The short answer
A dryer that trips a breaker, smells hot, scorches laundry or shows heat damage at its plug is reporting a hazard, and the correct first move is to stop using it rather than to run one more cycle. Lint accumulated around the heat source is the first thing to suspect on a Criterion, because a value-tier build puts the cheap wearing parts — filters, hoses, seals, screens — in the path of everything the machine does, so they are where the fault usually is. Isolating the machine and clearing lint are owner actions; every diagnosis that follows a burning smell or a repeated trip is a technician job.
What it looks like from the front
- The breaker trips during the cycle rather than at the start — A trip under load points at the heating circuit; a trip the moment it starts points at the motor circuit.
- A burning or hot-plastic smell during or after a cycle — Burning lint smells of hot fabric; hot plastic smells of an electrical connection cooking.
- NEAR MISS — A new dryer smells of hot paint on the first few runs — Curing on a new element is normal and fades; a smell that arrives after years of service does not.
The ranking
- Lint accumulated around the heat source — Top of the list on this brand: a value-tier build puts the cheap wearing parts — filters, hoses, seals, screens — in the path of everything the machine does, so they are where the fault usually is. Lint is the fuel in every dryer fire. It packs into the trap housing, the duct and the base of the cabinet, where it sits beside the hottest part of the machine.
- A loose or overheating connection at the plug, outlet or terminal block — Second most likely: A loose screw makes a high-resistance joint, and a high-resistance joint makes heat exactly where the plastic is.
- An exhaust path that keeps the cabinet overheating — Third and the least likely here: A blocked duct makes the machine run hot enough to scorch fabric and to age wiring insulation. A store-brand unit is usually carried home and set up by the owner rather than by a delivery crew, and setup errors survive for years.
Where to start and what follows
- Look into the lint screen housing with a torch — Visible felted lint in the housing or around the base is the hazard itself, and clearing it is the first action rather than a later one. It leads because a value-tier build puts the cheap wearing parts — filters, hoses, seals, screens — in the path of everything the machine does, so they are where the fault usually is, so proving or clearing it immediately narrows everything below.
- Feel the plug and the outlet face after a cycle, with the machine off — Warm is a warning; hot, browned or softened plastic means the circuit needs an electrician before the appliance needs anything.
- Check the flow at the outside hood while the machine runs — Barely any flow means the cabinet is holding its heat, and everything downstream of that is a consequence.
What an owner can safely check
- Isolate the machine, then vacuum the screen housing and the duct connection — Power off at the breaker before anything else.
Tools: vacuum, torch, nut driverAbout 25 min
- Switch off at the breaker and stop using the outlet — Do not simply move the appliance to another socket — the outlet itself may now be damaged and needs looking at.
About 5 min
- Stop here if the next move needs a meter on live terminals — That is where an owner check ends and a service call begins.
Working safely 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. Lint is the fire hazard here, and a dryer is never run with its vent disconnected. A standard US household branch circuit is 15 A or 20 A at 120 V; a large appliance circuit is typically 30 A or higher at 240 V.
When this becomes a service call
Call as soon as any of these is true: the breaker trips more than once, there is a burning smell, there is heat damage at the plug or outlet, or the cabinet is live to the touch. None of those are wait-and-see conditions, and none of them are fixed by another cycle.
Related pages for this appliance
What is deliberately not here
This page covers Criterion dryers as a class, not one family or model line. There is no per-model page under this one today. Where one appears it is linked from this block and it is the page to trust for a specific cabinet. Deliberately not here: wiring colours, resistance values, torque figures and part numbers, which differ between families.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
