You try to dry your clothes using your Kenmore dryer, only for them to come out cold and wet. Upon closer inspection, you realize your dryer is blowing cold instead of warm air. So how can you fix this without racking up an enormous repair bill?
To fix a Kenmore dryer blowing cold air, you may need to replace certain parts. There may be issues with the thermostat, heating element, fuse, igniter, or gas solenoid valve.
In this article, I’ll go into more detail on common causes of your Kenmore dryer blowing cold air and how to fix them. I’ll also cover tips on how to care for your Kenmore dryer, so you don’t have to go through the trouble of fixing it in the first place.
5 Ways To Fix a Kenmore Dryer Blowing Cold Air
1. Reset Your Kenmore Dryer
Sometimes, your dryer’s thermostat may fail, or its setting may deviate from the normal. This causes the dryer temperature to fall below the required level while drying your clothes — which, in turn, will lead to issues with your normal drying cycle.
To deal with this, you need to reset your dryer. Keep in mind, however, that Kenmore dryers sometimes lack a reset button or even a thermostat knob. As such, you’ll have to resort to other measures to deal with this problem. In that case, I recommend you read my other article, “Is There a Kenmore Dryer Reset Button? + What to Do Instead of a Reset.”
2. Replace the Heating Element (for Electric Dryers)
Normally, the heating element in your dryer keeps the surrounding air at an optimal temperature before it goes into your appliance. If your heating component isn’t working correctly, the air from your dryer will be cold.
Of course, you’ll need to verify whether the heating element is the issue first. To do so, use an ohmmeter on the component. I suggest you get something like the WeePro Vpro850L Digital Multimeter (available on Amazon.com) since it’s easy to use and has a wide range of applications.
If the resistance is under 15 ohms, the heating element is likely not functioning properly, and you’ll have to replace it.
One potentially compatible heating element is the LFORBB 279838 Dryer Heating Element (available on Amazon.com). Aside from Kenmore dryers, it works with other brands like Maytag as well.
3. Replace the Fuse if It’s Broken
Kenmore dryers have thermal fuses to prevent a short circuit. If broken, the fuse won’t be able to get electrical current through the system, so the air entering the dryer will be cold.
Use your dryer’s manual to find the fuse and check for a break in the element running through it. If there’s a visible gap in the component, the fuse has blown up, and you’ll need to replace it with something like the (3 Pack) ClimaTek Upgraded Dryer Thermal Fuse (available on Amazon.com). You can find 10-pack versions of it, and you don’t need to perform any complicated electrical procedures during installation.
4. Replace the Igniter (for Gas Dryers)
As its name suggests, the igniter ignites the gas supplied to the dryer through the burner valve, heating it up. If the igniter doesn’t work correctly, the dryer won’t heat up and will blow cold air instead.
To check if the igniter isn’t working correctly, use a multimeter and attach its probes to both of the igniter’s terminals. The resistance should be between 50 and 400 ohms. If that’s not the case, your igniter is defective and needs to be replaced.
5. Replace the Gas Solenoid Valve (for Gas Dryers)
The gas coil controls the flow of gas into the burner portion of the dryer. If this part doesn’t work or is blocked, no gas will go to the burner. With no fuel to go off of, the air won’t get heated before entering the dryer.
To check if this is the case, attach a multimeter to both solenoid terminals. If the reading shows no continuity, the solenoid is faulty and needs to be replaced.
How To Care for Your Kenmore Dryer
There are two types of Kenmore dryers available: gas and electric. No matter which kind you use, you should take certain measures to ensure your dryer’s longevity.
Make Sure Your Dryer Is on Level Ground
This may seem like an obvious thing to do, but I cannot stress enough how important it is that your dryer stands flat on the ground. Aside from the danger posed by a heavy electrical appliance falling on its side, a dryer that’s even slightly tilted while in operation will be more easily damaged.
If you have no choice but to put your dryer in an area where it will tilt slightly, use wooden or concrete blocks to make up the difference.
Avoid Overloading
If you always load up your dryer beyond its capacity, your clothes won’t dry very well. Also, overloading will damage your machine to the point where it may even shut down completely. Check your manual or the sticker on your dryer for the specific load limit.
Clean Your Dryer’s Vents Now and Then
Dryer vents are prone to clogging, causing the dryer to heat excessively and become a potential fire hazard. To prevent this, clean your vents once in a while. You can do this by detaching the pipe and removing any lint or dust stuck inside it. Depending on the extent of the problem, you can use either a brush or pour in a gentle soap-water solution.
Have Your Dryer Serviced Regularly
Have your dryer checked by a Kenmore dryer specialist at least once every 6 months. If that’s not doable, a yearly checkup will do. Either way, you want to make sure you catch any potential issues before they go out of hand and require costly repairs.
Conclusion
To fix a dryer blowing cold air Kenmore produced, you usually need to replace one or more of the following: the heating component, thermal fuse, igniter, or solenoid valve. Since replacements can be costly, you’ll want to verify whether these are the causes of the problem using tools like a multimeter to check for electrical resistance.
