Your clothes dryer's blower wheel moves heated air over your clothes while the dryer is running. Since a dryer works by using hot air to absorb moisture from clothes in order to dry them, it won't work correctly if its blower wheel is broken. Your clothes may take a long time to dry or may not dry at all. A dryer's blower wheel can break if it overheats and cracks apart, and it can also stop working if it becomes clogged with lint. To learn how you can tell if your dryer's blower wheel isn't working correctly, read on.

Your Clothes Dry Slowly or Never Get Dry

If the clothes in your dryer are getting hot but not getting dry, it's usually a sign that the dryer's blower wheel isn't working. In this situation, the heating element in your dryer still works because your dryer is still producing hot air. When your blower wheel isn't working, the hot air will remain in the dryer drum instead of being blown out the dryer's exhaust vent. Moisture won't leave your clothes, and they'll remain damp. Replacing your broken blower wheel will allow you to dry your clothes again.

Your Dryer Makes Rattling Noises

If a piece of lint gets stuck in the blower wheel, it will become unbalanced and wobble while it rotates. This will cause it to make a rattling noise while your dryer is running, and it will also reduce its ability to efficiently circulate air throughout the dryer. Removing the lint from the blower wheel will fix the problem and get rid of the noise.

A blower wheel can also start to make a rattling noise if it cracks due to your dryer overheating. A cracked blower wheel can lose some of its fins, which will make it wobble when your dryer is running. If your blower wheel is cracked, you'll need to replace it.

Your Dryer Doesn't Vent Much Air From the Back

You can disconnect the tube on your dryer's exhaust vent and hold your hand up to it while your dryer is running in order to find out how much air is circulating through the dryer. If the lint trap in the dryer is clean and there's not much air coming from the back of the dryer, your blower wheel is most likely broken and will need to be replaced.

If you think that your dryer's blower wheel isn't working correctly, take your dryer to a dryer repair service for a replacement. While the blower wheel is a small, uncomplicated part, replacing it requires you to take out the drum of your dryer and disconnect a few electrical wires. Having it replaced by a professional dryer repair service will ensure you don't accidentally damage your dryer drum or its wiring while you're trying to remove the blower wheel. After your blower wheel is replaced, you'll be able to dry your clothes quickly again because of the improved air circulation in the dryer.

For more information on dryer repair, contact an appliance repair company such as A1 Best Appliance Repair.