Amana Dryer Not Heating? (Possible Causes & Fixes)

With so many different options on the market, finding a quality dryer is easier than ever. There are more than a few brands that have reliable offerings across their entire line. One of those brands is Amana, a name you may or may not know.

Unfortunately, just like any other brand out there, Amana dryers are not immune to issues. For instance, your Amana dryer may not heat properly or at all from time to time. What are the reasons for that? You could be looking at an electrical problem, thermal fuse, or any number of component issues.

Perhaps you have not heard of Amana. They are a brand of home appliances that are now currently under the Whirlpool Corporation umbrella. Despite the fact that they are owned by Whirlpool, the two remain separate entities.

Amana is one of the more affordable brands out there, especially compared to other Whirlpool products. That is not to say that they are a lesser quality, either. More often than not, Amana dryers are simply more cost-effective because they come with fewer features than other competitive brands.

Like just about any other dryer on the market, the Amana dryers make use of a heated dry cycle. When one of the various components is not working, the dry cycle may not perform as advertised if at all. That is why it is important to perform troubleshooting methods to diagnose the problem.

The most common issues keeping Amana dryers from performing are electrical connectivity and the thermal fuse. There are a number of other components that can wear, malfunction, or break down over time as well. Here are the most common issues at play.

For most household appliances, electrical connectivity is the single greatest issue. That is to say that the required voltage is not going into the appliance, keeping it from being able to perform the required cycles when commanded.

In most instances, the problem is that a breaker in the home’s electrical system has tripped. The breaker acts as a safety mechanism against surges. So, in the event of an energy spike in the outlet, the breaker will trip, cutting off power to the outlet.

Start by checking out your home’s electrical connections. Look for the breaker box and ensure that the breaker to the dryer is flipped on. More often than not, that is the problem. If not, you can continue troubleshooting below.

Another of the most common reasons why your dryer will run but won’t heat up is due to blockages. Both the lint trap and the vents are meant to filter out the dust that accumulates over a number of cycles.

When the lint trap gets blocked up, it can suffocate the heating element. This bad not only because it keeps the dryer from heating, but also because it is a serious fire hazard. As a matter of fact, the most common reason for household fires is due to a full lint trap.

Empty your lint trap on a regular basis, and you should be fine. It also does not hurt to schedule a professional vent cleaning once in a while to ensure that there are no clogs anywhere in the line that could be causing issues.

The thermal fuse is a safety device within your Amana dryer. The purpose of it is to keep the dryer from overheating. When the dryer gets to be too hot, the thermal fuse kicks on and turns the dryer off, keeping it from getting any hotter.

You can find the thermal fuse in the blower housing or at the designated heat source depending on the model of dryer. The heat source would be a heating element or a gas burner depending on what kind of dryer that you have.

From time to time, the fuse can overheat and blow out. Use a multimeter to test the thermal fuse for continuity. Also keep in mind that a blown thermal fuse is a good indicator that your exhaust vent is restricted as well. If you think the thermal fuse needs to be replaced, check out the dryer venting as well.

The heating element does just as it sounds: it provides the heat for the dryer. Over time, the heating element can wear down and needs replacing. In the short-term, however, the most likely cause is that there is some kind of blockage obstructing the heating element.

Start by checking your lint trap and the vents for said blockage. If you can’t find anything there, take a look at the heating element itself. If you see noticeable damage or cracking, you can safely assume that the element is bad and needs replacing.

The thermostat works in tandem with the thermal fuse as a safety measure for the dryer. The thermostat records the temperature within the dryer drum. If the temperature gets too high, it sends a signal to the thermal fuse, which then stops the heating element.

When the thermostat is defective, it is unable to properly measure the temperature if it does so at all. When there is no way to read the temperature, then the thermal fuse can’t do its job either. The result is either a dryer that gets too hot with no regulation or one that cannot heat at all.

Fixing the thermostat and the heating element are fairly complicated fixes. If you do not feel comfortable performing those fixes yourself, call in a professional to take a look instead.

Now we are getting to the really complicated issues. Keep in mind that it is not a common occurrence for the control board to malfunction, so you will have to do quite a bit of troubleshooting before you get here.

Since the control board cannot be easily tested, you should be fairly certain that it is the problem area. You can also look for signs that the control board has shorted- or burned out. The testing and replacement of the control board is probably best left to a professional due to the complexity of getting to it, let alone testing it.

If you have an Amana gas dryer, there will be at least two (if not more) gas valve solenoid coils. The gas valve solenoid works by opening up the gas valve ports, which allows gas to flow out into the burner assembly.

When the gas valve solenoid stops working, the dryer can’t heat up. A good place to start when checking the solenoid is to test the igniter. The igniter is supposed to glow; if it does but goes out without igniting the gas, then the gas valve solenoid is the defective component. When one or more of them are bad, replace them entirely as a set.

Still not satisfied with the answers or have entirely different questions? Here are some of the most relevant questions asked by consumers about their Amana dryers.

So, let’s say that you have done all the requisite troubleshooting and have determined the heating element to be the problem child. You are looking to replace the component but want to know what it costs. So, what kind of costs can you expect when replacing a heating element for an Amana dryer?

A rough estimate puts replacing the heating element at $150 to $300. The costs can vary depending on the technician in question, but you are looking at $80 to $100 per hour just for labor. There is also the one-time service fee which is generally $50 to $80 as well as the cost of the parts. Replacing the component yourself would limit the costs to that of the part (about $50).

If your dryer is suddenly outputting cold air instead of hot, there is generally one reason for that. When the thermal fuse goes bad or has burned open, the dryer will blow out cold air. Thermal fuses cannot be reset or repaired they have to be replaced entirely.

You may also want to check to ensure that the thermostat is not defective. That and an open heating element can also lead to cold air blowing out of your dryer.