The short answer
A condensing machine has a refusal a vented one does not: it will not begin a cycle it cannot finish. Ranked first on this platform: A full water tank or a safety interlock. The checks below follow that ranking, and the first of them need no tools and no panel removed.
What you observe
- An indicator is lit and the machine refuses every cycle — A machine refusing with an indicator lit is telling you the answer.
- The panel responds and the machine does nothing when start is pressed — A responsive panel with no action is a permission problem.
- It beeps at you, or shows a symbol you do not recognise — A beep is a refusal, and most refusals are a lock.
- NEAR MISS — the motor runs but the drum does not turn — That is a broken belt, and it is a different fault from a machine that will not start at all.
Causes, most likely first on this platform
- A full water tank or a safety interlock — A condensing machine will not start with its tank full. It ranks first on this platform because the machine will not start with its water tank full, the indicator for it is small, and a tank pushed home a fraction short reads as full — so the appliance refuses every cycle for a reason that takes ten seconds to correct.
- The door not latching — A dryer will not start until its door switch says the door is shut. It ranks second here because the machine expects the owner to open a plinth flap and service a filter and a foreign-object trap on a schedule, and on most machines that has never been done.
- A child lock or a delayed start — Control locks and delay timers are engaged by accident constantly, and both give a machine that beeps and refuses. The indicator is usually a small symbol nobody has looked at before. It sits third because the causes above it account for more of these cases, not because it is unlikely.
- The control board — Where the door, the supply and the controls are all clean, what remains is the board that reads them. It ranks fourth rather than higher: real on this platform, and less common than the causes above it.
Check in this order, and why
- Empty the water tank and reseat it fully before anything else — It is the first check on a condensing machine and it costs nothing. It leads because it tests the top-ranked cause.
- Push the door firmly closed and listen for the switch click — Free, immediate, and it is the most common answer. Tests the second-ranked cause.
- Look for a lock or delay indicator and try a long press on the relevant key — Free, and the door of the machine usually tells you which key. Tests the third-ranked cause.
What an owner can safely check
- Empty the condensate tank, push it fully home, and retry — A tank not seated fully reads as full.
About 10 min
- Close the door firmly and press start; then try holding the door in while you press — A machine that starts while you hold the door has told you what is wrong.
About 10 min
- STOP here — the remaining causes are diagnosed with a meter, not by eye — Record which of the checks above changed anything. That record is worth more to the visit than another attempt.
Before you open anything
Safety
Unplug the dryer or switch off its breaker before removing any panel; on a gas machine close the gas shut-off valve too.
When to call a technician
Call once the door, the controls and the supply are all eliminated, because what is left is a switch, a thermal cut-out or a motor and all three are behind a panel.
Nearest pages of this class
What this page does not cover
This page is written for the Miele dryer as a class, not for one family or one model line. Where a family- or model-specific page exists for your unit, that page is the more specific answer and the one to read first. Deliberately not here: part numbers, wiring colours and disassembly order, which differ by family.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
