I know how frustrating it is to find your load damp, and you have to run it again to finish. I believe that I may have some answers for you.
Just how wet are the clothes you are putting into the dryer? The culprit may be your washer! If it is not spinning the clothes dry enough and you are putting sopping clothes in the dryer, it is going to take MUCH longer to dry.
How long is your dryer vent? And more importantly, how long has it been since it was inspected/cleaned? If your dryer vent does not vent directly out to an exterior wall, is longer than 6 feet, has elbows, or vents up to the roof, that is probably your culprit AND POSSIBLY A FIRE HAZARD! Your dryer just cannot push enough air through the vent to dry the clothes.
There are 15,000 home fires each year from a dryer fire.
If your vent becomes restricted, the lint backs up into the dryer cavity and, in some models, the blower housing, which is a sever fire hazard! Have your vent professionally cleaned/inspected each year. Just corkscrewing a bent hanger around the vent once a year is not enough to properly clean your vent.
Anytime your have an appliance repair company to your home for any repair, ask them to inspect the dryer vent. We do it for free, always! Also, these companies who do the “whole house” vent cleaning are just taking you for a ride — see Consumer Reports for details. They also will not check the dryer cavity itself, which is the most important part of that cleaning, for your safety.
What kind of vent material do you have? Important information! If your have the plastic accordion type of material, or the “metal” looking accordion material (actually plastic metal colored), see our video on this page about dryer vent fires! It is chilling. It is not to code, and it is not safe! If you own this stuff, do not use your dryer again until it is changed out!!!
In conclusion, check how wet the clothes are going into the washer, check your dryer vent, check your vent material, and see if that helps. If you continue to have dryer problems, it may be more a problem with the dryer itself, if the element is working correctly, if the control board is keeping the dry times and temperatures correct, etc. This needs a professional repair company to come assess the situation. Call a reputable repair company today. And remember, the small, independent repair companies (and do check them out thoroughly) care more about your satisfaction than these “Big Box” repair companies. Stay local, stay independent, stay safe!
