How to Replace a Dryer Heating Element

Is your dryer leaving your laundry cold and damp, taking longer than ever to finish a cycle? Fear not, because a malfunctioning heating element doesn’t mean it’s time to replace your entire appliance. With our simple step-by-step guide and an easy-to-follow how-to video below, you’ll have your dryer heating perfectly in no time, saving both time and money!

Need a new dryer heating element for your replacement? Search below with your exact dryer model number to find the exact part needed:

Your dryer has one job — get that laundry done. So if it’s taking longer than usual or not heating up at all, you might feel like it’s a death knell for the whole appliance. The good news is, it doesn’t have to be! You can save time and money by diagnosing and fixing the problem yourself. It’s almost certainly easier than you think! Don’t be intimidated by the thought of digging into your appliance and doing it yourself. Replacing a dryer’s heating element is actually a pretty simple job once you’ve got things disassembled. With our easy-to-follow guide and companion video, you’ll have your laundry day back on track in no time!

Let’s get started.

What Is A Dryer Heating Element?

Electric dryers use a heating element to warm the air that dries your clothes. It’s not too different from what you’d find in an electric space heater — a resistive coil connected to a thermostat and thermal fuse for safety. You’ll most likely find this component in the frame of your dryer, contained within a metal housing and connected to the rear vent duct.

Is My Dryer Heating Element Broken?

If your dryer takes longer than usual to dry your clothes, if you notice your clothes are not warm immediately after a dryer cycle has finished, or if your dryer does not seem to be heating up at all otherwise, the heating element may have shorted out. You can confirm that your heating element is the problem with a continuity tester, but to do that you’ll need to disassemble the dryer. Luckily, it’s an easy job! Keep reading for our step-by-step instructions, we’ve included instructions on how to test the heating element for continuity.

The Tools For The Job

You don’t need many tools – or much time, really – to replace a broken dryer heating element. We’ll get to the steps in the next section, but before you begin, make sure you have the following:

1. A new, compatible dryer heating element
2. Phillips screwdriver
3. Needle nose pliers
4. Work gloves
5. A small flathead screwdriver (optional)
6. Continuity tester (optional)

How To Replace A Dryer Heating Element

The steps laid out here and in the companion video are for a Samsung dryer heating element, but even if you have a different dryer, the steps will roughly be the same. If your dryer is a different brand or model, be sure to consult the manual for steps specific to your appliance.

1. For safety, disconnect the dryer from its power source. Unplug it or hit the breaker to  make sure the appliance is not receiving power. Also, make sure the appliance is completely cool before beginning.
2. Pull the appliance away from the wall. You will need access to the back of the dryer for this job, so make sure to give yourself enough space.
3. Disassemble the dryer. That may sound like a big job, but it’s surprisingly easy. Get your screwdriver ready – here are the steps:
4. 1. Remove the screws from the back of the dryer. There should be two screws holding the top of the dryer in place.
   2. With the screws out, you can now take the top of the dryer off. Grip it with both hands, pull it back a few inches, and then up. Make sure you get it clear of the brackets at the front of the appliance before lifting, or it might catch.
   3. Take the control panel off. It’s most likely held in place by a few locking tabs. Lift it to release them. Once all the tabs are out of place, pull the panel forward.
      
      Just set it on the top to keep it out of the way.
   4. Open the dryer door and remove the mounting screws from behind the door. There should be two at the bottom. Once you’ve taken them out, you can close the dryer door.
   5. Remove the mounting screws from the top of the front panel. There are four of them.
   6. Pull the front panel away from the dryer by a few inches. The panel might be held in place by locking tabs. Lift the panel up slightly before pulling it away to clear those.
      
      Remember, you aren’t completely removing the front panel yet. It’s still connected to the dryer by the door switch mechanism. By pulling the panel away a little bit, you can access the door switch and easily disconnect its wire harness.
   7. Lift the front panel off its mounting brackets and set it aside. You now have access to everything you need to replace this part!
5. Disconnect the moisture sensor. This is a wire that should be hanging toward the bottom of the dryer, near the heating element. Once it’s disconnected, just tuck the wires out of the way.
6. Remove the screws holding the heating assembly in place. There should be three of them total. One holding the assembly housing to a metal bracket, and two holding the metal bracket to the body of the dryer.
7. Remove the bracket holding the heating element in place.
   1. Start by lifting up the heating element itself. It’s resting on top of that bracket.
   2. While holding the heating element housing in one hand, lift the bracket at the front to dislodge it from the front locking tab.
   3. Reach back to dislodge the bracket’s rear tabs. Now you should be able to pull the bracket out of the dryer.
8. Carefully pull the heating assembly out of the dryer. Part of it is resting in a duct in the rear of the dryer, you’ll have to lower it and remove it from that first.
   
   The casing around the heating element is also a little awkwardly shaped, so you will likely have to turn the component to get it all the way out. After that, just set it on the ground in front of the dryer.
9. Disconnect all the wires hooked up to the heating assembly. They may be tight. If so, you can use a small screwdriver to pop them off. Make sure you pay attention to where each wire goes. Take a picture with your phone before removing anything for a quick, easy reference!
10. If you need to, you can now easily test the heating element with a continuity tester by attaching the continuity tester to the two metal terminals coming out of the assembly’s ceramic block. If there’s no continuity, then the part is definitely bad. Relocate to a spot where you’ll have room to open the housing up before proceeding if you need to.
11. Remove the heating element from its metal housing.
    1. Check the ceramic block. You’re going to need to push the metal terminals through to remove the heating element, but the terminals have small tabs that you will need to bend straight first. Use a pair of needle nose pliers to do this.
       
       Once the tabs are bent, you should be able to push the terminals right through the ceramic block.
    2. Remove the two screws on the bottom of the thermostat of the thermal fuse.
    3. Remove the seven other screws holding the element housing together. Lay the housing on its side to access these more easily.
    4. Bend the metal tab holding the housing closed and open the housing. In order to open the housing, you will need to bend a metal tab up to release the lid. There should only be one, found near the ceramic block, but check for others if you’re having trouble opening the housing.
    5. Pull the heating element’s terminals all the way out of the ceramic block and lift the old heating element out of the housing.
12. Clean the inside of the heating element housing with a dry cloth if it’s dirty.
13. Set the new element in place and put the terminals through the ceramic block slots. Lower terminal through the lower slot. Upper terminal through the upper slot.
14. Put the metal housing lid back on, being sure to align the metal tabs as you do. Bend one of them back over to hold the lid securely shut. Once the metal tab is locked, you can put all seven screws back in place.
    1. If you’re having trouble aligning all the screw holes, use a smaller screwdriver to push all three plates into place.
15. Set the housing on its side and put the screws for the thermostat and thermal fuse back in place.
16. Carefully bend the tabs on the terminals back down to lock them into place. You can hold the terminals with your fingers to make this a little easier. Make sure that the terminals won’t slip through the ceramic block before moving on to the next step.
17. Time to put the heating assembly back in the dryer!
    1. Start by reconnecting the wires to the assembly terminals, thermostat, and thermal fuse. If you took a picture earlier or wrote down which wires go where, use that as a reference now.
    2. Carefully return the assembly to the dryer. You’ll want to make sure it’s resting in the ductwork. It should be able to hang on its own when properly placed.
    3. Put the metal bracket back in place. Lift the heating element for easier access, then seat the two rear tabs first, and the front tab last.
    4. Once the bracket is back in place, set the heating assembly on top of it and screw in the mounting hardware. Start with the element screw to secure the heating element to the bracket, then the two base screws for the bracket.
18. Reconnect the moisture sensor wires. They should snap together when properly connected.
19. Reassemble the dryer. You’re basically doing everything in reverse now! Here’s a quick overview:
    1. Put the front panel back on the dryer. The hardest part here is making sure it’s set in place on the bottom brackets.
    2. Reconnect the door switch. Close the front panel enough that the appropriate wire harness can reach the door switch, then plug it back in.
    3. You may need to lift the front panel slightly to put it fully back in place. It should slide over a metal locking tab that will hold it.
    4. Put the four upper screws back in, then open the dryer door to reinstall the two screws there. Remember to close the dryer door after.
    5. Put the control panel back on. There are a number of tabs across the bottom that will fit into slots on the dryer front panel. Once the bottom tabs are in place, push the control panel back into place. The top tabs should snap in, as well.
    6. Put the lid back on. Set it on the frame, line it up, and then push it forward so that it slides into place over the top bracket. Once it’s set in place, you can secure it by reinstalling the four rear screws.

That’s it! You’ve replaced the heating element in your dryer. Your final step is plugging the dryer back in so you can do a short test run without any laundry. Make sure that the new heating element is working properly before running any clothes through.

Where To Find Us 

If you need any replacement parts for your appliances, you can enter your model number at AppliancePartsPros.com to locate and order them quickly. Most orders arrive in just two business days, and we have tons of great information in our repair help section and YouTube videos to help you troubleshoot.

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