How Hot Do Dryers Get? – Temperatures Revealed

The dryer has become an important appliance in the home. If you own a clothes dryer, it’s important to know how hot they get and what temperatures are considered safe. You may be surprised at how high the temperature is. Many dryers have internal sensors that measure the heat within the machine. The sensor will usually turn off your dryer when it reaches a certain temperature, between 120 – 130° Fahrenheit. However, there are some limitations to this safety feature. This will also depend on the model and age of the dryer machine.

What is the average dryer temperature?

According to clothes dryer temperature guidelines, 120° Fahrenheit is the maximum safe operating temperature. However, many dryers will reach up to 130° Fahrenheit. This will vary depending on the type of clothes you are drying and how long they stay in the dryer. If you put a wet towel into your dryer, it will take longer for your dryer to reach high temperatures.

It’s important to know what temperatures your machine gets up to so that you can take precautions for your family’s safety. You should never leave your children unattended around a machine that has reached high temperatures or one that could get too hot at any time.

How Do You Know if the Dryer is Too Hot?

The best way to tell if your dryer is too hot is if your cloths show any signs of burns on them chances are you have a sensor failure on the heating element that is throwing the internal temperatures off causing a failure. If the sensor has failed in your dryer, this will cause the temperature settings to get either to high or to low in the appliance. Excessive hot dryer can be a big issue and one to be addressed as soon as you can. The high-limit thermostat is what controls the dryer heat  and when this fails it needs to be fixed.

If at the exhaust vent you can smell a burring smell, you should stop using your dryer immediately. Both gas dryers and electric dryers can have a sensor failure causing the heat settings to get out of hand. The burning smell is more than likely to hot exhaust temperature in the appliance.

The Dryer is Not Getting Hot Enough?

If your clothes feel damp when you remove them from the dryer, it’s possible that the heat isn’t hot enough. Check the lint trap first, you would be surprised at how many people never check this and it causes a back flow of air in the appliance. Dryer vents can become clogged and often do to lack of cleaning by most homeowners. The lint filter and dryer vent ducts should be put on a schedule to be cleaned at least once a year, depending on your family’s use.

Blockage of airflow, is the number one call we get and this should be checked before calling for an appliance repair. Dryer vent cleaning kit are available at most hardware stores and somewhat easy to use. Making sure you clean the entire vent out for best results. The dryer duct preventing the exhaust air and causing airflow blockage to the appliance is the number one failure.

Malfunctioning Thermostat

The first limitation is that the thermostat may not be functioning properly and may turn off the machine at a slightly lower temperature. This is common if your dryer is older or has been used for a long time. The sensors can become less accurate over time, which will result in a lower cutoff point.

If you notice the temperature range acting funny and your air temperature seems to have excessive heat or the lack of heat. Chances are you have a sensor failure and this causes the temperature settings to be far from a normal setting and this does depend on the different types of dryers out there.

What to do if your dryer breaks?

If your dryer breaks, it can be a big inconvenience. You may not have the time or resources to fix it yourself. That’s why so many people choose to call a professional appliance repair company like  Appliance Repair Doctor and they will often come out and fix the problem right away.

No one wants to deal with wet clothes and a high-quality (and expensive) dryer repair. By checking some of the things in this article, you might be able to prevent making a call.

Final Thoughts

If you find yourself with a failing dryer in your home, we would love to schedule a time to come out and repair the appliance and get you back up and running again making the entire process painless to get you going again. We understand that your cloths dryer is the life line in most homes  and no one wants a clothes dryer repair but you also want to get back to normal, so call us today for any appliance question you may have.