A dryer that won’t start at all, with no noise and no movement, isn’t necessarily a major breakdown. Out of 358 recent service calls for this symptom, here are the most common causes identified by our technicians, and what you can check before calling.

Basic checks you can do yourself

  • The door: make sure it’s fully closed. The door switch needs to be fully engaged for the dryer to accept a start command.
  • The breaker: check your electrical panel; a tripped breaker is the simplest cause to fix yourself.
  • The start button: some models require you to hold it down for a few seconds after closing the door and selecting a cycle.
  • General maintenance: see our full maintenance guide for the preventive checks that avoid several of these breakdowns.

The most common causes

These are the five causes that explain the vast majority of the 358 cases analyzed, along with their one-visit resolution rate.

  • Belt: 46.6% of cases resolved in one visit 70.7% of the time. Repair: replacing the belt tensioner and the belt itself. On several models, a broken belt trips a safety switch that cuts power entirely, which is why it can feel like “nothing works at all.”
  • Pulley: 15.6% of cases resolved in one visit 92.9% of the time, the highest rate in the group. Repair: replacing the motor and pulley.
  • Control board (PCB): 12.3% of cases resolved in one visit 70.5% of the time. Repair: replacing the board, sometimes along with the motor when a power surge damaged the board.
  • Thermostat: 12.0% of cases resolved in one visit 79.1% of the time. Repair: replacing the thermostat, heating element, and thermal fuse.
  • Blower fan: 2.0% of cases nearly always resolved in one visit (small sample of 7 cases). Repair: simply clearing the blocked blower fan.

The belt alone explains nearly one breakdown out of two, which is encouraging news, since it’s generally a simple and affordable repair for a technician.

When to call a technician

Replacing a belt or pulley requires fully disassembling the drum: the real challenge isn’t taking the dryer apart, it’s putting everything back together in the right order. Diagnosing a control board, meanwhile, requires specialized tools most households don’t have on hand. If your basic checks (door, breaker, start button) don’t resolve anything, it’s time to call a technician.

Our technicians work across Quebec, including the Lanaudière region, where dryers account for up to 15.7% of all residential service calls, one of the highest proportions in our service area. Request an estimate to book a visit.

Is your dryer showing a different symptom? Check out our guides What to Do When My Dryer Is Not Heating and What to Do When My Dryer Is Noisy.

FAQ

My dryer makes no sound at all when I press start, what should I do?

First check that the door is fully closed and that the breaker hasn’t tripped. If nothing happens even so, the cause is likely electrical (control board or door switch) and needs a professional diagnosis.

The drum doesn’t turn but I hear a humming sound, is that the belt?

Very likely. A humming sound with no drum movement usually means the motor is running, but the belt is broken and no longer transmitting motion to the drum.

How much does it cost to replace a dryer belt?

This is one of the more affordable repairs (under $150, parts and labour included), despite requiring a full disassembly of the drum.

Can I repair the control board myself?

It’s not recommended. Diagnosing a control board requires specialized tools, and an incorrect diagnosis can lead to replacing a part that wasn’t actually faulty.