2017)

I find that some times , and I quote disconnect power , 2 remove back cover make sure that the 4in pipe it clear from all debris like sand etc once my pipe was halfway clogged , 3 go ahead and clean blower louvers in wheel , it's just like hvac , air flow is a big thing , , 4 make sure there's no blockages in discharge line to outside , my buddy had a bird get in his flapper n make a nest , ha never figured that one , good luck if you've got air flow , a safety or thermal overloads causing your troubles I'd bet , also just because there's a belt doesn't mean it's not tumbling them fast enough , I'd check 1 first n move on


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## Bob Shaw (Apr 24, 2017)

My old dryer used to do that when it got clogged-up with lint behind the lint filter, inside the dryer. I used to have to clean it out with a coat hanger. In my opinion, you need to find out what's going on because those suckers'll catch fire on ya'.


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## Milkman (May 2, 2017)

So what did you find ??


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## oldfella1962 (May 3, 2017)

Milkman said:


> So what did you find ??



My wife has been doing laundry during the day - I'll ask her how it's been acting tonight.


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## mattech (May 3, 2017)

The drum will still get hot with a bad heating element. The underwire from a bra is bad about coming out during a dry cycle and hitting the element. I've had to replace a couple heating elements, only about $15 and now my wife puts all her bras in a garment bag to dry. No issues since.


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## oldfella1962 (May 3, 2017)

okay - I watched a youtube video that shows how to test out every...single....electronic component on my exact dryer. Everything tests good! Heating element,  

yet when I take the dryer vent off the back of the dryer, water and lint pours out. 

and indeed my wife said it still takes hours to dry a single load. I checked the entire length of the venting all the way to the outside of the house, and it's not clogged - no lint at all. 

My wife wants to get a new dryer, but "in theory" this dryer works! This dryer should be working fine, but it's not.
I just don't get it. But I can't have water mixing with electricity!


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## Milkman (May 3, 2017)

Dry a load without the dryer vent attached 

See what happens


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## Cmp1 (May 3, 2017)

oldfella1962 said:


> okay - I watched a youtube video that shows how to test out every...single....electronic component on my exact dryer. Everything tests good! Heating element,
> 
> yet when I take the dryer vent off the back of the dryer, water and lint pours out.
> 
> ...




Check your spin cycle on your washer,,,, shouldn't be getting that much moisture out the vent,,,,


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## NOYDB (May 3, 2017)

> yet when I take the dryer vent off the back of the dryer, water and lint pours out.



Water? 

To be getting water out you have to be putting water in. As cmp1 suggests check washer. What is the condition of the clothes when the washer stops?


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## oldfella1962 (May 4, 2017)

NOYDB said:


> Water?
> 
> To be getting water out you have to be putting water in. As cmp1 suggests check washer. What is the condition of the clothes when the washer stops?



you couldn't wring any more water out of them if you tried - the washer drains and spins with no problem.


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## Fuzzy D Fellers (May 4, 2017)

oldfella1962 said:


> you couldn't wring any more water out of them if you tried - the washer drains and spins with no problem.



Something is trapping moisture inside.


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## Crakajak (May 4, 2017)

oldfella1962 said:


> you couldn't wring any more water out of them if you tried - the washer drains and spins with no problem.



Are we talking about the washer or dryer?
It can cause a moisture backup in the dryer if the  blower motor isn't turning the proper RPMs,could still be showing proper voltage/amp draw within tolerance but spins slower(think furnace blower motor.)

If its the washer. The pump might have a partial blockage before the pump .


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## oldfella1962 (May 4, 2017)

Migmack said:


> Something is trapping moisture inside.



it's a real head scratcher! But it never crossed my mind that maybe the clothes are going in "too wet" from the washer. Just how "dry" should clothes be when they come out of the washer? I googled the question, but there was no answer for that exact question - just another question of "is your washer not spinning your clothes dry?" - I need a definition of "dry"! Obviously not dripping wet and heavy, but what if there is more moisture that I'm just not noticing. I would almost have to have two washers to compare which one spins them better. 

Bottom line I get a new dryer and have the same problem (long drying times and water collecting in the vent tubing) I guess my washer is bad too.


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## Milkman (May 4, 2017)

Milkman said:


> Dry a load without the dryer vent attached
> 
> See what happens



Have you done this ?


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## Fuzzy D Fellers (May 4, 2017)

oldfella1962 said:


> it's a real head scratcher! But it never crossed my mind that maybe the clothes are going in "too wet" from the washer. Just how "dry" should clothes be when they come out of the washer? I googled the question, but there was no answer for that exact question - just another question of "is your washer not spinning your clothes dry?" - I need a definition of "dry"! Obviously not dripping wet and heavy, but what if there is more moisture that I'm just not noticing. I would almost have to have two washers to compare which one spins them better.
> 
> Bottom line I get a new dryer and have the same problem (long drying times and water collecting in the vent tubing) I guess my washer is bad too.



I'm leaning towards the vent tubing being to long and the moist air isn't being pushed out fast enough to dry the clothes.  

Clothes out of the washing machine should be damp and you shouldn't be able to ring water out of the clothe. 

Also, how much of a load is your wife drying at one time?


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## Crakajak (May 4, 2017)

If your exhaust vent goes up and over to the outside you should have a inline fan to help exhaust the moist air.
As the dryer is pushing the hot exhaust  out,the moist collects and will back into the dryer.I found out when my inline exhaust fan went out and I had to replace.Dryer wasn't drying clothes even though everything checked out electrically.


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## oldfella1962 (May 4, 2017)

Migmack said:


> I'm leaning towards the vent tubing being to long and the moist air isn't being pushed out fast enough to dry the clothes.
> 
> Clothes out of the washing machine should be damp and you shouldn't be able to ring water out of the clothe.
> 
> Also, how much of a load is your wife drying at one time?



No, you can't wring water out of the clothes when they are done washing. Yes the total venting distance is long, but it has worked since we bought the dryer several years ago. The dryer has only recently started acting like this (a few months at most). I reamed out the entire length (which I figured would solve my problem) about a month ago, but since then had the water in the section just coming out of the dryer two more times fill with water & lint. 

Plenty of hot air getting all the way to the outside vent of the house too. Weird!


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## EAGLE EYE 444 (May 4, 2017)

oldfella1962,

Now here is a thought that I haven't seen mentioned yet.

I think that a good way to be sure that your washer is spinning enough of the actual water out of the clothes would be to take a load to the nearest Laundry-Mat type facility which are scattered throughout the Evans area and wash the load as you normally would.  Then immediately take that load home and run it through your dryer as soon as possible and then compare the results in dryness after the normal dryer cycle.  

If the results are the same at that point, at least, you might have eliminated a possible problem with your current washing machine.  I would consider doing this as it surely wouldn't cost very much to try this experiment and hopefully know exactly where the problem might be then before you think about buying any new appliances.  

If the same problem persisted, then you know there is a problem with the dryer and/or the ductwork exhaust not functioning properly.  

This might be the cheapest way to determine this.


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## GoldDot40 (May 4, 2017)

I'm curious to know if your dryer has a steam cycle with a water supply ran to it?


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## mattech (May 4, 2017)

A dryer needs three main things to dry. Fluff ( spin) heat ( heating element) and moving air (blower). Run a cycle, open the door in the middle of a run, and see if you can catch the clothes falling back down, if so, then it's spinning. Take the vent off the back and run a cycle, keep your hand back there for the whole cycle, make sure airflow is strong and constant, and continuously warm. Blower could be intermittent, and cutting off and on. Like I said earlier, just because the frame of the dryer is getting hot doesn't mean the heating element is working correct.  Being a homeowner has taught me a dryer is one of the simplest easiest things to fix. There's just not much to them. I did a total rebuild on mine twice before my wife wanted front load washer and dryers, and the dryer was working great when we upgraded.


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## Oldstick (May 5, 2017)

oldfella1962 said:


> okay - I watched a youtube video that shows how to test out every...single....electronic component on my exact dryer. Everything tests good! Heating element,
> 
> yet when I take the dryer vent off the back of the dryer, water and lint pours out.
> 
> ...



That sounds like what everyone already mentioned above.  You have a clog internal to the dryer, probably around the lint filter.  May have to pull the back off to get a coat hanger in there.  You might find a couple missing socks as well.


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## NOYDB (May 5, 2017)

Oldstick said:


> You have a clog internal to the dryer, probably around the lint filter.  May have to pull the back off to get a coat hanger in there.



When a dryer I had started acting up I took it apart. All the way apart. The air path from the lint trap to the outlet had two 90` turns that collected lint and were a royal pain to clean out. To get to the turns I had to remove the back of the dryer. I used a coat hanger to probe around corners and break up lint clogs.

Not sure we are talking about the same symptoms. 
Water pooling is going to seek the lowest level and would drain out the bottom and puddle on the floor. Wet lint is too heavy to be blown out the lint trap or down the vent tube.

Run the dryer with no clothes in it.

What happens?

Do a load of T-shirts, only move ONE to the dryer and run it.

What happens?

Also what make model is the dryer?


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## Oldstick (May 5, 2017)

If there is wet lint falling out of the outlet from the dryer when disconnected from the vent pipe, and the vent pipe is proven to be clear, then something is definitely clogged inside the dryer preventing the lint (and the clothes) from getting dried.  I'm fairly certain of that since it was already confirmed that the heating element is working fine.

Also from past experience with my own dryers exhibiting the same symptoms numerous times over the last 35 years.  If the OP doesn't find a lint clog, and/or fabric sheet/socks, and/or quarters backed up inside his dryer, let me know.  I will pay him $1.00 for the quarters he didn't find.

So what I am trying to say, is the very moist air from the clothes inside the dryer is trying to be vented as normal, but there is a clog.  So that moisture gets blocked and trapped by the clog and so it condenses before it gets blown out the external vent pipe.  The result is wet lint dripping from the back of the dryer.  There were several posters already suggesting to run through a cycle with the vent pipe disconnected to make sure everything is exiting the dryer as normal.  I am guessing that test will reveal there is a clog inside the dryer.


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## watermedic (May 6, 2017)

Sounds like 1. Either the vent line is too long and is allowing the damp air to cool before it exits the house. Or 2. The fan isn't working properly and allowing the same to happen. Or 3 The heating element isn't getting hot enough to start with.

Easiest way to check would be with a infrared thermometer. Check the temp during the cycle. (just open the door and mash the button) Then check the temp at the flapper.


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