How to Replace a Dryer Heating Element, Step by Step Instructions
You can replace a dryer heating element yourself in 45 to 90 minutes. Difficulty is moderate. A pro charges $150 to $280.
- 6 steps, 45 to 90 minutes, moderate difficulty.
- Tools you need are nut driver / socket set, multimeter, shop vac.
- Parts to buy are heating element (or element kit with thermostats/fuse) for your model.
- Unplug the machine before you start.
ELECTRIC DRYERS ONLY, this guide is not for gas burners. Unplug the dryer. A 240V circuit is unforgiving. Confirm zero continuity assumptions with a multimeter, not guesses. If your dryer is GAS, stop here and use a pro.
Tools
- Nut driver / socket set
- Multimeter
- Shop vac
- Phone camera
Parts
- Heating element (or element kit with thermostats/fuse) for your model
Step by step
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1 Test before you buy
Unplug, open the rear or lower access panel, and put a multimeter across the element terminals. Around 8 to 15 ohms = good element (look elsewhere). Infinite/open = burned out.
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2 Photograph the wiring
Two or three spade terminals plus thermostat wires, one photo saves twenty minutes of head scratching later.
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3 Remove the element housing
On most designs the element lives in a metal can beside or behind the drum. Remove the mounting screws, disconnect the terminals, and slide the housing out.
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4 Swap the element
Transfer the element into the housing (or swap the whole can if your kit includes it), being careful not to nick the new coil, it’s fragile before its first heat cycle.
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5 Replace the guards while you’re in there
If your kit includes the thermal fuse, hi limit, and cycling thermostat, install them, a shorted element often weakens them, and they’re $10 parts sitting right next to it.
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6 Vacuum, reassemble, and test
Shop vac every lint drift you can see (this is why the element died), reconnect per your photo, close up, and run a timed dry cycle. Heat within a minute, no burning smell after the first dust burn off.
A new element that dies quickly means an airflow problem is cooking it, if your vent run is long, on a roof, or you can’t find the restriction, get a pro with a vent rig before buying element number three. If you'd rather skip it entirely, find a dryer repair pro near you
Sources
Where the safety, regulatory and warranty claims on this page come from. Repair costs are our own figures based on Arizona market rates and OEM parts pricing.
- Home Fires Involving Clothes Dryers and Washing Machines National Fire Protection Association Dryer fire incidence, and failure to clean as the leading contributing factor.
- Carbon Monoxide Safety Guide U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Carbon monoxide risk from gas cooking and heating appliances.
Step by step instructions for your exact model
The same repair, tailored with your machine's error codes, known quirks, and typical costs.
What this repair costs professionally
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