The answer first
On a Contoure dryer, no heat with a turning drum splits three ways: a thermal device that has tripped, a supply problem that has taken out only the heating circuit, or a failed element or igniter. The first is much the commonest. Everything here assumes the machine is behaving now rather than intermittently.
Symptoms, and the ones that mean something else
- The machine heats briefly and then stops heating — A protector opening on temperature: the heat arrives, the cabinet overheats, the device cuts it. The value is in eliminating, not confirming; most of these come back negative and that is useful.
- A gas model clicks but no flame appears — The igniter is working and the gas is not arriving, or the flame sensor is not confirming the flame.
- The vent flap outside barely opens — A direct symptom of the restriction that trips heating protectors in the first place. Do this before the check below it, because the answer changes what that one means.
- NEAR MISS: no heat and the drum does not turn either — That is a supply or start fault rather than a heating one, and it belongs on the will-not-start page. That single observation eliminates more of the list than any amount of guessing.
The order of suspicion
- A blocked lint filter or vent duct — Second, and really the same story from the other end: the restriction is the cause and the protector is only the messenger.
- A failed heating element — Common on older machines and the one genuine component failure in the list, but it is diagnosed after the air path rather than before it. Treat the ordering as a route through the possibilities rather than as a prediction.
- A failed thermostat or thermal fuse — These parts open permanently once they have done their job, so the machine stays cold until the part is replaced and the cause cleared.
- On a gas model, an igniter, valve or flame-sensor fault — Last, and specific to gas machines: the ignition sequence has several parts and any of them stops the flame.
Check in this order, and why
- Take the filter out and hold it up to the light — A filter that will not pass light will not pass air, and no air means a protector will open. Eliminate it properly before moving down; a half-checked cause comes back later.
- Disconnect the vent hose and run the machine briefly — If heat returns with the duct off, the duct is the fault and nothing inside the machine has failed. The value is in eliminating, not confirming; most of these come back negative and that is useful.
- Listen for the igniter on a gas machine — Clicking without a flame is a different fault from silence, and it tells a technician where to start. It earns this slot because it explains the whole symptom rather than part of it.
The homeowner checks
- Clear the vent hose and the outside flap — Disconnect, vacuum out the accumulated lint, straighten crushed sections and check the flap opens fully. It is the sort of check a technician does first, for the same reason.
Tools: vacuum, torchAbout 30 min
- Run a short cycle with the duct disconnected — Do it briefly and with the room ventilated. Do not force anything; the plastic in a modern appliance breaks rather than bends.
About 15 min
- Check the breaker for the machine — A partly tripped supply can leave the drum turning and the heat off, and resetting it properly costs nothing. Give it a moment rather than glancing; the thing you are looking for is not always obvious.
About 10 min
- Stop at this point: what follows needs a meter on a live circuit — Past this point the checks need test gear and the training to use it safely.
Read this before touching it
Safety
Power down at the breaker first, and treat the cabinet as live until you have. Give it a moment after switching off; charge lingers where you would not expect it. On a gas model, close the appliance shut-off valve before you start, and if you smell gas, leave the building and call the utility from outside. If a guard or switch is in your way, that is the point at which the job stops being yours.
The handover point
Stop and call when the picture changes: the filter, the hose, the vent and the breaker are yours; elements, thermostats, thermal fuses, gas valves and igniters are not. That line is about tools and access rather than about confidence. Stop using it rather than finishing the load if anything about the heat or the smell has changed.
Nearby pages
Generalized information
Treat this as the orientation page for a Contoure dryer rather than as a service sheet for yours.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
