8 Reasons Your Samsung Dryer Wont Start | How To Fix It

It’s always frustrating to experience problems with your dryer as you generally find out about it when you have a load of wet clothes to dry off. More often than not fault finding on any laundry appliance requires a series of troubleshooting steps to narrow down the possible cause. I’m glad to say, in most cases, the problem is often pretty benign and one you can fix without technical intervention from us or your local appliance engineer. So let me walk you through 8 possible reasons why your Samsung dryer won’t start.

Diagnosing Why Your Samsung Dryer Has No Power

Before you start thinking about which components to examine in your dryer, you’ll first need to determine whether the appliance has power. The potential issues preventing your dryer from starting and operating vary, but the most fundamental check we can make is that the appliance has power. If we can rule the power source out as a potential problem, we can move on to the more complex issues.

1. Is Your Samsung Dryer Plugged In

The first thing you should check is if your dryer is plugged in. It’s easy to get caught up in a panic when you notice that the machine isn’t working and forget to check whether it’s connected to a power source. Many people unplug their appliances when they’re not using them. This is a great way to avoid potential safety hazards and believe it or not, you can actually save energy by not leaving the appliance on standby.

So step one…is your dryer actually plugged in and the power switch engaged? If it is, you should also examine the power source to see whether it’s working properly. So let’s check the breaker.

2. Is Your Circuit Breaker Off

Another easy way to potentially get your dryer working again is to see if your circuit breaker is off. It’s likely that the circuit breaker trips from time to time. This usually happens when the electrical system in your home experiences a power surge. In other words, if too many of your appliances are running at the same time it might cause the circuit breaker to trip. Or maybe there has been a powered surge from the main grid.

The circuit breaker serves as a safety mechanism that’s installed to prevent fires. To prevent it from tripping again, you can either upgrade your electrical system or avoid using too many appliances at the same time.

3. Has The Thermal Fuse Tripped

Thermal fuses are lifesavers, literally, as they fulfill the task of forcing your dryer to stop working when it starts to overheat. It is this shutdown action triggered by the thermal fuse, that limits overheating and prevents a potentially lethal fire. The thermal fuse can only perform its duty once, and then it needs to be replaced.

Typically you will notice a burning smell when a thermal fuse has tripped. But even then, you can’t be sure this is the root cause of your dryer not working, so you’ll have to test the fuse for electrical continuity to confirm whether it’s causing the problem.

How to Test a Thermal Fuse for Continuity

The process of testing a thermal fuse for continuity is really simple, and all you’ll need is a multimeter and a screwdriver. Before you do anything, make sure that you unplug your dryer. You should also shut off the gas valve if you have a gas dryer. To access the thermal fuse, you should remove the front and top panels. Make sure you also remove the drum from the dryer.

You’ll see the thermal fuse next to the heating element if you have an electric dryer. In case you have a gas dryer, you’ll notice it next to the burner. It’s easy to spot a thermal fuse because it’s a device that’s only 2 inches in length and has a wire coming out of it. After you remove the fuse from the dryer, here’s how you can test it for continuity.

1. Switch on your multimeter and set it to the lowest resistance setting.
2. Take the leads of the multimeter and connect them to the terminals of the thermal fuse.
3. You should be getting a reading of 0 ohms if the thermal fuse is working properly.
4. If you get get a high number or infinity, it means that the thermal fuse will need to be replaced.

Replacing a Thermal Fuse

If your multimeter reads infinity or returns a number above zero, you will need to replace the thermal fuse in your dryer allowing the machine to carry out its normal start-up process. This repair is incredibly simple, just watch this short video to follow a step-by-step guide to replacing the thermal fuse.

How To: Samsung Dryer Thermal Fuse DC47-00015A

Samsung Dryer On But Won’t Start

We have followed the basic troubleshooting steps to ensure we have adequate power reaching the dryer. If the problem persists, the next step is to spend some time inspecting and testing the various components of the appliance. Here are five further steps to diagnose why your dryer won’t start, even though we know it’s receiving power.

4. Is The Child Lock Off

Before you begin disassembling your dryer and inspecting different components, you should first quickly check if the child lock is on. This is an excellent feature that will prevent children from ever changing the settings on the machine or operating it. However, it’s common for people to forget about the child lock when they’re putting a batch of clothes in the dryer.

It’s quite easy to determine whether the child lock is on. Depending on the model of your Samsung dryer, the child lock symbol will look either like a padlock or a baby icon.

How to Turn Off Child Lock on Samsung Dryer

When the child lock is turned on, it prevents the dryer from running, so it’s simply a case of switching off the lock to put the dryer into an active mode. To do this, you’ll simply have to press and hold the child lock button. On some models you will need to follow these simple steps:

The child lock can be controlled by pressing two buttons simultaneously on the Samsung control panel. Different models require a different combination of buttons to be pressed together. It will be one of the two combinations detailed below:

• Temp and Time
• Dry Level and Temp

5. Broken Door Switch Sensor

Dryers have a built-in safety mechanism (door switch) that prevents them from running when the door is open. If the door switch is defective, your dryer won’t receive the appropriate signal to know whether the door is open or not. This will raise a warning signal to the dryer’s computer to say…do not start the dryer. To check whether the door switch in your dryer is working properly, you’ll need to test it with a multimeter.

How to Test a Broken Door Switch

You will find the door switch around the door opening in the front panel of your Samsung dryer. It looks like a small rectangular plastic box that you may need to pry out with a putty knife. Once you remove the switch from the dryer, you can test it with a multimeter.

1. Set your multimeter to the lowest resistance setting.
2. Connect the leads of your multimeter to the terminals of the switch.
3. In case you get a reading of 0 ohms, it means that the switch is working properly.
4. If you get any other readings, you should replace the door switch.

If you want to learn how to replace a defective door switch on your Samsung dryer, you should watch the video below.

Samsung Dryer Door Switch Replacement #DC64-00828A

6. Faulty Start Switch

The start switch is one of the most durable components in a Samsung dryer. Nevertheless, it can become defective over time with regular use or simply due to environmental degradation from moisture. The main purpose of the start switch is simple – it sends a signal to the drive motor to start running. When the switch starts to malfunction, this signal won’t be sent. In other words, the motor won’t know that it’s supposed to start.

The most reliable way to know whether there is any problem with the start switch in your dryer is to test it with a multimeter. I’ll explain exactly how you can do that in the section below. However, I do want to add that you can also try to listen carefully to what happens when you press the start button. 

Press the start button and listen to whether the motor makes any noise. If it does but fails to run, there’s a good chance the problem lies in the motor itself. If you don’t hear any noises, it’s likely due to a faulty start switch.

Testing a Defective Start Switch

All you will need to test a start switch in your dryer is a screwdriver and a multimeter. Before you begin the process of temporarily removing parts of your dryer, you should first unplug your appliance. After you do that, take your screwdriver and use it to remove the screws securing the control panel. Remove the wires that lead to the start switch. Now take the start switch out of the dryer and grab your multimeter. You can now start the process of testing the switch for continuity.

1. Set your multimeter to the lowest resistance setting.
2. Grab the multimeter’s leads and connect them to the terminals of the start switch.
3. In case you get a reading of 0 ohms, it means that the start switch is working properly.
4. If you get a reading of a very high number or infinity, the switch is defective and needs to be replaced.

7. Faulty Drive Motor

There’s no doubt that you can save a lot of money if you fix the dryer yourself, but what should you do when the problem is too complicated? In this situation, you simply shouldn’t take any risks. And that’s exactly the position you will be in the event of a defective drive motor in your dryer. This is a serious problem that should be left to a trained repair technician. If you attempt to do it yourself, you may damage other components in your dryer.

The motor is designed to last for a long time, so it’s not often that you will experience one failing. However, in some situations, they can overheat and be rendered defective due to a buildup of debris within the appliance. You might hear a slight humming sound coming from a motor that has failed.

8. Drive Belt Problem

After you’ve checked each of the components I mentioned in this article, the last thing you’ll need to inspect is the drive belt, which you can do in under a minute. To determine whether the drive belt is defective simply turn the drum inside the dryer with your hand. If it’s free moving and you don’t feel any resistance when you turn the drum, it indicates the drive belt is broken. If you feel some resistance, the drive belt is in good condition.

Replacing a Broken Drive Belt

Replace a broken drive belt takes less than an hour even if you don’t have any experience with fixing appliances. Before you begin this process, it’s important that you unplug your dryer. Make sure to also shut off the gas valve if you have a gas dryer. Now take a screwdriver and a replacement belt and you can start.

1. Use your screwdriver to remove the screws that secure both the top and the front panel.
2. Remove the panels.
3. You will immediately notice the drive belt, which is wrapped around the drum.
4. Remove the broken drive belt and replace it with the new one. Make sure it’s in the same position the original was.
5. To put the drive belt in position, you will have to attach it to the idler pulleys and the motor inside your dryer.

Here’s a great video on how to replace a broken drive belt on a Samsung dryer.

Samsung Dryer Belt Replacement - Not Spinning or Starting

You may also like to check out Samsung Dryer Not Spinning | How To Fix It

Check for An Error Code

There are different error codes that may pop up on the digital display of your dryer. Checking what the error codes mean can save you a lot of time and trouble when it comes to figuring out exactly which part of the machine is malfunctioning. You can find all of the error codes that can be displayed on the official Samsung website. Note that if you don’t have a digital display on your dryer, the error code will be displayed in the form of blinking lights.