Runs but doesn't dry the clothes
The drum turns and the cycle runs its full time, but the load comes out damp or barely warm. Cycles may also run much longer than they used to.
Tumble Dryer Repair
Expert tumble dryer repair for condenser, heat pump and vented machines — thermostats, heaters, belts, sensors and blocked condensers fixed with a 6-month guarantee.
From £90Call-out
labour included
labour included
8–12 yearsTypical lifespan
with maintenance
with maintenance
12Common faults
diagnosed below
diagnosed below
6 moGuarantee
parts & labour
parts & labour
Tumble dryers fail in more predictable ways than almost any other appliance, and nearly all of it comes back to airflow. A dryer works by moving heated air through a tumbling load, picking up moisture, and then either venting that damp air outside or condensing it back to water in a heat exchanger. Restrict that airflow with lint — in the filter, the condenser block, the duct or the fan housing — and the machine responds by overheating, tripping its thermal cut-out, and drying nothing while running for two hours. We repair all three types: traditional vented machines, condenser dryers with a heat exchanger and a water tank, and modern heat pump dryers that run a sealed refrigerant circuit at low temperature. Heat pump machines now dominate new sales because they are dramatically cheaper to run — around 1.5–2.0 kWh per cycle against 4.0–4.5 kWh for a vented machine — but they bring their own fault set: silted evaporator fins, blocked condensate drains, failed condensate pumps and compressor issues. Heat is the enemy of components, and the parts that go are the ones that live in the hot airstream: the heating element and its klixon thermostats, the NTC sensor, the drum belt, the jockey pulley and the drum support rollers and felt seals. On condenser machines the condensate pump and float switch are frequent failures, and on vented machines the vent hose itself is the single most common cause of a 'not drying' complaint. We are also alert to the safety side. Older dryers with excessive lint accumulation are a genuine fire risk, and there have been significant UK safety recalls in this category. If we find a machine with lint packed around the element or a heat-damaged loom, we will tell you plainly. We work to a £90 call-out that covers the visit, the diagnosis and the labour, with parts on top quoted for your approval before fitting, and 6 months parts and labour on everything we fix. Domestic machines only — we do not service commercial dryers.
What the call-out costs
| Freestanding tumble dryer | £90 |
| Integrated tumble dryer | £100 |
| Parts, if any are needed | Quoted before fitting |
| If we cannot repair it | Call-out only |
£90 for a freestanding machine. Integrated appliances incur a £10 surcharge, so £100 — an integrated machine has to come out of the run of units before anything can be diagnosed, and go back in afterwards.
The 12 faults we see most
If one of these sounds like your machine, we have almost certainly fixed it before. Tell us which and we will bring the right parts.
Book a repair
Pick your own slot in the diary — appliance, address and a time that suits you, in about a minute.
Book online (opens in a new tab)or
07849 033758Same-day slots when we have one. Call-out from £90, labour included.
Straight answer on price
£90 call-out — that covers the visit, the diagnosis and the labour. Parts are the only extra, quoted for your approval before we fit anything. No hourly rates. 6 months guarantee on parts and labour.
No heat at all — drum turns cold
The dryer runs a full cycle but the air and the load stay completely cold, and the door glass never warms.
Drum won't turn — motor hums or does nothing
The machine powers up and you can hear a hum or the fan running, but the drum stays still. Sometimes there is a burning smell from a slipping belt.
Loud squealing, rumbling or scraping while running
A rhythmic squeak, a low rumble, or a harsh scraping that rises and falls with the drum's rotation, often worse when the machine is warm.
Water tank fills constantly / water on the floor
On a condenser or heat pump machine, the tank-full light comes on after a short cycle, or water pools under the machine even though the tank is not full.
Machine keeps stopping mid-cycle
The dryer runs for 10–30 minutes then shuts down, sometimes with an error, sometimes silently. It may restart if left to cool for an hour.
Burning or scorched smell
A hot, dusty or scorched smell during the cycle, sometimes with visible browning of lint at the filter. Occasionally an acrid electrical smell.
Cycle finishes almost immediately
You select a sensor drying programme and the machine runs for five or ten minutes then announces it is finished, with the load still wet.
Door won't stay shut or won't latch
The door springs back open, or it looks closed but the machine will not start and shows a door open indicator.
Clothes come out creased, hot or shrunken
Items come out excessively hot to handle, heavily creased, or noticeably shrunk and damaged, particularly synthetics.
Dryer trips the RCD
The consumer unit trips as soon as the dryer is switched on, or after a few minutes once the heating starts.
Heat pump dryer taking hours to dry a load
A heat pump machine that used to take two hours now takes three or four, and clothes are still slightly damp at the end.
Is it worth repairing?
Tumble dryers are one of the better repair propositions because their common failures are inexpensive parts. Apply the 50% rule: a mid-range condenser dryer costs £330–£480 new and a heat pump machine £480–£750, and our side of the sum is a £90 call-out covering the visit, the diagnosis and the labour, with the part quoted for your approval on top. Belts, thermostats, elements, rollers, door catches and condensate pumps all fall comfortably inside that line. Typical lifespan is 8–12 years for vented and condenser machines and 8–10 for heat pump models, where the compressor is the limiting component. The one genuine write-off is a failed sealed refrigerant system on a heat pump dryer — the labour and gas handling rarely justify it against a new machine. There is also a running-cost angle unique to this appliance. If you have an ageing vented dryer costing around £1 a load to run and you dry four loads a week, a heat pump replacement saves roughly £100 a year, so an expensive repair on an old vented machine can be false economy. Environmentally, keeping a working machine out of the waste stream is almost always the better choice, but here the in-use energy saving is large enough to change the maths — we'll walk you through both numbers honestly.
If it's time to replace, see what we sell
Brands we repair
We work on every major manufacturer, and our vans carry spares for the ones we see most in this area.
First-time fix
Our vans carry a wide range of tumble dryer spares so most jobs are finished on the same visit. If we need to order a part, it's usually fitted within a couple of working days at no second call-out charge.
What the call-out is
£90 for a freestanding machine. Integrated appliances incur a £10 surcharge, so £100 — an integrated machine has to come out of the run of units before anything can be diagnosed, and go back in afterwards. Parts are on top and quoted for your approval before anything is fitted.
Domestic only
We do not work on commercial or coin-operated machines.
Maintenance
Make your tumble dryer last longer
Water across Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire runs around 280–320 mg/l. That limescale is the single biggest reason appliances die early here.
Clean the lint filter after every load
Not weekly, not when the light comes on — every single load. A filter with even a thin lint mat across it cuts airflow enough to add 20 minutes to a cycle and pushes the element towards its thermal cut-out. Wash the filter mesh under a hot tap every month to remove the invisible fabric-conditioner film.
Rinse the condenser block monthly
On condenser machines, pull the block out from behind the lower flap and run water through it until it comes out clear from every fin. Vacuum the housing it sits in as well. A blocked condenser is the number one cause of 'my dryer stopped drying' in this category.
Vacuum heat pump evaporator fins every 3 months
Heat pump dryers have a fine-lint filter and often a sponge filter, plus exposed evaporator fins behind the lower panel. Vacuum the fins gently with a brush nozzle every three months. Skipping this is why heat pump cycle times creep from two hours to four.
Check the vent hose twice a year
On a vented machine, disconnect the hose and make sure you can see daylight through it, and check the external flap actually opens. Keep the hose as short and straight as possible — every 90 degree bend costs meaningful airflow. Rigid or semi-rigid ducting outperforms concertina hose.
Empty the water tank every cycle
Even if the full light hasn't lit, empty it. A tank left standing grows biofilm which then blocks the pump and the sump channel. Rinse the tank with hot water and a drop of washing-up liquid once a month.
Leave 50mm of clear space behind and around
Dryers need to breathe, and condenser machines dump their heat into the room. A machine crammed into a sealed cupboard will overheat, cycle its thermostats and eventually blow a one-shot cut-out. If it must live in a cupboard, the door needs a ventilation grille.
Skip the dryer sheets
Tumble dryer sheets and heavy fabric conditioner leave a waxy film on the moisture sensor bars, which makes sensor programmes finish early with a wet load. If you already use them, wipe the two metal strips inside the drum with white vinegar every month.
Spin properly before drying
Every 200rpm of extra spin speed in the washing machine takes measurable time and electricity off the drying cycle. Spinning at 1400rpm rather than 1000rpm can cut dryer running time by around 15–20 percent, which on a vented machine is real money.
Questions
Tumble dryer repair FAQs
How much does a tumble dryer repair cost?
A £90 call-out covers the visit, the diagnosis and the labour, and parts are charged on top at a price we quote for your approval first. Belts, thermostats, door catches and sensors are inexpensive parts; heating elements, roller and seal sets and condensate pumps cost a little more. No hourly rates, no separate diagnostic fee, and 6 months on parts and labour.
Is a tumble dryer worth repairing?
Usually yes, because the common failures are cheap parts. A new mid-range condenser dryer is £330–£480 and a heat pump machine £480–£750, so a £90 call-out plus a belt, thermostat or element on a machine under eight years old is good value. The exception is a failed sealed refrigerant system on a heat pump dryer, which is rarely economic.
How long does a tumble dryer repair take?
Most repairs are done in one visit lasting 45 to 90 minutes. Belt, roller and seal jobs on some models require a full strip and take closer to two hours. We carry elements, thermostats, belts, rollers and door catches for the main brands on the van.
Do you repair heat pump tumble dryers?
Yes. We service the airflow, condensate and control side of heat pump dryers routinely — evaporator cleaning, condensate pumps, NTC sensors, fans and boards. We will always test properly before condemning a sealed refrigerant system, because most 'compressor' complaints turn out to be a packed evaporator.
What guarantee comes with the repair?
Twelve months on parts and labour, directly with us. If the same fault returns within six months we come back free of charge. That applies equally to vented, condenser and heat pump machines.
Can you repair an integrated tumble dryer?
Yes. Integrated dryers are removed from the housing, worked on and refitted with the decor door and hinges correctly reset. They take slightly longer than a freestanding machine, and we are careful about ventilation clearances on refit because built-in dryers are prone to overheating when boxed in tightly.
Are old tumble dryers a fire risk?
Lint accumulation around the heating element is the main risk, and it builds silently over years. Cleaning the filter every load and having the machine stripped and deep-cleaned periodically effectively removes the hazard. If we find heat-damaged wiring or lint packed into the element chamber, we will tell you plainly and advise accordingly.
Which tumble dryer brands do you repair?
Bosch, Siemens, Neff, Beko, Hotpoint, Indesit, Whirlpool, AEG, Electrolux, Zanussi, Miele, Samsung, Candy, Hoover and Grundig. We work on domestic machines only and do not service commercial or launderette dryers.
How long should a tumble dryer last?
Typically 8 to 12 years for a condenser or vented machine, and 8 to 10 for a heat pump dryer where the compressor sets the ceiling. Machines that get their filters cleaned every load and condensers rinsed monthly routinely outlast that by several years.
Do you supply spare parts if I want to fit them myself?
We are a repair and sales business rather than a parts counter, so we supply parts as part of a repair with our 6-month guarantee attached. That guarantee only stands if we have fitted and tested the part. For a dryer specifically, we would always want to check the airflow cause behind a failed element or thermostat.
Tumble dryer playing up? We'll take a look.
Call-out from £90, labour included. 6 months guarantee.