How to Replace a Dryer Heating Element

Dryer Repair in El Paso to the rescue.

Your dryer’s ability to create heat is essential to its function. That, plus tumbling and airflow, is the primary way that your clothes get dry. Your dryer’s heating element needs to be responsive to controls and capable of reaching drying levels of heat. You need low heats for delicate clothes and artificial fabrics and high heats for heavy loads like towels and blankets. So when your dryer’s heating element stops working correctly, so does your entire dryer.

As appliance repair technicians, we will gladly inspect your dryer and help you diagnose the heating element, then replace it if necessary. Of course, many homeowners today are handy and eager to tackle a DIY repair. So today, this article will walk through the step-by-step process to access your dryer heating element and replace it with a new one. This process works for many Maytag and Whirlpool family brand electric dryers.

Order a New Heating Element

If you know your dryer’s make and model, then the first step is to order a new heating element to replace the old one. Most appliance brands have online manuals that will help you hunt down the right part number and order the correct replacement part. When you have the right heating element either ordered online or picked locally, prepare to begin your dryer repair.

Gather Your Supplies

• Slot and Phillips Screwdrivers
• 1/4 Inch Nut Driver
• Work Gloves
• Optional (Vacuum Cleaner with Hose Attachment)
• Replacement Heating Element

Before you begin, always get your supplies together. This helps you to avoid having to hunt down the right screwdriver halfway through the repair – or worse, realize you don’t have a nut driver at home to tackle the repair with. Many people don’t have a nut driver set, so you might want to order one along with your replacement element.

Take Safety Precautions

Always treat appliance repairs with caution. Any electrical appliance has the potential do be dangerous.

• Unplug the Dryer
• The only serious precaution you need to take with dryer repairs is to unplug the dryer from the wall. Removed from a power source, you also make sure there’s no chance of shocking yourself or shorting a circuit while you work inside the dryer cabinet.
• Wear Work Gloves
• We also strongly encourage you to wear your work gloves – find a pair that are both sturdy and well-fitting. The inside components and even the panel edges of an appliance can be sharp. You also need your manual dexterity to handle smaller parts and wires aptly.

Remove the Dryer Cabinet Back Panel

To access the heating element for the replacement, you’ll need to remove the back panel of the dryer. Pull the dryer away from the wall to give yourself room to work. Be careful about your flexible duct and temporarily detach it if necessary.

• Extract the Perimeter Mounting Screws
• Take your 1/4 inch nut driver or Phillips screwdriver (whichever is applicable) to remove the mounting screws along the outside of the dryer’s back panel. Go all the way around removing screws and set them aside somewhere safe where you can quickly find them again.
• Lift and Set Aside the Back Panel
• Wearing your work gloves, grasp the dryer back panel and lift it up and away from the dryer cabinet. If necessary, release or slide out of any hooked tabs. Lean your back panel against a nearby wall so that you can access the dryer internals without the panel in your way.

Uninstall the Broken Heating Element

Now it’s time to remove the malfunctioning or broken heating element. Take care of follow the uninstallation process in order.

• Photograph the Heating Element Wiring
• First, grab your phone and photograph how the wires are connected to the heating element. You will need to duplicate this wiring setup when you reinstall the new element. Unlike other appliance component, the element doesn’t have a handy wire harness that does the wire arranging for you.
• Disconnect the Element Wires
• Now carefully remove the wires from the old heating element .If necessary, use your slot screwdriver to release the clips and loosen the hold on the wires so they can be removed. Let the wires hang loose as you continue.
• Remove the Heating Element Mounting Screws
• Using your 1/4 nut driver, remove the internal mounting screws holding the heating element in place. With the wires removed, it should come completely loose from there.
• Extract the Old Heating Element
• You can now lift and pull out the old heating element, but don’t toss it yet. We’re not quite done with it.

Transfer the Thermostat

The high-heat thermostat inside the old element is actually an unreplaced part of the dryer and will need to be transferred from the old element to the new one. Carefully slip the thermostat out of the old element. Then grab your new element and fit the high-heat thermostat into the same slot.

Install the New Heating Element

Now you’re ready to reinstall your heating element with the thermostat switched over.

• Position and Secure the New Element with Mounting Screws
• Flip your heating element the right way around and then fit it into the slot where the heating element settles – identical to how it looked before. Now use your nut driver to return the mounting screws and secure it in place.
• Return the Wires According to Your Photo
• Check your phone photo when reconnecting the wires. Double-check each connection and make sure the connection itself is secure. This is the total of your heating element installation.

Reassemble the Dryer & Test Your Success

Finally, you can put the dryer back together and test whether the new heating element is working properly. Reattach the back panel with all of its mounting screws. Plug your dryer back in and be careful about the flexible duct when pushing your dryer back toward the wall.

With it all done, try turning on your dryer. If it gets hot with a minute or two of empty tumbling, your heating element works. Now you can finish by testing with a load of damp clothes to see if your dryer is fully back in service.

Contact us today for professional appliance and HVAC repair services. We’ll take care of digging into the appliance or diagnosing a tough and get your gear back online in no time.