If you own a washer then, a dryer is a must have for you. A dryer makes sure your clothes are dry enough to completely and naturally dry off in the sun. There are three types of dryer: Vented condenser, Heat pump condenser and gas dryer.
Dryer making humming or buzzing noise
If your dryer is making a humming or buzzing noise, it is likely that there is a problem with the drive belt. The drum of the dryer might be struggling or failing to spin its drum, which could be caused by one of the multiple other moving parts in the dryer.
When a dryer makes a buzzing or humming noise, it could indicate that it is housing a defective motor. There are other moving parts which come into question, for example: drive belt, support bearing, dryer rollers, idler pulley, and glides.
Worn or damaged dryer belt:
When a dryer creates a buzzing or humming noise, there is a good change that it is caused by a worn or damaged dryer belt.
In order to identify if the dryer belt is defective, try turning the dryer belt manually using your hand. If the drum rotates easily without any resistance, it is most likely the reason.
Faulty idler pulley:
An idler pulley puts tension on the drive belt, helping the dryer to rotate the dryer drum. It also keeps the drive belt in place.
A symptom for a faulty idler pulley would be to check for squeaking or squealing sounds, which would indicate worn bearings in the idler pulley.
Damaged drum roller or axle:
Another reason for a dryer to create humming or buzzing sounds is a damaged drum roller. Drum rollers support the dryer drum and depending on the dryer, there could be two or more.
Like the idler pulley, if they are worn or damaged, they would create a squeaking or squealing noise.
Damaged drum slides or glides:
Varying on different dryers, they have glides made of plastic supporting the front of a dryer drum. Over time, these glides could get worn out or damaged putting pressure on the dryer motor.
If your dryer’s glides are severely damaged, your dryer motor may not be able to spin the dryer drum and shut off. You can check for damaged drum slides by removing the front panel.
Damaged drum support bearing:
On some dryers, a bearing supports the dryer drum from the back. This bearing is placed on the center of the drum support.
A sign that the bearing is worn is that the dryer drum will be making a lot of noise, and the dryer drum will not spin if the drive belt is removed. The drum support can be accessed by the rear panel of the dryer.
Faulty dryer motor:
The dryer motor spins the blower wheel and the dryer drum. A symptom for faulty dryer motors would be a dryer turning off mid-cycle of a load. This could suggest that the dryer is overheating, causing the dryer to shut down.
Worn electric grease:
Electric grease is used in electrical components which require lubrication. Often in very harsh weather conditions, this electric grease wears off over time thus requiring dryers a fresh set of electric grease.
How do I stop my dryer from humming or buzzing?
There are many reasons why a dryer might be making a humming or buzzing sound, but there are also solutions to all of them. Some are simple while others are complicated.
Checking power source:
Sometimes, using dryers can trip the circuit breakers in your house. This does not let the dryer get enough power. Turning the circuit breakers on again might fix the issue with your dryer.
Replacing the door switch:
The door switch of a dryer connects to the main board of the dryer which tells the dryer that the door is closed, thus letting it run.
Replacing the door switch with the help of a mechanic might resolve the humming and buzzing issue of the dryer.
Replacing the drum rollers or axle:
Depending on the model of your dryer, the drum rollers or axle might be located on the front or back of your dryer. They can be accessed by opening the top and side panels of the dryer.
Some drum rollers may be in worse condition than others, but replacing them altogether is a good idea.
Replacing drum bearings:
The drum bearings are also accessed by removing the top and side panels. To reach them, you also need to take off the drive belt.
The drum bearing will need replacing if you hear a grinding noise while rotating the drum. If the noise stops after the replacement, then you can move on to assembling the dryer completely.
Replacement or repositioning of the drive belt:
This also requires the removal of the top and side panels of the dryer, you also need to remove the dryer drum. The drive belt goes around the dryer drum.
If the drive belt is damaged, it will require replacement. In rare cases, it may just be displaced and readjusting it to its right position might do the trick.
How do I reset my dryer?
Depending on the company or sometimes even the model of a dryer, there are different ways that you can reset them. The most common way to reset a dryer is by doing a power cycle.
A power cycle refers to turning the dryer or the circuit breaker off and on. You might need to turn on the dryer again after keeping it off for five minutes. Sometimes, doing the power cycle is not enough and there are additional steps.
One of the most common ones is to hold the power button for five seconds, and then holding the pause button for an additional five. Another one would be to hold on to the dedicated reset button on your dryer for a few seconds.
You could also check your dryer’s manual for instructions on resetting your specific dryer.
How much does it cost to replace dryer drum rollers or axles?
The cost of dryer drum rollers or axles vary vastly when we look at different electronic appliance companies.
Along with the costs of getting the parts, you need to think about the mechanic labor costs. An average mechanic charges anywhere between fifty to a hundred dollars an hour.
Samsung:
An average Samsung dryer drum rollers and axles would cost around forty dollars. Individual drum rollers cost about twelve dollars.
LG:
A generic LG axles and drum rollers have a wide variety of prices. They start anywhere from twenty to sixty dollars. Some are advertised as a whole repair kit, hiking up the prices of the drum rollers and axles.
Whirlpool:
Whirlpool axles and drums are cost effective. They can be found for around twenty to twenty five dollars which is much cheaper than the first two. They could go as low as ten to twelve dollars in the used market.
Maytag:
The cost of a Maytag axle and drums are similar to the ones from Whirlpool. They cost anywhere from twenty-two to twenty six dollars. Furthermore, getting a whole repair kit instead would be about thirty-seven to forty dollars.
Electrolux:
Drum rollers and axles from Electrolux would cost anywhere from fifty seven to sixty dollars. The prices of these are similar to expensive LG rollers and axles.
Kenmore:
Individual drum rollers from Kenmore cost about twenty two dollars, while the axle costs an upward of fifty five dollars. They are one of the most expensive ones until now.
GE:
GE which stands for general electronics sells roller and axle combo for about thirty dollars.
On the other hand, their whole repair kit costs a hundred and seventeen dollars which is really not worth the money if you want just the rollers and axles.
Frigidaire:
A single roller from Frigidaire would cost you about forty six dollars, which is not the most cost effective option from our different set of dryer manufacturers. Moreover, roller and axle combo would cost about eighty dollars.
Final Thoughts
There are many small and intricate parts which could cause a dryer to create a humming or buzzing noise, mostly the dryer belt. Other than that, worn out different parts can cause the issue too. In order to identify the specific problem, a person will need to carefully inspect each component.