--- title: "Dryer runs but does not heat" description: "GE dryer runs but does not heat: on an electric dryer this is the element or a thermal cut-out — and the cut-out is very often a symptom of the" url: "https://gemiami.support/symptoms/dryer-no-heat/" date_modified: "2026-08-31" Appliance type: "Dryers" --- # GE dryer runs but does not heat ### On an electric dryer, check both legs of the supply An electric dryer runs its motor on one leg and its heater on the other. Lose one and the machine tumbles perfectly and never heats — which looks exactly like a failed element and is a tripped breaker or a loose connection. It is free to check and it is more common than people expect, especially after electrical work. ### Why the vent belongs on a no-heat page Thermal cut-outs are protection. They open because the housing got too hot, and the housing gets too hot because air is not leaving. Fitting a new cut-out and closing the machine up is a repair that fails again, which is why we do not quote this one without the vent. ### Gas and electric, from the doorway Identical symptom, different parts, different prices. Knowing which you have before the visit is why we ask on the phone, and it is why the model number is worth finding. A half-lost supply, on electric One leg of a 240V supply gone. The drum turns, nothing heats, and nothing inside the appliance has failed. The heating element The ordinary electric answer, and an ordinary part. A thermal cut-out that has opened Usually because the vent restricted and the housing overheated. Replacing it without clearing the vent guarantees a second call. The igniter, on gas The classic gas answer: it still glows but no longer draws enough current to open the safety valve, so it looks like it is working. Flame sensor or valve coils, on gas It lights and goes out, or never lights at all. One ignition cycle watched tells us which. Check the breaker, both halves On electric. A double-pole breaker can lose one side and look fine. Is it gas or electric? The diagnosis diverges completely, and the symptom from the doorway is identical. Check the vent while you are there Because a cut-out that opened has a reason, and the reason is usually airflow. Listen at the start of a cycle, on gas The igniter should glow and the burner should light within a minute. Where the sequence stops names the part. The drum turns and the air stays cold What it usually means Tumbles normally, no heat at all Clothes come out cold and damp It happened suddenly rather than gradually On an electric dryer, check both legs of the supply An electric dryer runs its motor on one leg and its heater on the other. Lose one and the machine tumbles perfectly and never heats — which looks exactly like a failed element and is a tripped breaker or a loose connection. It is free to check and it is more common than people expect, especially after electrical work. Why the vent belongs on a no-heat page Thermal cut-outs are protection. They open because the housing got too hot, and the housing gets too hot because air is not leaving. Fitting a new cut-out and closing the machine up is a repair that fails again, which is why we do not quote this one without the vent. Gas and electric, from the doorway Identical symptom, different parts, different prices. Knowing which you have before the visit is why we ask on the phone, and it is why the model number is worth finding. ### It heats a little but not much. On electric that can be one element coil of two, or a restricted vent. On gas it is more often the flame going out early. ### Could it be the timer? Rarely on a no-heat symptom — a timer problem usually shows as a cycle that never advances rather than a cold one. --- **[Read full article: Dryer runs but does not heat](https://gemiami.support/symptoms/dryer-no-heat/)**