Almost every tumble dryer fault comes down to three things: heat, airflow and a drum that turns freely. When a machine stops heating it is usually the element or one of the thermostats, and very often the thermal cut-out has opened because airflow was restricted long before the heat failed — reset it without clearing the blockage and the same fault returns within weeks. Vented machines struggle with crushed hoses, lint-packed ducting and blocked wall vents. Condenser machines struggle with clogged condenser blocks, water containers that stop emptying and pumps that cut a programme short. We repair both types, and washer dryers too. If yours is a dryer with a heat pump, that is a different diagnosis and it has its own page — see [heat pump dryers](/heat-pump-tumble-dryer-repair). On the visit we strip and inspect the whole airflow path, test the element and both thermostats for continuity, spin the drum by hand to separate a belt fault from a worn rear bearing, and watch the moisture sensor behave through a live cycle rather than guessing from the programme lights. Diagnosis is part of the £80 call-out. If a part is needed we quote it before we fit anything, and the part we replace carries a 3-month guarantee. Ten years of doing this on domestic dryers means most faults are identified in the first twenty minutes at the machine.
£80
call-out charge per visit
Labour is included for most repairs. More extensive or complex jobs may require additional labour, which we always quote and agree with you before starting. Parts are charged separately and always quoted before we fit them.
We are not registered for VAT. The price we quote is the price you pay.
Usually: Usually an open-circuit heater element, or a thermostat or one-shot thermal cut-out that has tripped and not reset.
On the visit: We meter the element and each thermostat for continuity, then find why the cut-out opened before replacing anything, because a fresh cut-out on a blocked machine will simply trip again.
Usually: Restricted airflow letting the cabinet overheat — a lint-packed filter housing, a crushed vent hose, or a condenser block that has never been rinsed.
On the visit: We clear the airflow path end to end, check the vent run or condenser block, and fit a new cut-out only once the machine holds a normal cabinet temperature through a test run.
Usually: Partial heat or partial airflow: one half of a dual element gone, a tired fan blade, a leaking door seal, or a filter matrix glazed with fabric conditioner residue.
On the visit: We measure the heat actually reaching the drum and the airflow leaving it, then treat the specific weak link rather than replacing the element on spec.
Usually: A worn rear drum bearing or felt seal, a glazed drive belt, or a seized jockey pulley riding on a dry bearing.
On the visit: We take the belt off and turn the drum by hand — that separates a pulley or belt noise from a bearing, so you are told which part is actually failing before it is ordered.
Usually: A worn door catch or striker, a hinge that has dropped and pulled the door out of alignment, or a failed door switch that no longer holds the circuit.
On the visit: We test the switch through a full open-and-close, check hinge alignment against the cabinet, and adjust or replace the catch so the door holds without being slammed.
Usually: Fabric conditioner film insulating the moisture sensor bars, or a broken sensor lead telling the board the load is already dry.
On the visit: We clean the sensor bars back to bare metal and re-run a damp load to confirm they read correctly, and if the reading stays wrong we test the lead and sensor circuit back to the board.
Usually: A blocked condenser sump or pump filter, a failed drain pump, or a float switch stuck up so the machine believes the container is full.
On the visit: We strip and flush the sump and condenser block, test the pump under power, and check the float switch and container seals so the condensate goes where it should.
3-month guarantee on the part we replace. Any part we replace is guaranteed for 3 months from the date it is fitted. This covers the replaced part only — it is not a warranty on the whole appliance.
Pick your district for local detail, or just call — we cover 16 districts across West London and Harrow.
That pattern almost always means airflow, not electrics. The cut-out is doing its job: heat builds in the cabinet because it cannot escape, so the machine protects itself. A lint-packed filter housing, a crushed vent hose behind the machine or a condenser block that has never been rinsed will all cause it. We clear the path first, then replace the cut-out, otherwise the new one trips just as quickly.
Usually yes, because it is rarely the whole machine. Three cycles means the dryer is producing some heat and some airflow but not enough of either, which points to half an element gone, a glazed filter, a tired fan or a door seal leaking warm air. We tell you which it is at the visit and what the part costs, and if the drum bearing has gone on an older machine we will say plainly that it may not be worth doing.
The call-out is £80 per visit and includes the labour on most dryer repairs, including stripping the airflow path, testing the element and thermostats and cleaning moisture sensors. More extensive jobs, such as a full drum strip-down to reach a rear bearing, may need additional labour, which we quote and agree with you before starting. Parts are charged on top and always quoted before we fit them, and the part we replace carries a 3-month guarantee.
Yes, both, and washer dryers as well. Vented machines mostly need the ducting, wall vent and element side of things sorting out; condenser machines bring their own faults around the condenser block, the condensate pump, the float switch and the water container seals. Models that dry using a heat pump work differently again, so those are covered on their own page rather than this one.
Not always. Sensor-dry models judge the load through two metal bars inside the drum, and a film of fabric conditioner across those bars makes wet washing read as dry, so the cycle ends early. Cleaning them back to bare metal fixes a good number of these. If the reading is still wrong afterwards we test the sensor lead and its circuit back to the control board before condemning any part.