The short answer
When a Danby dryer presents with a new noise, the first place to look is coins, buttons or zips in the drum or the lint trap. Danby is a Canadian maker that specialises in compact, portable and apartment-scale appliances, so its units end up in garages, basements, dorms, offices and second kitchens far more often than in a fitted main kitchen. The brand moves one thing in particular: coins, buttons or zips in the drum or the lint trap ranks higher here than it otherwise would. The first checks below are owner work, but the likeliest answer here is service work, so the aim is to reach the visit with the right observation already made.
What you observe
- A rhythmic thumping that speeds up with the drum
- A squeal or chirp that rises with drum speed
- Scraping or grinding from the drum
- A rattle that changes when the load shifts
- A loud roar from behind the drum
Ranked for a Danby dryer
- Coins, buttons or zips in the drum or the lint trap — Why this rank: A coin caught between the drum and the bulkhead makes a scraping that sounds catastrophic and costs nothing to fix. — Owner checkable: true
- Drum support rollers worn flat — Why this rank: The rollers carry the whole drum and wear flat spots; the result is a rhythmic thump that speeds up with the drum and is the most common dryer noise of all. — Owner checkable: false
- Machine not level or feet not all bearing — Why this rank: A rocking cabinet walks on the floor and drums against anything next to it, which is free to fix. — Owner checkable: true
- Drive belt worn, frayed or slipping — Why this rank: A worn belt squeals as it rides over the idler, and a belt about to fail usually announces itself for weeks. — Owner checkable: false
Check in this order
- Empty the drum, run it briefly and check the lint housing with a torch. — Because: It sits at rank 1 on this brand.
- Note whether the thump rate follows the drum speed. — Because: It sits at rank 2 on this brand.
- Push each top corner and see whether it rocks. — Because: It sits at rank 3 on this brand.
- Note whether the squeal follows the drum rather than the blower. — Because: It sits at rank 4 on this brand.
Steps a homeowner can safely take
- Empty the drum completely and run the machine for a minute — a noise that disappears was something in the load. — Tools: none
About 10 min
- Unplug the machine, remove the lint filter and check the housing with a torch for coins, buttons and pins. — Tools: flashlight, vacuum with crevice tool
About 20 min
- Note the character of the noise: rhythmic thump, continuous squeal, scrape, or roar. Each maps to a different part. — Tools: notepad
About 15 min
- Note whether the noise follows drum speed or is constant from the moment the machine starts. — Tools: none
About 10 min
- Level the machine and adjust the feet until it does not rock, and check it is not touching the washer beside it. — Tools: spirit level, adjustable wrench
About 25 min
- Note whether the sound comes from inside the drum or from behind it — that single observation halves the diagnosis. — Tools: none
About 10 min
- Stop condition: Stop at the first step that would require a meter on live terminals.
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. Nothing on this page asks you to work at a live terminal, and none of it asks you to defeat a door interlock or a safety switch — those exist to stop the machine running in a state that can injure you, and a machine that will not run with its door open is working correctly. If a breaker trips twice on the same operation, leave it off: a repeat trip is a fault to be found, not a nuisance to be reset. Stop at the first step that would need a meter on live terminals. unplug-before-service branch-circuit-15-20a
Owner fix or service call
A rhythmic thump that follows drum speed — that is the rollers A squeal that gets worse over weeks, which usually precedes a belt failure Any scraping after the drum has been emptied and the lint housing checked Lint appearing on the clothes as well as the noise — the drum seal is going
Nearest pages of the same kind
Generalized information
This page is generalized across the Danby dryer range: no model-specific wiring diagrams, no part numbers, no service-manual procedure for any individual unit. Where your model differs, the model documentation wins. model-specific wiring diagrams part numbers service-manual procedures
Danby dryer
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
