The Centennial dryer is irrefutably one of Maytag’s best-performing and most reliable dryers. But even so, sometimes you must troubleshoot a Maytag Centennial dryer not heating up, which means you should know what to check.
A Maytag Centennial dryer fails to heat up due to failed power, improper loading, air restriction, a blown-up thermal fuse, or a defective heating element, igniter, flame sensor, or solenoid.
Note that a heating element applies to the electric dryer only, while the igniter, flame sensor, and solenoid apply to gas-powered Centennial dryers. Overall, there aren’t many things to check when your Centennial won’t get hot, making the troubleshooting more DIY-friendly.
I’ll walk you through the eight issues to enable you to fix your non-heating Centennial dryer quickly.
Here we go!
In a hurry? Below is a quick guide for troubleshooting a Maytag Centennial dryer that’s not getting hot enough:
Maytag Centennial Dryer Not Heating Enough – Quick Troubleshooting Guide
| – | Likely Reason | Fix |
| 1. | Electric Dryer: Failed power, under-voltage socket, loose wrong or faulty plug, tripped breaker Gas Dryer: Closed gas supply valve | Electric Dryer: Ensure the socket is 240v and the plug is working and firmly fixed, and reset a tripped breaker Gas Dryer: Turn on the gas supply valve parallel to the supply pipe |
| 2. | Improper Loading (overload or extra wet) laundry | Ensure the load is not more than ¾ full, and wring out the excess water if it’s soaking wet |
| 3. | Air Restriction (dirty lint screen or blocked dryer vent) | Clean the lint screen or vent is clogged, remove kinks from the vent, and replace it if it’s crushed |
| 4. | Blown-Up Thermal Fuse | Check if the fuse has continuity and replace it if it doesn’t |
| 5. | Defective Heating Element | Check if the heating element has continuity and replace it if it doesn’t |
| 6. | Burnt Igniter | Replace the igniter if it shows no continuity |
| 7. | Burnt Flame Sensor | Replace the flame sensor if it shows no continuity |
| 8. | Defective Solenoid | Replace the solenoid if the igniter burns up for a while and then goes off |
Why Is My Maytag Centennial Dryer Not Heating Up?
Below are the eight reasons why your Centennial Maytag dryer won’t get hot:
1. Failed Power
Your Maytag Centennial needs the power to get hot; it doesn’t matter if it’s gas or electric powered. So, you’ve to ensure it powers on.
Here’s what to check depending on the dryer type:
Electric Maytag Centennial Dryer
Consider that your electric Centennial dryer is not getting hot due to any of these issues:
- Under-voltage socket – Normally, Maytag dryers require a 240v or more power supply. If it’s less than that, the voltage supply won’t be enough to power and get the dryer hot.
- Loose plugging – The dryer may light up if loosely plugged, but it won’t get hot. It needs an adequate power supply, which is only possible if firmly fixed.
- Wrong plug – Maytag recommends a 4-prong or 3-prong power cord for their dryers. If that’s not the case, the dryer won’t heat up.
- Faulty plug – Sometimes, the power cord blows up or may break. If so, it won’t deliver adequate power. The result is that the dryer fails to heat up.
- Tripped breaker – If a power surge could start a fire, the circuit breaker trips off to protect the dryer. In such a case, the dryer won’t get hot.
Fix
Ensure the socket’s voltage supply is 240v. If it’s not, a call for an expert electrician will help. Then check the power plug and ensure it’s 3 or 4-prong and working.
If not, replace it and ensure it is firmly plugged in. If the circuit breaker is off, which shows it’s tripped up, reset it.
Maytag Centennial Gas Dryer
In the case of a gas-powered Maytag dryer, check the gas supply valve to ensure it’s open. You can tell if that’s the case if it’s parallel to the gas supply pipe. If it’s perpendicular, then that shows it’s closed.
Fix
Turn the gas supply valve parallel to the gas supply tube if it’s perpendicular to allow gas to flow to the burner.
2. Improper Load Loading
If the clothes are not well loaded into the dryer, they may stop it from getting hot. Here are two issues to consider:
- Dryer overload – It’s essential for your dryer to have some room in the drum for the hot air to circulate and for the wet laundry to tumble. That, however, won’t happen if the drum is loaded more than ¾ full. In the end, the dryer won’t get hot.
- Extra wet clothes – Though the dryer’s job is to dry wet clothes, it doesn’t mean you should load soaking wet clothes. If you do, the dryer’s sensors will read it as a mechanical fault and fail to heat up.
Fix
Reduce the clothes in the drum if they are more than ¾ drum full. And if they are soaking wet, stop the dryer and wring them manually to squeeze off the excess water.
The issue is, however, preventable by running the drain or spin cycle while the clothes are in the washing machine. That means inspecting them first before loading them into your Centennial dryer.
3. Air Restriction
Good air restriction is critical to the heating up of your dryer. If there’s restricted airflow, your Centennial dryer won’t get hot and won’t dry clothes. Here are the two issues that could limit the dryer’s airflow.
- Dirty lint screen – The lint screen may accumulate lint and dirt over time, blocking it and restricting airflow. That’s why it’s advisable to clean it off after every use.
- Blocked dryer vent – The vent may also clog by lint or debris, but that’s not the only thing that could restrict its airflow. It could also block by kinking (or twisting) or crush due to low-quality material.
Fix
If the lint screen is too dirty, clean it with warm soapy water and scrub the hardened lint off with a nylon brush. Then, you should rinse it clean and allow it to dry before reinstalling.
As for a clogged dryer vent, use a vacuum cleaner and straighten it out if it’s kinked. However, replace the vent if it’s crushed.
4. Blown-up Maytag Centennial Dryer Thermal Fuse
A power surge won’t just trip off the circuit breaker but may also blow up the thermal fuse. Once that happens, the dryer cannot power on, making it hard to heat up.
Fix
Check with a multimeter if the thermal fuse has electrical continuity. If it does not, that shows it’s blown up, and so replace it.
Another Cause for a Maytag Centennial Electric Dryer Not Heating
5. Defective Maytag Centennial Dryer Heating Element
While the burner is responsible for heating in a gas dryer, the heating element heats an electric dryer. So, this component shouldn’t fail.
However, the heating element, especially its coiled ends, may sometimes break or burn. Once that happens, it cannot heat the arriving cold air, which leaves the dryer cold.
Fix
Check with a multimeter if the heating element has electrical continuity. If it does not, consider a replacement.
Other Causes of a Maytag Centennial Gas Dryer Not Heating Up
If you have a gas-powered Centennial dryer, you also have to consider these three additional issues:
6. Burnt Igniter
Gas dryers have an igniter whose job is to ignite the arriving gas. If it’s faulty, it won’t ignite, and the burner will fail to heat up, so your dryer won’t get hot. The igniter mostly fails by burning out.
Fix
Check with a multimeter if the igniter has continuity and replace it if it doesn’t.
7. Burnt Flame Sensor
Before your dryer can get hot, the gas dryer’s flame sensor must detect the flame first. It’s, however, unable to do that if it’s defective, and that stops the dryer from overheating. Like the igniter, the frame sensor may fail from overheating or burning.
Fix
Check the flame sensor the same way as an igniter (with a multimeter) and replace it if it’s defective).
8. Defective Solenoid
The last consideration is the solenoid coil. This special valve’s job is to allow gas flow to the burner. If it’s defective, it won’t open to allow gas supply to the burner and will fail to get hot.
Fix
If the solenoid is defective, you’ve to replace it. You can confirm if that’s the case by monitoring the igniter. The solenoid is faulty if the igniter only glows briefly and goes out.
Maytag Centennial Dryer Runs But No Heat
Your Maytag dryer might be running but not heating because of poor airflow. That could be due to a vent blockage or lint screen clogging.
And if that’s not the case, the heating element could be burnt, or the clothes could be overloaded or excessively wet.
Maytag Front Load Dryer Not Heating
Several issues could stop a Maytag front-load dryer from heating up, and they include the following:
- Poor airflow could be due to vent blockage or lint screen clogging.
- Lack of power – That is if your dryer won’t power on
- Excessively wet clothes or drum overload (when the drum is more than ¾ full)
- Burnt heating element
- Blown-up thermal fuse
Maytag Centennial Dryer Heating But Not Spinning
It’s uncommon for a Maytag Centennial dryer to get hot but fail to spin. That, however, may happen sometimes, and if it does, it’s often due to a defective or worn-out component such as the drive belt, drum roller, idler pulley, or motor.
However, before contemplating replacing any of these components, you must check if the control lock is on. This setting can prevent the dryer from spinning, though it may not stop it from getting hot.
People Also Ask
1. What Causes a Maytag Dryer Not to Start?
In most cases, a Maytag dryer doesn’t start due to the lack of power (or gas), an active control lock, an improperly latched door/lid, or a wrong setting. Sometimes, however, it’s a case of not pressing the start switch long enough to engage it fully.
2. Why Is My Maytag Dryer Not Getting Hot?
Different issues could stop a Maytag dryer from getting hot. First, it could be that the dryer lacks power, and if it does have power, its vent or lint screen could be blocked.
And if it’s none of those, it could be due to an overload, excessively wet clothes or a burnt fuse, or a heating element
Concluding Thoughts On the Maytag Centennial Dryer Not Heating Up:
As shared, several issues are worth considering when your Maytag Centennial dryer doesn’t get hot. It starts by checking if the dryer has enough power and good airflow.
Then you’ve to ensure the clothes are correctly loaded, and if the heating element, thermal fuse, igniter, flame sensor, or solenoid coil is defective, you’ve to replace it.