What Causes a Dryer to Keep Blowing Fuses?

Power Cord

Check that the dryer’s power cord is secure in the outlet and the cord is in good condition. If the cord’s plug dangles loose from the outlet, a dryer may continually blow its electrical fuses to prevent a component from short-circuiting due to the poor connection. Remove the power cord and plug it to the electrical socket so that the plug is entirely installed in the socket. Verify that the power cord isn’t damaged; a frayed cord can interfere with the delivery of electricity to your dryer and may cause the fuses to blow. Rather than using electrical tape to repair a faulty power cord, replace the cord with a new one.

Defective wiring in your home can impact a dryer’s function and cause its electrical fuses to blow or circuit breakers to trip, depending on your home’s circuitry. Locate the fuse or circuit box for your home, and identify the fuses or breakers for your dryer; an electric dryer will typically have two fuses or breakers and a gas dryer will have just one fuse or breaker. If the fuse(s) blows or breaker(s) trips when the dryer is unplugged, something has gone awry with your home’s wiring. Contact a qualified electrician to address the issue.

If a component on the dryer that uses electricity to function--such as the controls, timer or motor--fails, the component’s failure can make a dryer’s fuse blow again after the fuse has been replaced. Have your dryer serviced by a qualified dryer repair technician. The technician will be able to perform a diagnostic test to see if any of the dryer’s electrical components have lost continuity. If the technician determines that an electrical component is malfunctioning, get it repair or replaced.

Most dryers have a thermal safety fuse that will blow to avoid a dryer overheating. Each time the fuse blows, you must replace it with a new one to operate your dryer, as the dryer’s heating abilities will be limited. However, replacing only the fuse without also addressing the heating element’s overheating problem won’t stop the fuse from blowing again. Determine why the dryer’s overheating. Then, substitute the thermal safety fuse after the issues is remedied. Contact a dryer repair technician if you’re unable to identify what’s causing the dryer to overheat.