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Is your Speed Queen dryer not heating? Let’s look at four potential causes, and how to fix it. We’ll consider both electric and gas dryers.
Speed Queen manufactures gas and electric dryers. No matter which type you have, a lack of heat will prevent the appliance from drying your clothes. So, why would a Speed Queen dryer not heat up?
Your Speed Queen dryer is not heating because it has damaged wiring or a blown thermal fuse. Gas models, in particular, will stop heating when the gas valve solenoid fails. Meanwhile, electric models won’t get hot if the heating element has failed either partially or entirely.
This guide will walk you through why your Speed Queen dryer isn’t heating and the solutions you can use to fix it.
Why Isn’t My Speed Queen Dryer Heating?
A dryer without enough heat, or with no heat at all, will bring your laundry habits to a screeching halt.
So, here are the 4 most likely reasons your Speed Queen dryer isn’t heating, along with explanations of why they happen and how you can fix them.
1. Damaged Wiring
About this part: Your Speed Queen dryer is electrically powered. So, electricity must get to where it’s needed for the machine to work correctly.
Firstly, power must enter the Speed Queen unit through the main power cord. Then, it’s distributed to every component through wires throughout the appliance.
These wires are concealed inside the dryer’s panels to keep them out of sight. However, despite being hidden away, these wires can still suffer damage due to excess heat or electrical faults like short circuits and voltage surges.
What’s wrong with it: Suppose your Speed Queen dryer can turn on and operate like normal, but it won’t generate any heat. In that case, you probably have a broken wire.
In this case, the affected wires are those that power components related to the dryer’s heat generation.
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For example, electric models will have wires to power the heating elements. Meanwhile, gas models also require wires to power electric igniters inside them.
The affected wires could be loose, burned, or broken due to excess heat.
How to fix it: Assuming no other components are damaged, you’ll only have to replace the damaged wiring.
Replacing those wires is the easy part of this process. Unfortunately, the time-consuming part is locating the affected wires. That’s because you’ll have to take apart the dryer’s panels to inspect the concealed wiring.
To save time, troubleshoot wires that lead to the heating element (in electric models) or igniter (in gas models).
Read: How To Fix Speed Queen Dryer Overheating Problems? – Troubleshooting Guide
2. Blown Thermal Fuse
About this part: Whether your Speed Queen is a gas or electric model, it relies on several safety components. One of the most important ones is the thermal fuse.
The fuse is triggered by excessive heat. So, when the dryer reaches an unsafe temperature, the fuse will blow to protect the machine from damaging itself further.
In doing so, the thermal fuse also prevents other dangerous events like household fires which dryers often cause.
Some dryer thermal fuses can be reset if they’re triggered. Unfortunately, that’s not the case with Speed Queen dryers, where fuses must be replaced.
What’s wrong with it: Another reason to consider when your Speed Queen dryer won’t heat up is that the thermal fuse has blown. In other words, the dryer was overheating to an unsafe temperature, which triggered the fuse to do its job.
Despite blowing a fuse, the dryer can still operate normally. However, the blown fuse prevents it from generating any heat.
How to fix it: As mentioned earlier, you can’t reset a blown thermal fuse in a Speed Queen dryer. Instead, you’ll have to replace it with a new one.
You can find the thermal fuse near the blower housing on electric dryer models. Meanwhile, the thermal fuse is near the burner in gas models.
Be sure to disconnect the dryer from its power source and wait for it to cool down. Then, when it’s safe, remove the existing thermal fuse and instal the new one.
Read: 3 Reasons Why Dryer Stuck On 1 Minute – How To Fix It?
3. Failed Gas Valve Solenoid
About this part: Electric Speed Queen dryers rely on two or more gas solenoids. These electrically controlled components open and close the dryer’s gas valve ports.
When you start a drying cycle, the solenoids open those ports so gas can flow to the burner, where it’s ignited to generate heat.
What’s wrong with it: The gas valve solenoids play a critical role because they allow gas to flow to where it’s needed. So, when they fail, they’ll prevent gas flow, stopping the dryer’s ability to generate heat.
Simply put, your Speed Queen dryer doesn’t have any gas to burn and, therefore, can’t heat up.
How to fix it: Once a gas valve solenoid fails, you must replace it with one that’s functioning correctly.
You’ll often find these gas valves sold as a set. So, if you’re already replacing one, it’s best to replace the others simultaneously.
After all, if one has already failed, it’s reasonable to expect that the others will also fail soon enough.
Read: Why Dryer Gets Louder As It Heats Up? Troubleshooting Guide
4. Damaged Heating Element (Speed Queen dryer not heating)
About this part: Speed Queen’s electric dryer models don’t rely on burners since they don’t use gas. Instead, their heat comes from an electrically powered heating element.
The heating element works in a very straightforward way. It’s made from materials with high electrical resistance.
So, when electricity flows through the heating element, the resistance converts that power to heat. As a result, the heating element will quickly generate plenty of heat.
From there, a blower drives air past the heating element to distribute that heat through the drum to dry your laundry.
What’s wrong with it: Dryer heating elements experience plenty of wear. That’s because they expand when heated and contract after the drying cycle finishes.
So, heating elements can crack, break, or even experience damage from short circuits.
Whatever the reason, heating elements can fail partially or entirely, preventing the dryer from heating normally.
How to fix it: You can’t repair broken or damaged heating elements. Instead, you must replace the damaged element with a new one.
Thankfully, that process doesn’t take long. Once you purchase a compatible replacement, you can unplug the existing heating element at both ends. Then, you only need to plug the new heating element in the same way as the old one.
Of course, disconnect the dryer before starting this process and never work on it if it’s still hot.
Read: Why Dryer Beeps While Running?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Next, let’s look at a few additional questions to help you troubleshoot your Speed Queen dryer:
How Quickly Should A Dryer Heat Up?
A Speed Queen dryer typically needs about 10 minutes to heat up. So, if it’s still cool after that time, you’ll have to troubleshoot the appliance.
How Long Does It Take A Speed Queen Dryer To Dry?
The drying process typically takes 75 minutes for a Speed Queen dryer. So your clothes should be dry by then. But if they’re not, the dryer likely has a problem like restricted airflow or a lack of heat.
Read: 3 Reason Why Dryer Only Works On Timed Dry – Troubleshooting Guide
How Do You Fix A Dryer Wire?
Sometimes, you can cut a damaged wiring portion in your dryer and splice the two sides together. However, wires that are extensively damaged should be replaced entirely.
Can A Dryer Heating Element Work Intermittently?
Yes, it’s normal for the heating element in your Speed Queen dryer to work intermittently. It’ll only turn on when the dryer isn’t hot enough. But once the dryer reaches its target temperature, the element will turn off temporarily to prevent overheating.
Why Does My Dryer Stop Heating After A Few Minutes?
Your dryer stops heating after a few minutes because the thermal fuse has tripped. When that happens, the dryer will stop heating immediately, even though the drum continues turning.
