The quick verdict
An Ariston dryer that does nothing when you press start usually has a door circuit that is not being satisfied, or no supply at all. Push the door until it clicks firmly and try again before anything else; if the panel is completely dark, the fault is the outlet, the plug or the breaker rather than the machine.
How this shows up
- Panel dark, nothing at all — Supply. Outlet, plug or breaker.
- Panel lit, nothing when start is pressed — Door circuit or the start switch.
- A click at start with no motion — The motor is being asked and cannot answer: capacitor or a jammed drum.
- Starts then stops within seconds — Protection or a door circuit making and breaking.
- NEAR MISS: a delay-start setting active — The machine is waiting exactly as instructed.
Where the fault usually sits
- Door catch worn or misaligned — First, and it is the classic ageing fault on this appliance.
- No supply at the outlet — Second, and settled by a lamp.
- Start switch or control — Third. Membrane switches wear where the same button is pressed daily.
- Motor capacitor — Fourth, and it gives the hum-without-rotation signature.
- Jammed drum — Last, often an item wedged between drum and cabinet.
The order to work in, and why
- Close the door firmly and listen for the click — Free, instant, and it resolves a large share.
- Check the panel is lit — Dark means supply; lit means the fault is downstream.
- Test the outlet with something else — It separates house from machine.
- Turn the drum by hand with the machine isolated — Free movement rules out a jam.
Steps up to the stopping point
- Press the door shut until the catch clicks positively — A door that closes but does not latch fully reads as open to the machine.
About 5 min
- Cancel any delay or child-lock setting — Both prevent a start and both look like a fault.
About 5 min
- Plug a lamp into the same outlet — If the lamp is dark, call about the socket rather than the dryer.
Tools: table lampAbout 5 min
- Isolate, then turn the drum by hand — It should move freely. Stop here rather than opening the cabinet.
About 10 min
The hazard on this machine
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel — a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off, and a dryer's motor capacitor is one of the components most likely to still be charged. A standard household branch circuit is 15 A or 20 A. The door switch must be left exactly as it is: it is what stops a heated drum turning with the door open, and no repair justifies interfering with it.
The line for a service call
Call when the outlet is proven, the door latches positively and the machine still will not start, because the next steps are the door switch, the start switch and the control, all of which need isolation and a meter. Call an electrician rather than a technician if the breaker trips on reset with the dryer unplugged. Mention any hum, click or burning smell when you book, because those change what the technician brings.
Nearest pages of this class
Scope of this page
This page is the class-level answer for an Ariston dryer that will not start. It publishes no switch part numbers, no wiring colours and no control identifiers, because those differ between builds under this badge. Where a family- or model-specific page exists it carries those and is the better answer for a named model. Household wiring beyond the socket belongs to a licensed electrician.
Other faults on this machine
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