Step-by-Step Guide: How to Replace a Broken Heating Element in Your Whirlpool Dryer

Sometimes, a big appliance problem is actually caused by a small, easy-to-replace part. Take, for instance, the heating element in your electric dryer. If your dryer isn’t producing heat, it might seem like the end for the entire appliance, but that doesn’t need to be the case!

Whirlpool brand electric dryers create the heat used to dry your clothes with a coil-based heating assembly – much like the one a space heater might use. If one of those coils fails, it can seriously impact the heat output of your dryer, if not prevent heating altogether. Luckily, that assembly is super easy to swap out. With a couple of basic tools, you can do it yourself in about twenty minutes!

Check out our guide below to learn how, and don’t forget to watch the companion video for an in-depth look at each step!

Symptoms Of A Broken Dryer Heating Element

There are a few very obvious signs that your dryer’s heating element isn’t working as it should. Let’s review:

• Your clothes are taking much longer to dry than they should. If lighter clothes are still damp at the end of a cycle, or if your dryer is running longer than usual, the heating element may not be working properly. Even shorted out, some heating assemblies can still produce a little heat.

• Your clothes aren’t warm at the end of a drying cycle. An electric dryer can still run even without a heating element. If you’ve run your dryer and it doesn’t seem to be heating up at all, or is heating up very little, in spite of your settings, the heating element may have failed.

A number of components can affect heat production in an electric dryer beyond just the heating element itself. To be sure it’s the heating element assembly you need to replace, you may need to test it for continuity with a multimeter. Not familiar with how to use one? Check out our guide to checking appliance parts with a multimeter!

Other causes of dryer heating issues

If you’ve checked your dryer’s heating element and it isn’t the source of your issues, here are some other options you can test or try:

• The thermal fuse or thermostat is a failsafe component that prevents the heating element from receiving power if the temperature in the dryer exceeds a certain temperature. Once this component trips, you’ll need to replace it in order for your dryer to produce heat again. You can test this part, found on the heating element, with a multimeter.

• If your dryer’s timer has failed, it can cause steps in your dry cycle to run short or not run at all. You’ll need a multimeter to check this part, found in your dryer’s control console, as well.

• Be sure to check your lint filter and clean it after each dryer use, and check and clean your dryer vents at least annually. These can contribute to issues with your dryer.

• The issue may not be a failed or malfunctioning component! Be sure not to overload your dryer – check the manual to see how much it can manage – and make sure your clothes aren’t still soaking wet when you toss them in the appliance to tumble.

Finding The Right Replacement Heating Element

To get a compatible heating element for your dryer, you’ll need your appliance’s exact model number. That can generally be found on a sticker somewhere on your appliance. Check inside the door and on the sides and back of the unit, then write that number down.

Once you have it handy, head over to AppliancePartsPros.com and type it into our search bar. You’ll be presented with a list of compatible OEM parts for your appliance, making picking the right element extra easy. Order through us, and we’ll ship it to your door in as little as two days!

How To Replace A Whirlpool Dryer Heating Element

This guide will walk you through replacing a failed heating element in an electric dryer from the Whirlpool family of brands. This includes Whirlpool, Maytag, Jenn-Air, Amana, Admiral, Norge, Roper, Sears, Kenmore, and others.

If you are working on a dryer from another manufacturer, this guide may still provide some help, but we recommend having a look at our YouTube channel. We have tons of guides for all major appliance brands – we might have a video tutorial there for your exact dryer! If you are trying to solve issues with a gas-powered dryer, please check out our blog for troubleshooting guides.

Tools for the job:

You don’t need much to replace the heating element on your Whirlpool dryer. Just have these items ready to go before you begin:

• A compatible replacement heating element (part no. 279838 in our video)
• ¼-inch nut driver
• Flathead screwdriver or needle nose pliers
• Work gloves

Before you begin…

For your safety, be sure to disconnect your dryer from power, either by unplugging it from the wall outlet or flipping the circuit breaker. Never perform maintenance on an appliance that is still receiving power!

To replace this component, you’ll need access to the back of your dryer. Pull it away from the wall, giving yourself enough clearance to easily reach the entire back of the appliance. If needed, you can also remove any vent hookups.

Replacing an electric dryer heating element

This may seem like a big job, but it’s actually a pretty quick part swap. Once you’ve got all the tools and parts you need, set aside around fifteen to twenty minutes to replace your dryer’s heating element.

1: Remove the back panel

Your first step is getting the back panel off of the dryer. It should be held in place by nine or so nuts – three on each side and three at the top. Use your ¼-inch nut driver to loosen and remove them.

Once all the nuts are removed, pull the smaller panel near the top off the back of the appliance and lift the power cord up and out of the way. You can drape it over the front of your dryer. This will make it easier to lift the larger panel off. Go ahead and set it aside.

2: Disconnect the wires attached to the heating element

A number of wires will be attached to the heating element via the terminal block and thermostat. You’ll need to reconnect these in the same order when you install your new heating element, so make note of where each one is connected now, either by labeling them with masking tape or taking a photo with your phone.

Once you’ve labeled or taken a picture, you can start disconnecting. You may be able to do this by hand, but those connections are usually pretty snug. If that’s the case, you can use a flathead screwdriver to pry them all off.

3: Remove the old heating element

The old heating element is held to the heating tube by two hex head screws or nuts. Remove those with your ¼-inch nut driver, then slide the heating element down and out of the heating tube to remove it.

4: Install the thermostat on the new heating element

Unless you’re also replacing the heating thermostat, you’ll need to move the thermostat from the old heating element to the new one now. To do this, slide a flathead screwdriver under the terminal and pop it up and off.

Once the thermostat is free of the terminal, simply rotate it to free it from the tab holding it in place. You can then seat the thermostat on the corresponding tab on your new component and push the connector into place on the terminal.

5: Mount the new heating element onto the heating tube

Line the new heating element up with the tub and press it up into place until the screw holes align. From here, you can reinstall the two hex head screws you removed from the old heating element.

6: Connect the thermostat and terminal

Time to reconnect those wires! One should go to the thermostat and two to the heating element’s terminal. Don’t forget to double check that you’ve properly reconnected them.

7: Reinstall the back panels

Replace the large back panel, seating it on the vent tube at the bottom. Make sure the screw holes are all properly aligned, then reinstall the hex head screws all along the back of the appliance.

Once all the screws except for the inner right screw are in place, drape the power cord back down and reinstall the small upper panel. Start by slotting the small panel’s tab, then install the final screw to hold the panel down.

Wrapping Up

Congratulations! You’re all done! Your final step is a test run, so plug your dryer back in and reconnect any venting tubes you may have removed. You’ll want to run your dryer empty on a heated cycle to make sure everything checks out.

Keep us in mind the next time you need help with appliance upkeep. AppliancePartsPros.com is your home for tips, tutorials, and genuine OEM replacement parts. With our help, DIY appliance repair is a snap!