If your dryer is running but clothes are still damp after a full cycle, the fault is almost always airflow. The heating element may be perfectly fine — it simply cannot move the moist air out of the drum fast enough.
1. Clean the lint screen every load
This is obvious but worth repeating. A partially blocked lint screen is the single most common cause of long dry times — and it is also a fire risk. If you have not cleaned it recently, do it now and run an empty cycle.
2. Check the vent termination outside
Find the dryer vent on the outside of the house. With the dryer running, hold your hand a few inches from the termination. You should feel strong, steady warm airflow. If the airflow is weak, lint is clogging the vent path somewhere between the dryer and the outside wall.
3. Clean the full vent path
Unplug the dryer (gas dryers: shut the gas valve too), disconnect the vent hose, and inspect it. A vent brush kit from a hardware store will let you clean the full run. On multi-story homes, the run can be long and curved — a professional vent cleaning is sometimes worth the money.
4. Check the blower wheel
If the vent is clear and dry times are still long, the blower wheel inside the dryer may be damaged or have accumulated a mass of lint. This is a technician call — the front panel has to come off to get at it.
5. Check the heating element (electric) or igniter (gas)
If the dryer runs cool or cycles the heat in and out, the heating element or igniter may be partially failed. This is a diagnostic step that requires a meter and, on gas dryers, careful safety precautions.
When to call
If the vent is clean and dry times are still long, call for a diagnostic. The fault is almost always a specific, replaceable part — and identifying it is worth an hour of a technician’s time. Call (512) 400-2694 or request a quote online.