Resettable thermostats are a real godsend: Typically, they’re pretty easy to access and straightforward to use. With one press of a button—or flip of a switch using a pin—you can go from super hot or damp clothes to an ideal load of laundry that’s ready to wear.
As convenient as these buttons are, some LG dryer owners find that their button keeps tripping the breaker.
Thermostats can trip if there’s something else causing the appliance to overheat, like poor airflow or dysfunctional heating components. In these cases, the reset button won’t do much.
This post will cover where you can find the reset button, why your dryer might keep tripping despite pressing it, and how to fix this frustrating problem.
What to Do If Your LG Dryer Reset Button Keeps Going Off
So you’ve found the reset button and pressed it. But every time you do this, the fix only seems to work for a few minutes, or it causes your dryer to not turn on and you have to reset the breaker.
The button itself isn’t the problem, but another component in the dryer causing it to keep overheating. This may include clogged vents, a dysfunctional heating element, or even a problem with the thermostat itself.
If you’ve pressed the reset button and your dryer seems to be even less functional than it was, try out the following solutions before calling in a technician or forking out the big bucks for a new machine:
Clear the Vents and Lint Screen
Dryers use air flow to manage the heat in the drum. Whether it’s bringing air in to be heated or pulling hot air out to cool it down, the machine needs an unobstructed path for air to flow.
Sometimes, lint and other debris can clog up the exhaust duct, including debris from the outside. Be sure to check the entirety of this duct and any other vents for blockages that could interfere with airflow.
And if you haven’t done so already, clean out the lint filter, too.
Reduce the Heat
Some owners have successfully fixed their overheating LG dryer by turning down the temperature setting on their control panel. Using medium or low heat may take more time, but it can also reduce the burden on your dryer’s heating components.
Check the Thermostats
The high-limit thermostat, which has the reset button, sets the maximum temperature for your machine. If you pressed the reset button and it didn’t work, then the thermostat itself might be fried.
Using a multimeter, verify that there’s sufficient continuity to the high-limit thermostat on the left-hand side of the heating assembly box and replace it if there isn’t.
On the right-hand side, you’ll also find the cycling thermostat—another component that manages the dryer’s temperature by directly turning the heat on and off. While the high-limit thermostat determines the hottest temp, the cycling thermostat turns the heat on and off as needed.
While you’re inside the dryer checking out the high-limit thermostat and heating element (refer to the section below), consider checking the continuity of the cycling thermostat as well.
Test the Heating Element
Using coils, the heating element takes heat generated by other components like the igniter and transfers it to the dryer drum, where it can do its thing.
Heating elements sometimes get misshapen, changing the distance of the coils from the drum. Too close and it overheats—too far away and it doesn’t heat up enough to work.
The heating element, therefore, is an integral part of your dryer’s functionality. Using a multimeter, you can verify that the component is receiving continuity—if it isn’t, it may have broken coils, a warped box, or otherwise shorted out. Such a case warrants replacement.
Has the Thermal Fuse Tripped?
Thermal fuses are safety devices. When your dryer gets seriously hot—as in, hot enough to start a fire—and other components haven’t caught it yet, this fuse will short in order to cut off the flow of heat to the drum.
However, this fuse can only trip once, and your dryer may not function if it’s already done so. While meddling around in the dryer, check out the fuse with a multimeter to verify whether or not it needs replacement.
While pressing the thermostat reset button is a terrific first step for fixing your over- or underheating dryer, it isn’t always enough.
When pressing the button just doesn’t cut it, you don’t need to fret just yet—save your cash by inspecting other parts. In particular, take a look at your vents, thermostats, thermal fuse, and heating element, using a multimeter to check for continuity to electric components.
Yet if you’ve inspected these components and cleaned out your vents but your dryer keeps tripping, it may be time to call in a licensed professional to take a look, diagnose the cause, and potentially fix it for you.
