The short answer
This page covers Fisher & Paykel condensing and heat-pump dryers, which have no exhaust duct. They dry by condensing moisture out of recirculated air, so the fault is nearly always in the condenser path: a blocked secondary filter, a silted condenser or a full water tank. The drum on a heat-pump machine is meant to feel only mildly warm, which owners often misread as no heat.
Causes, ranked for this Fisher Paykel dryer
- Secondary or condenser filter blocked — Why: These machines have a fine filter behind the lint screen that owners rarely know exists, and once it silts the airflow through the condenser collapses.
- Condenser unit itself silted with lint — Why: The condenser fins pack with fine lint that the filters let through, and until they are rinsed the machine cannot pull moisture out of the recirculating air.
- Water tank full or its drain path blocked — Why: A full tank stops the cycle by design, and a machine plumbed to a drain instead will stop the same way if that hose is kinked or blocked.
- Overloading or wet-in loads — Why: Condensing machines are more sensitive to a packed drum than vented ones, because the load must tumble freely for air to reach it at all.
- Heat pump, compressor or sensor fault — Why: Last, because everything above imitates it and none of it needs a technician; a genuine sealed-system fault is diagnosed only after the airflow path is proven clear.
What to check, in order
- empty the water tank and note how much was in it after the last cycle. — Because: a nearly empty tank after a damp load proves moisture is not being condensed.
- clean the lint screen and then find and clean the secondary filter behind it. — Because: the secondary filter is the top-ranked cause and most owners have never opened it.
- open the condenser access and inspect the fins for packed lint. — Because: a silted condenser is the other half of the same restriction and it is owner-serviceable.
- reduce the load and note whether drying improves. — Because: these machines depend on free tumbling far more than vented ones do.
Checks you can safely do yourself
- Empty the water tank, noting whether it collected much, and refit it fully home. — Tools: none — Time: a minute
- Remove and wash the lint screen in warm soapy water to strip softener film, then dry it. — Tools: warm soapy water — Time: several minutes
- Open the lower access panel, remove the secondary filter and rinse it under running water until it passes water freely. — Tools: the owner guide — Time: several minutes
- Withdraw the condenser if your model allows it, rinse the fins through until the water runs clear, and let it drain before refitting. — Tools: the owner guide — Time: the better part of an hour
- Run a small load and compare the time and the water collected. Stop here: the heat pump and its sensors are service work. — Tools: none — Time: the better part of an hour, mostly waiting
Before you open anything
Safety
unplug-before-service branch-circuit-15-20a
Switch the machine off at the breaker before opening any access panel, and let it cool before touching internal parts. Refit the condenser and every filter fully home, since running with one out of place lets lint reach the heat exchanger and makes the fault permanent. Never dry items that have been in contact with solvents or oil.
Where the owner fix ends
Cleaning filters, rinsing the condenser and emptying the tank are owner work. Call a technician when every filter and the condenser are clean, the tank collects little and clothes stay damp, because that points at the heat pump or its sensors; and when water appears on the floor with the tank correctly seated.
Nearest pages of the same kind
Generalized information — what this page does not cover
family model
This page is generalized information covering only the condensing and heat-pump branch of the Fisher & Paykel dryer heating complaint; the companion page linked below covers vented machines. Condenser and heat-pump models differ in filter layout. No family-level or model-level page exists in this reference yet; when one is published it will be linked here.
Where to go next
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
