The short answer
A Criterion dryer that runs cold is more often being stopped by its own safety devices, or by the air path they protect, than by a failed heater. On this class the usual cause is a blocked lint filter or a restricted vent duct, with a thermal fuse blown by an earlier overheat next to rule out.
What you actually observe
- It heated normally until one day it stopped completely — A clean stop points at a one-shot device rather than gradual wear.
- The load is hot on the outside and wet in the middle — Air is reaching some of the load and not the rest.
- NEAR MISS: the drum does not turn at all — That is a different page, with the door switch, the belt and the supply at the top of its list.
The causes, most likely first on this brand
- A blocked lint filter or a restricted vent duct — A dryer works by moving hot air through the load and out, and a restricted path leaves the heat trapped in the cabinet until a safety device cuts it off entirely. Ranked first on a Criterion unit: these contract-built machines ship with a short duct kit that is almost always extended badly on installation.
- A thermal fuse blown by an earlier overheat — Once a restricted vent has overheated the cabinet, a one-shot fuse opens permanently, and on many designs that leaves a dryer that tumbles with no heat at all. Ranked second here: a one-shot fuse on this brand opens readily once the vent has restricted, and it is the usual reason a machine tumbles cold.
- An air-fluff or no-heat cycle selected — Ranked third here: the cycle selector on this panel puts an air setting beside the normal ones and it is chosen by accident often.
- A heating element that has burned through — Ranked fourth here: last, and it is the only one of the four that is not an owner check.
Check in this order, and why this order
- Pull the lint filter and hold it up to the light, then feel the exhaust outside — A filter that will not pass light, or an outside vent with no strong flow, is the answer.
- Note whether the drum still turns normally while producing no heat at all — Tumbling with no heat is the classic picture of a fuse that has done its job.
- Look at which cycle and which temperature are actually selected — An air or fluff setting is the commonest no-fault cause of a dryer that will not dry.
What an owner can safely check
- Clean the filter every load and pull the duct off to clear the whole run to the outside — Lint is the reason this is the first item on almost every dryer page there is.
Tools: vacuum, screwdriverAbout 45 min
- Clear the whole vent run first, because a fuse fitted without doing that will simply blow again — The fuse is a symptom and the vent is the disease.
Tools: vacuum, screwdriverAbout 45 min
- STOP HERE if the next step needs a meter on live terminals or a panel off — That is where an owner check ends and a service call begins.
Before you open anything
Safety
Unplug the dryer or switch off its breaker before any panel comes off. If you smell gas, do not switch anything on or off, leave the building, and call the gas utility or your emergency number from outside; do not look for the leak yourself. Lint is the fuel in almost every dryer fire, so treat a restricted vent as urgent rather than as an inconvenience. Never run a dryer with its vent disconnected into the room.
When to call a technician
Call once the filter, the duct, the cycle and the supply are all clean and the machine still runs cold, because an element, an igniter or a thermostat needs a meter and panels off. Call immediately rather than investigating if you smell gas, and leave the building first. Bear in mind when you decide that this is a retailer house brand built by a contract manufacturer, so parts come through the retailer rather than from a brand service network.
Nearest pages of this class
What this page does not cover
This page covers the Criterion dryer as a class, not one family or model line. Element ratings, fuse positions and burner assemblies all change from build to build and are deliberately not here. Where a family or model page exists for your machine, it is the more specific answer and the one to read first.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
