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Admiral produces plenty of efficient dryer models, both in gas and electric form. If you’re experiencing an Admiral dryer that isn’t heating up, then don’t worry. This article will help you troubleshoot the issue.
Generally, Admiral dryers will not heat up if the control board or high-limit thermostat has failed. Gas dryers will face the same problem if the gas valve solenoid or igniter has stopped working correctly. On the other hand, electric dryers will not generate heat if the heating element is damaged or if the thermal fuse has blown.
Let’s look at the possible reasons behind your Admiral dryer not heating up and what you can do about them.
Caution!
Before performing any repairs on your dryer, be sure to disconnect its power supply. Doing this will eliminate the risk of electrocution and prevent injury. For gas dryers, you must also shut off the gas supply to prevent fires as well.
General Reasons
Here are the top reasons your gas or electric Admiral dryer isn’t generating any heat.
Control Board
The control board in an Admiral dryer is responsible for coordinating all of its functions. The board has plenty of electrical and electronic components that send power to all of the different dryer parts as and when needed.
A control board in good working order will ensure that the drying cycle starts and finishes without a problem, producing a fresh and dry load of clothes inside.
How it fails:
Control boards can fail for several reasons. For instance, a power surge during a thunderstorm could cause electrical damage to the board. Besides that, water or excessive heat that might seep around the control board could also cause it to malfunction.
Suppose your Admiral dryer has been in use for many years. If that’s the case, then it’s likely that the control board has suffered from wear and tear and stopped working as it should.
Any of these reasons could cause the heating-related components not to receive power, which is why your dryer doesn’t heat up.
How to fix:
To get your Admiral dryer working again, you’ll need to replace the control board entirely.
- First, refer to the user manual to locate and identify the board, so you can remove it from its mounting and remove its electrical connectors.
- Then, put in the new control board and replace the electrical connectors the same way as before.
High-Limit Thermostat
All Admiral dryers have a high-limit thermostat inside them. This thermostat senses the temperature inside the dryer to ensure that the appliance doesn’t overheat.
If the thermostat senses that your Admiral dryer is overheating, it will force the dryer to stop producing heat until the temperature returns to a safe level. In doing so, the high-limit thermostat prevents the dryer from damaging itself and reduces the overall fire risk posed by the dryer.
How it fails:
A failed high-limit thermostat could be the reason your Admiral dryer isn’t heating up at all. That will happen if the thermostat mistakenly senses that the temperature is too high and prevents the dryer from heating up at all.
Related: 5 Reasons Why Fisher Paykel Dryer is Not Heating
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How to fix:
A failed high-limit thermostat must be replaced. You can access it from the rear of the dryer by removing the back panel. To be sure, you can refer to the user manual or technical sheet to identify and locate the high-limit thermostat.
- Once you’ve found it, all you have to do is remove the mounting screws and disconnect the electrical connectors to the thermostat.
- Then, mount the new thermostat and reconnect the wires the same way as before.
Why Is My Admiral Gas Dryer Not Heating?
Now, let’s look at some reasons why an Admiral gas dryer will not heat up.
Gas Valve Solenoid
Inside your Admiral gas dryer is two or more gas valve solenoids. These are sometimes referred to as gas valve coils, and they are designed to control the flow of gas into the appliance.
When these valve solenoids allow gas to flow into the burner, the air can be heated up and then blown into the drum to dry the clothes inside.
How it fails:
When one or more of these solenoids fails, they do not allow any gas to flow into the Admiral dryer’s burner. As a result, the appliance will not generate any heat, even if everything else is working correctly.
Related: Why Gas Dryer Not Heating Up? Issues and Solutions
How to fix:
Fixing this issue will require a replacement of the gas valve solenoids. This process will begin with removing the front panel of the dryer. Then, depending on the design of your dryer, you might have to remove the drum to gain access to the gas valve solenoids, which are at the bottom of the machine.
- Once there, you’ll need a screwdriver to unscrew the bracket holding the solenoids in place.
- Then, you can unplug the solenoids and remove them from their shafts.
- Put the new solenoids in the same way, then replace the bracket and electrical connectors.
Igniter
Gas dryers also rely on an igniter to generate heat. But, as the name suggests, this component has a very specific purpose: it ignites the gas so that the dryer can heat the air.
A working igniter will glow when you turn on the dryer and start a drying cycle. Alternatively, you could remove the igniter and use a multimeter to check for electrical continuity.
How it fails:
A gas dryer igniter experiences plenty of wear and tear that limits its lifespan. For example, the igniter will continuously heat up and cool down throughout its life. That can cause the metal to wear out and eventually break or develop cracks.
When that happens, the igniter can no longer ignite the gas effectively.
How to fix:
An igniter that no longer works must be replaced, or else the dryer will be completely useless. To do that, you’ll first need to gain access to the burner assembly by removing the dryer’s front panel. Then, depending on your dryer model, you might need to remove the drum as well.
- Disconnect the wire harnesses and unthread the screws holding the burner assembly in place.
- Then, take the burner assembly out from the dryer. From there, you’ll be able to remove and replace the igniter with ease.
- Remove the mounting screw and remove the igniter. Then, replace it with the new igniter.
- Lastly, work your way backwards. Mount the burner assembly back in the dryer and replace the electrical connectors. Then, secure the front panel.
Why Is My Admiral Electric Dryer Not Heating?
Last but not least, let’s explore a few reasons why an Admiral electric dryer fails to heat up.
Thermal Fuse
One of the many safety features in an Admiral dryer is the thermal fuse. That is a component that senses if the temperature is too high inside the dryer. When it does, the fuse will blow or trip and prevent the dryer from continuing to function.
By doing this, the thermal fuse reduces the overall fire risk of the dryer.
How it fails:
If the thermal fuse has blown on your Admiral dryer, that means the unit was overheating, and the fuse blew as a response.
The blown fuse is a symptom rather than the root cause. So, once you fix the thermal fuse, you’ll also need to troubleshoot the dryer to figure out why it overheated in the first place.
Related: Here Is Why Dryer Keeps Blowing Thermal Fuse
There are several reasons for a dryer to overheat, though the most common is a clogged vent hose. So, you can start your troubleshooting efforts there.
How to fix:
To get your dryer working again, you’ll need to replace the thermal fuse. These are typically located near the blower unit at the back of the dryer.
- To replace it, start by removing the dryer’s back panel.
- Next, locate the fuse and remove its electrical connector.
- Then, unthread the screws holding it in place and remove the fuse.
- Replace it with the new fuse by mounting it in place and reconnecting its wires.
Heating Element
Electric Admiral dryers produce heat through a heating element which consists of metal coils. These coils conduct electricity while also having lots of resistance, which results in the coils heating the air.
Then, the heated air is forced through the drum to remove moisture from the laundry inside.
How it fails:
The metal coils in a dryer heating element continuously heats up and cool down. Over time, that can cause the heating element to burn or for those coils to break.
When that happens, this component will no longer generate heat, even though the rest of the dryer functions normally.
Related: How Much Does it Cost To Replace Heating Element in The Clothes Dryer
How to fix:
A failed heating element must be replaced entirely. Thankfully, it’s a very straightforward process. By removing the dryer’s back panel, you can access the heating element.
- Firstly, remove the high-limit thermostat attached to the heating element, as you’ll be using that part again.
- Then, unthread the heating element’s mounting screws and remove them from the dryer.
- Finally, secure the new heating element in place and reattach the high-limit thermostat you removed earlier.
- Lastly, replace the dryer’s rear panel, and you’re done.
