Despite what most appliance stores would have you believe, if you are experiencing an issue with your dryer running but not heating or drying your clothes, the problem may not be your dryer at all - it's your electricity!

You see, the heating element for your dryer runs off a 30 amp double pole breaker. If one side of your breaker is burned open, that leaves just 110 volts of electricity running through your dryer. That's enough power to make your dryer rotate, but not enough to dry your clothes.  Electric dryers require two legs of 120 volts AC totaling  240 volts. It is not uncommon for just one fuse or breaker to trip resulting in the dryer running but not heating. If this problem occurs with your dryer, it is important to contact an electrician. They will check the fuse box or circuit breaker or measure the voltage at the outlet using a multimeter.

Often, people will spend an exorbitant amount of money on a brand new dryer only to discover they have the same issue with the new dryer. Now you're out a perfectly working dryer, and you've spent additional money. So, before you head over to the appliance store to buy a dryer, you don't need, contact your electrician first!