Why Does My Dryer Take Two Cycles?
Nine times out of ten it's airflow, not heat. The dryer is getting hot enough, but the moist air can't escape fast enough, so the clothes stay damp.
The most common cause is a blocked vent — and you can check that yourself in about a minute.
The one-minute check
Go outside and find where your dryer vent exits the house. Run the dryer on a heat setting.
The flap should open. You should feel steady, warm air coming out strongly.
If the flap barely moves, or the air is weak, or lint is packed around the opening, you've found your problem. The vent needs clearing.
Why airflow matters so much
A dryer works by heating air, passing it through the clothes to pick up moisture, and pushing that wet air outside.
If the air can't get out, the moisture stays in the drum. The clothes get hot but they don't get dry, and the machine runs a full cycle achieving very little.
Adding a second cycle doesn't fix the underlying problem. It just runs the same restricted process again.
Where the blockage usually is
Behind the dryer, where the flexible duct gets crushed when the machine is pushed back against the wall.
Along the duct run, especially on long runs or ones with several bends.
At the outside vent, where lint builds up around the flap, or a bird nests in it.
In the lint trap housing, below where the screen sits. Lint gets past the screen over time and collects in the housing underneath.
If the vent is clear, what else?
A weak heating element. The dryer still heats, just not enough. Usually the clothes come out warm but damp rather than hot and damp.
An overloaded drum. Clothes need room to tumble. A packed load dries badly however good the machine is.
A failing thermostat or cycling thermostat, so the dryer isn't reaching the right temperature.
Moisture sensors that have been fooled by residue, so the dryer thinks the load is dry when it isn't.
One thing worth knowing
If you've had a heating element or thermal fuse replaced and the problem came back, the vent is probably the real cause.
Restricted airflow makes the dryer run hotter than it should, which is exactly what kills elements and fuses. Replacing the part without clearing the vent means replacing it again.
If you need it sorted
We repair dryers and clean dryer vents across Salt Lake, Davis and Utah Counties, from Bountiful to Lehi. If the vent turns out to be the cause, we can clear it in the same visit.