The answer in three sentences
An AEG DC dryer that tumbles without heating has lost the heat circuit only, and on these machines that usually traces back to airflow. Tumbling and heating are separately powered, which is why a machine can turn perfectly and dry nothing at all. That split is useful: the motor circuit is proven intact and the fault is confined to the heat side. The table below names two models under this family key. They are near enough alike that the fault presents the same way on each; the divergence is in part numbers rather than in how you find it.
What still works
- The drum turns normally and the air stays cold — The motor side is fine, so the fault is on the heat side alone.
- Heat that worked yesterday and is entirely gone today — A sudden and total loss is the signature of a thermal device having opened.
- Some warmth, but nowhere near enough — Partial heat points at restricted airflow or a partly failed element rather than a clean break.
- It ran hot and then stopped heating — That sequence is a protective device doing its job, and the cause is upstream of it.
- NEAR MISS — no heat and no tumble either — A power or start fault; the will-not-start page for this family is the right one.
Why the heat has gone, most likely first on the DC line
- A restricted exhaust cutting the heat — The duct is the part of the system nobody looks at, it loads gradually, and it explains both the total loss of heat and the machine that heats and then stops. All two models under the DC key are built the same way here, so an ordering that fits one of them fits the rest.
- A thermal cut-out or thermal fuse that has opened — It is the designed response to overheating, and overheating is what a lint-loaded duct produces — so this part fails as a consequence rather than as a cause.
- One supply leg lost at the cord, outlet or protection — A machine fed by two legs keeps tumbling on one and loses the heater, so a partial supply failure presents exactly as this fault and must be checked before any part is condemned.
- Thermostats and the cycling control — A cycling thermostat failed open gives no heat at all and is indistinguishable from an element fault from the front, which is why both sit behind the same stopping point.
The order to work through on these models
- Disconnect the duct and run the machine briefly with the exhaust directed safely — Either the heat returns immediately or airflow is ruled out.
- Clear the lint filter and the entire duct run before anything else — Fitting a replacement without clearing the duct simply opens the next one.
- Check the protective devices for the circuit and inspect the plug and outlet for heat damage — The check that stops an element being replaced for nothing.
Models in the DC family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| DC240 | aeg:dryer:dc |
| DC240-1 | aeg:dryer:dc |
Before you open anything
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel — a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Never run a dryer with its exhaust discharging indoors or with a damaged duct. Let the machine cool fully before opening it; the heater housing stays hot long after the cycle ends. Leave the door switch wired exactly as it is: it cuts the heater and the motor when the door opens. If the machine is a gas model and you smell gas, do not operate any switch — leave the building and call the gas utility from outside, and do not go looking for the leak yourself.
The line between an owner check and a service call
Call a technician once the duct is clear, the supply is proven and it still will not heat, because what is left needs the cabinet open and a meter on an isolated circuit. Call the same day if there is a scorched smell, if the cabinet has been running hot, or if the protective device operates when the heat should come on. A machine that has overheated enough to open a thermal device has a lint problem somewhere, and finding it matters more than the part.
The rest of this family, fault by fault
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
