It can be extremely annoying to find out that your dryer is not working properly after you’ve already washed your clothes. All of a sudden, you have a pile of wet clothes and you can’t dry them. It can be hard to pinpoint exactly why the appliance stopped working without inspecting different components. In this article, you’ll learn exactly which components to check in case your Samsung dryer is not spinning.
Why Your Samsung Dryer Not Spinning
There are five common reasons why your dryer might not function properly. In some cases, you might hear the machine making noises and the lights turning on even though the dryer is not spinning. The machine might not dry your clothes even if you hear the motor and the timer running. To get to the root cause of the problem, you’ll have to do a bit of investigating.
Broken or Worn Drive Belt
If you’re hearing your Samsung dryer humming while it’s running but it isn’t spinning, there’s likely a problem with the drive belt. This component can become defective over time. You can easily check whether the drive belt is causing any issues by turning the drum with your hand. The drum should provide some resistance if the belt is in good shape. However, the belt is likely defective if you can easily turn the drum with your hand. In this case, you will need to replace the dryer belt.
How to Replace a Samsung Dryer Drive Belt
Replacing the drive belt in your Samsung dryer is neither too complicated nor too easy. If you never replaced a component in an appliance before, you might find this process difficult. However, as long as you follow the steps below you’ll be able to replace the belt in 30-60 minutes.
- Your first step should be to unplug the machine. In case you have a gas dryer, make sure you shut off the gas valve.
- Pull the dryer away from the wall, as you’ll need a bit of room to remove certain parts of the machine.
- Since there isn’t a universal configuration for dryer assemblies, you’ll have to find exactly where the screws that secure the panels are on your model.
- After you unscrew the screws that secure the panels, you’ll have to remove the top and front panels from the dryer.
- You’ll instantly see the belt that is wrapped around the drum. Remove it and wrap the replacement around the dryer drum.
- Finally, you’ll need to attach the new belt to the motor pulley and the idler pulley.
- Assemble the dryer the way it was and it should be spinning the next time you want to dry your clothes.
Worn Drum Rollers
Drum rollers are components that support the drum in a dryer. They can become defective after a while, so you might need to replace them if they’re not working properly. You can check whether they’re defective by slipping the belt off the tension pulley and then turning the drum with your hand. If the drum won’t turn easily, either one or more drum rollers are defective and should be replaced.
Replacing Drum Rollers
Before you do anything, make sure that your dryer is unplugged. To replace drum rollers in a Samsung dryer, you’ll have to first unscrew the screws supporting the top panel. Lift up the top panel and remove the front panel to access the drum. You’ll also need to remove the drum from the dryer. You’ll notice the drum rollers on the back panel of the dryer, behind the drum. These components look like small wheels. Simply remove them from the back panel and install the replacement components.
If you’re looking for a visual guide on how to replace drum rollers, you should check out the video below.
Worn Roller Axles
In case your drum rollers are in good condition but they won’t spin freely, there is likely a problem with the roller axles. Check whether the drum rollers can spin without wobbling. If they can’t, you’ll need to get replacement axles.
Replacing Worn Roller Axles
To replace worn roller axles, you’ll need to repeat the same process mentioned above in the section about replacing drum rollers. Instead of replacing the drum rollers, you will have to replace the axles.
Worn Drum Glides
Drum glides are components that help ensure the drum in your dryer doesn’t make any noise while it’s spinning. They can also be the components that stop your dryer from spinning if they become worn out. Thankfully, it’s quite easy to replace drum glides and shouldn’t take you more than 15 minutes.
Install New Drum Glides
To install new drum glides, you’ll first have to unplug your dryer. After you do that, you should remove the top and the front panel. Depending on the model of your dryer, the glides will be located either around the door side of the drum or inside the door of the dryer. Pull out thin plastic components known as drum glides and install the replacement parts. Reassemble the dryer and it should be working properly now.
Worn Drum Bearings
The drum bearing is a component that’s purpose is to support the rear of the drum. It can cause the appliance to stop working when it wears out because it puts too much strain on the drive motor. You can check whether the bearing is causing any issues by turning the drum with your hand. In case you hear scraping or squeaking noises while turning the drum, there’s a good chance the drum bearing is worn out.
Replacing a Drum Bearing
Before you start the process of replacing this component, make sure that your dryer is unplugged. To replace a drum bearing, you’ll first have to remove both the top and the side panel of your dryer. You will see the drum bearing attached to the inside of the front panel. It looks like a big plastic U-shaped component. Before you remove the bearing, you will first have to remove the lightbulb in the center of the component. In case your dryer doesn’t feature a lightbulb here, skip this step. Simply detach the bearing with your hands and install the replacement component. Reassemble the dryer and test whether it’s spinning.
Here’s a short video on how to replace a support drum bearing.
Samsung Dryer Won’t Spin Belt Not Broken
Problems with the drive belt are the most common reason why a dryer stops spinning. But what if you already checked the drive belt and it is neither worn out nor broken? In this case, you’ll need to check a few more things to determine why your Samsung dryer won’t spin.
Is Your Dryer Plugged In
It’s recommended that you keep your appliances unplugged when you’re not using them. Many people do this to save on their energy bills or because they support green initiatives. It often happens that people forget that their dryer is unplugged when they try turning it on and panic when they see that nothing is happening. That’s why you should always check whether your dryer is plugged in before assuming that something is wrong with the machine.
Is Your Circuit Breaking Off
When you are demanding too much power from the circuit in your home, you will cause it to break off. To ensure this doesn’t happen, you should avoid having all of the appliances running at the same time.
Has Your Thermal Fuse Tripped
The thermal fuse in your Samsung dryer serves as a safety mechanism to prevent fires. This component can detect when the drum is overheating and will stop the appliance from running in this situation.
How to Test a Defective Thermal Fuse
To see whether the thermal fuse is defective, you will need to test it with a multimeter. Here’s how you can do it.
- Start by unplugging the dryer and removing the back panel.
- This component looks like a thin strip of white plastic that has a wire coming out of both ends. You’ll instantly spot the component once you remove the back panel.
- Unscrew the screws securing the thermal fuse and remove the component.
- Grab your multimeter and set it to resistance mode.
- Connect the leads of the multimeter to the terminals of the thermal fuse.
- In case you get a reading of zero, it means that the component is working.
You can check out a video guide on how to test a thermal fuse for continuity below.
Broken Dryer Door Switch
The door switch in your dryer might be causing all the problems. Many models are designed in a way to stop working in case the door switch is malfunctioning.
Testing a Faulty Door Switch
You will need to test the door switch for continuity to determine whether it’s working properly. Remove the top panel from your dryer and you’ll see a small plastic box in the corner, attached to a wiring harness. That’s the door switch. Remove it and grab your multimeter. Set the multimeter to the resistance setting and connect its leads to the terminals of the switch. If you get a reading of zero, it means that the switch is in good shape and the problem lies in a different component.
Drive Motor Failure
The drive motor in your Samsung dryer is what makes the drum spin. Like any component, it can become faulty over time. In case your dryer is not spinning and you hear a loud grinding noise, the problem likely lies in a faulty motor. It can be very difficult to replace the motor, even for people who have experience with fixing appliances at home. That’s why you should consider hiring a professional repair technician to repair or replace the motor for you.
You may also like to read 8 Reasons Your Samsung Dryer Wont Start | How To Fix It
SOLVED – Samsung Dryer Not Spinning
Is your Samsung dryer not spinning? One of the most common reasons why this might be happening is due to a worn or broken drive belt. Other components such as drum rollers, glides, and bearings could also be causing the issue.
Don’t forget to check the thermal fuse and the door switch as well. Finally, make sure you inspect the drive motor. As long as you replace the defective component causing your dryer to not work, you should get the machine running properly in no time.
Andy has over 8 years of experience working on residential household appliances, performing diagnostics, and repairs across most major brands. He graduated from the Denver Institute of Technology, is NASTeC certified, and has worked for Mr. Appliance. Andy has contributed to features on major publications including Better Home & Gardens, Family Handyman, and Yahoo.com.
