Is your Whirlpool Cabrio dryer not heating, and you can’t figure out why? Are you contemplating a service call? Don’t just yet, as the issue may be easy to fix than you think.
Your Whirlpool Cabrio dryer won’t get hot because of failed power supply, overly-large or dripping-wet load, wrong setting, open door, filthy lint screen, burnt thermal fuse, defective heating element, failed gas supply, burnt igniter, or faulty flame sensor.
Not that some issues only relate to electric gas dryers, while a few affect their gas counterpart. Nonetheless, others affect both electric and gas dryers. Once you establish that, you can quickly narrow down the reasons depending on your dryer type.
Let’s jump in!
In a hurry? The table below will help you quickly fix your non-heating Cabrio dryer.
Whirlpool Cabrio Dryer Not Heating Enough – Quick Troubleshooting Guide
| – | Probable Cause | Fix |
| 1. | Failed Power Supply | Check the power supply and ensure the Cabrio dryer turns on |
| 2. | Overly-Large | Reduce the load size – keep it ¾ full or below |
| 3. | Dripping-Wet Clothes | Wring out the excess water before reloading the clothes |
| 4. | Wrong Setting | Consider a high-heat setting and disable Wrinkle Control and Fluff Air |
| 5. | Open Door | Firmly shut the door. If it won’t, check the door latch for fault and replace it |
| 6. | Filthy Lint Screen | Clean the lint screen |
| 7. | Obstructed Vent | Clean and unkink the vent and ensure it’s the correct type |
| 8. | Burnt Thermal Fuse | Check with a multimeter if the fuse has continuity, and replace it if it doesn’t |
| 9. | Defective Heating Element | Check with a multimeter if the heating element has continuity and replace it if it doesn’t |
| 10. | Failed Gas Supply | Ensure the gas shut-off valve is fully open, and if the solenoid is faulty, replace it |
| 11. | Burnt Igniter | Check with a multimeter if the igniter has continuity, and replace it if it doesn’t |
| 12. | Defective Flame Sensor | Check with a multimeter if the flame sensor has continuity and replace it if it doesn’t |
But Why Is My Whirlpool Cabrio Dryer Not Heating Up?
Generally, your Whirlpool Cabrio dryer will fail to heat up due to one of these 12 reasons:
1. Failed Power Supply
An adequate power supply is essential for your Whirlpool Cabrio dryer to turn on. If it doesn’t turn on, it won’t heat up. For that reason, watch out for these issues which may interfere with the dryer’s incoming power supply:
- Under-voltage supply – Ideally, Whirlpool dryers require a voltage power supply of at least 240V. If the supply is less than that, the dryer won’t heat up even if it turns on.
- Wrong power cord – Whirlpool recommends either a 3-prong or 4-prong power cord. If that’s not the case, the dryer won’t turn on or get hot.
- Loose plugging – Sometimes, you might knock off the power cord from the socket without knowing. If so, the dryer won’t get enough power to heat up.
- Extension cord – Most extension cords do not transmit 100% power to the dryer. And if the power is insufficient, the dryer won’t get hot. That’s why it’s advisable to plug it into the wall socket.
- Tripped breaker – Consider that a recent power surge might have tripped up the breaker, and as a result, the dryer doesn’t get any power. If so, the dryer won’t heat up.
Fix
Check if the socket’s power supply is at least 240V. If it’s not, talk to a local electrician. Also, check if the power cord is 3-prong or 4-prong; if not, replace it.
While at it, firmly plug the dryer into the wall socket – not the extension cord. And if its breaker is OFF (or tripped up), reset it.
2. Overly-Large Load
The recommended load size limit for dryers is ¾. If you surpass this limit, the chances are that the dryer won’t have enough room for the clothes to tumble or for the hot air to circle the wet clothes. In the long run, the dryer may take forever to get hot or won’t dry.
Fix
Ensure your dryer’s drum capacity doesn’t exceed ¾. If it does, reduce it and evenly spread it in the drum before rerunning the dryer.
3. Soaking-Wet Clothes
While a dryer’s work is to dry damp clothes, that doesn’t mean they should be dripping wet. If they are, the dryer may either fail to heat up or take longer, and you wouldn’t want that.
Therefore, it’s advisable to ring out excess water before loading the dryer. And if you are washing with a washer, you should run the spin cycle before transferring the wet clothes to the dryer.
Fix
Stop the dryer to check if the clothes are too wet. If they are, squeeze off the excess water before reloading and rerunning the dryer.
4. Wrong Setting
Sometimes, your Cabrio won’t get hot for using the wrong setting. For example, if you use a timed cycle setting such as Timed Dry, the dryer will only run for a specified period. Once the time elapses, the dryer stops heating up.
The dryer will also fail to get hot if you use a no-heat setting such as Fluff Air. Sometimes the heat might be on, but the dryer may fail to get hot enough if it’s a low-heat setting such as Wrinkle Prevent or Wrinkle Control.
Fix
If Timed-Dry is on and the clothes are not as dry as you wanted, select a different cycle and rerun the dryer. Meanwhile, choose a heat setting over a no-heat setting such as Wrinkle Prevent unless you intend to prevent wrinkling. And unless the clothes are delicate, don’t use a low-heat setting.
5. Open Door
Your Cabrio dryer won’t run if the door is not well shut. The dryer sees that as a fault that needs immediate address.
Sometimes, it could be that you forgot to firmly latch the door or a piece of cloth obstructs it. Occasionally, it could be that the door latch is damaged and, therefore, unable to lock it.
Fix
Check if any cloth piece is obstructing the dryer door and remove it. Then try to affix the door firmly. If the door won’t close, check if the latch is damaged and replace it.
6. Filthy Lint Screen
You should deep clean the dryer’s lint filter every six months to eliminate lint buildup. If you don’t, the lint will clog up the lint filter and restrict airflow. In such a case, the dryer may take longer to get hot or fail 100% to heat up.
Fix
Consider deep cleaning your lint filter if it has been over six months. Do that using warm soapy water and rinse and dry the filter before reinstalling it.
7. Obstructed Vent
The dryer vent shouldn’t be obstructed. If it is, the chances are that the dryer won’t get hot, as that restricts airflow. It generally becomes more challenging for the dryer to vent out.
Overall, the vent can become obstructed in different ways, such as:
- Kinking
- Lint clogging
- Crushing (for being the wrong material type, such as plastic or metal foil)
- Too many elbows
Fix
First, check if the vent has multiple kinks and straighten it to eliminate them. Then check if it’s clogged and clean it, preferably using a vacuum cleaner.
If the dryer vent is crumpled, replace it with rigid metal. Also, check if the dryer vent has more elbows than it should and replace it if that’s the case.
Below is a table to match the dryer vent’s height with the correct number of 90-degree bends.
| Vent Length | No. of 900 bends |
| 20m | 0 |
| 16.5m | 1 |
| 13.4m | 2 |
| 10.7m | 3 |
| 8.2m | 4 |
8. Burnt Thermal Fuse
The thermal fuse is an important piece when it comes to protecting your Cabrio dryer during a power surge. This fuse blows up sacrificially to save the dryer; when that happens, the dryer cannot start and get hot.
Fix
A burnt fuse needs replacing. However, you’ve to be sure that the fuse is defective by using a multimeter. Change it if it fails to show continuity.
9. Defective Heating Element (Whirlpool Cabrio Electric Dryer Not Heating)
Not that this only applies to electric dryers. So, if your Cabrio dryer doesn’t get hot, it could be because the heating element, whose job is to heat the in-dryer air, has failed. It could be that the element is burnt out or damaged.
Fix
A defective heating element needs replacing. But it would help if you inspected it first. One way to do it is to check if it has continuity. If it doesn’t, get a Whirlpool Cabrio dryer heating element replacement.
Gas Whirlpool Cabrio Dryer Not Heating
Also, consider these additional reasons if you have a gas-powered Cabrio dryer that won’t get hot:
10. Failed Gas Supply
You must turn on your gas dryer’s shut-off valve for gas to flow to the burner. You can tell if it’s open if it’s parallel to the supply tube. If it’s perpendicular, then it’s not open.
Another consideration is the solenoid valve, which allows gas flow to the burner. If it’s defective, enough gas won’t get to the burner, and the dryer will therefore fail to heat up.
Fix
Ensure you turn the gas shut-off valve parallel to the gas supply tube to allow gas flow. And if the flame glows only briefly and goes off, the chances are that the solenoid valve is bad and therefore needs a replacement.
11. Burnt Igniter
The igniter’s job is to produce a flame. It burns the incoming flame to allow the dryer to heat up. Sometimes, however, this component can burn and fail to do its job.
Fix
You can tell a burnt igniter using a multimeter. Just check if the igniter has continuity. If it doesn’t, replace it.
12. Defective Flame Sensor
The flame sensor senses the emitted flame and is thus critical in determining whether the gas dryer will heat up. Once it fails, it’s unable to detect the flame, and the burner cannot get hot.
Fix
Also, use a multimeter to check if the flame sensor has continuity. If it doesn’t, replace it.
People Also Ask
1. What Causes Whirlpool Dryer Not to Heat?
There are a dozen reasons why a Whirlpool dryer will fail to get hot, and they are as follows:
- The dryer lacks power
- The load is overly-large or too bulky
- Clothes are soaking wet
- The dryer door is not well latched
- Failing to clean the dryer vent
- The dryer vent is obstructed
- A burnt-out thermal fuse
- A defective heating element
- Lack of gas supply
- A burnt-out igniter
- A non-working flame sensor
2. Why Does My Whirlpool Dryer Run But No Heat?
Your Whirlpool dryer runs but won’t get hot because of a wrong voltage supply or setting. It could be that the socket’s voltage supply is less than 240V, which means the power is not enough to heat the dryer.
It could also be that you are using a no-heat setting like Wrinkle Prevent or a Timed-Dry setting where the dryer runs only for a preset duration.
3. Why Is My Dryer Spinning But Not Heating?
Your dryer is spinning but not heating because it’s under voltage. Check if the socket’s power supply is at least 240v. If it’s not, talk to an electrician. The issue could be related to faulty wiring, which the electrician can help fix.
Another issue to check is the setting. The dryer may not heat up properly if it is on a low spin. That, however, doesn’t mean something is wrong, as the issue only requires a setting change.
Closing Remarks:
Above is a DIY guide for a Whirlpool Cabrio dryer not heating. So, consider troubleshooting it yourself instead of calling a dryer expert when it is cold.
Start by looking at the discussed 12 issues to see which one applies to your dryer and fix it accordingly. However, you can seek an expert’s help if you cannot do it.
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