In short
- A cold dryer is a fault in the heating path: element, thermal fuse, thermostat on electric; igniter, valve or sensor on gas.
- Damp clothes after a hot cycle usually point to airflow, and Whirlpool names the vent first.
- Published Ottawa ranges: thermal fuse or thermostat $99–$280, heating element $179–$400, gas igniter or valve $179–$380.
- A blown thermal fuse often has a cause behind it, such as a blocked vent. Lint in ducts is a major fire risk, says the Fire Marshal.
Typical prices in Ottawa
| Job | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Thermal fuse or thermostat | $99–$280 | Express $99–$199 (labour estimate); B&M $130–$280 (parts and labour) |
| Heating element (electric) | $179–$400 | Express $179–$249; B&M $200–$400 |
| Gas igniter or valve | $179–$380 | Express $179–$249 per part; B&M $200–$380 |
| Flame sensor (gas) | $99–$199 | Express labour estimate |
| Internal exhaust vent cleaning | $99–$199 | Express labour estimate, prices current May 2026 |
| Visit and diagnosis | $89 + tax | B&M electric; $129 + tax for gas; applied toward an approved repair |
Sources. Whirlpool Product Help, dryer heating page, seen 29.10.2026. B&M Canada Appliances, Dryer repair cost in Ottawa, seen 29.10.2026. Express Appliance Repair Ottawa, dryer repair, prices current as of 19.05.2026, seen 29.10.2026. Capital Appliance Repair, dryer repair, seen 29.10.2026. Fire safety: Office of the Fire Marshal handout, windsorfire.com, and Township of Guelph/Eramosa, Clothes Dryer Safety, seen 29.10.2026. Gas rule: O. Reg. 212/01, s. 6, seen 29.10.2026.
Three kinds of cold
Dryers fail to heat in three ways, and the request is easier to answer when you say which one you see.
- Cold from the start. The drum turns, the air stays cool. The fault sits in the heating path.
- Warm but damp. The load needs two cycles. Whirlpool says the likely cause is a vent issue or restricted airflow.
- Hot, then cold. The dryer heats for a while, then stops. A thermostat or a thermal fuse cut the heat because something got too hot.
Electric dryers: the usual suspects
B&M’s symptom list puts an electric dryer with no heat on the heating element, the thermal fuse or the cycling thermostat. Whirlpool adds the supply side, covered in the FAQ: one tripped breaker of the two leaves the drum turning cold.
Price lists tell the next part of the story. Express prints $179 to $249 for a heating element and $99 to $199 for a thermal fuse or thermostat. B&M prints $200 to $400 for an element and $130 to $280 for a fuse or thermostat. The element is the dear part and the fuse the cheap one.
Gas dryers: igniter, valve and sensor
On a gas dryer, B&M points to the igniter, the flame sensor or the gas valve coil. Whirlpool adds one earlier check: a closed gas shut-off valve lets the drum turn and gives no heat. Gas work sits under O. Reg. 212/01, s. 6, which allows only a certificate holder to repair or service the appliance. The long version is on gas dryer repair. A gas smell outranks the repair: everyone out, then Enbridge Gas on 1-866-763-5427, or 911, from outside.
The vent behind the fault
A fuse that blew once will blow again if the cause stays. Capital’s site says a blown thermal fuse almost always points to a blocked vent or lint inside the dryer, and that its technicians check airflow on every slow-drying diagnosis. The Fire Marshal’s handout asks owners to clean the lint screen after each load, remove lint from ducts and vents regularly, check that the outdoor flap opens, and keep the area around the dryer clear of things that burn.
Express lists internal exhaust vent cleaning at $99 to $199. Ask whether the company does vent work, since some leave it to specialists.
What the technician tests, in order
- Power at the dryer, and both breakers on an electric model.
- A run of the heated cycle to see the symptom.
- The safety parts: thermal fuse, high-limit thermostat, cycling thermostat.
- The heating element, or on gas the igniter, valve coils and flame sensor.
- Airflow through the dryer, the duct and the outdoor hood.
This is the job of a trained technician. Heating circuits carry 240 volts, gas parts carry gas, and a wrong replacement hides the real cause.
Winter in Ottawa
A municipal safety page adds that the outdoor flap should open when the dryer runs. A hood near the ground is the one snow reaches first, so say in the request where yours sits.
Repair or replace
The numbers for a cold dryer are on dryer repair cost: a fuse repair is a small fraction of a new dryer, while a motor or board repair takes a bigger share. Repair or replace sets out the half-of-new rule. The general page is dryer repair.
The technician who calls
One independent repair company in your part of the city, with gas work confirmed on the call if your dryer is gas. It tests the heating path, writes the quote and does the repair. Pricing is the company’s alone; the Desk only forwards.
Questions to ask the company
- Which parts do you test first on my model, and in what order?
- If the thermal fuse is blown, will you check why it blew before you replace it?
- Is the vent part of your visit, and what does it cost if it is?
- On a gas dryer, what is your TSSA registration number?
- Is the visit fee credited to the repair, and is the quote in writing before work starts?
Have this ready for the call
- Gas or electric, brand and model number from the plate
- Whether the load is cold or warm and damp, and which cycle you ran
- Whether a breaker tripped, and whether it trips again
- Where the vent leaves the house and how long the run is
- A burning smell, if you noticed one
Questions people ask
The dryer runs on Air Fluff. Is that why it is cold?
Whirlpool says the Air Only and Air/Fluff cycles never add heat. If the load stays cold on a heated timed cycle after five minutes with the dryer empty, Whirlpool treats that as a no-heat fault and the diagnosis starts in the heating path.
Why would a breaker be involved when the drum still turns?
An electric dryer runs on a 240-volt supply through two breakers on a 30-amp circuit, per Whirlpool. One breaker feeds the motor and the other the heating element, so one tripped breaker gives a turning drum and no heat. A breaker that trips again goes in the request.
What is a thermal fuse, and why does it blow?
Capital Appliance Repair describes it as a one-time safety device that cuts power to the heater when the dryer overheats, and says a blown fuse usually points to a blocked vent or lint inside. It has to be replaced before the heater works, and the cause checked.
Can lint really cause a fire?
The Office of the Fire Marshal says build-up of lint can lead to a fire and names a lack of dryer maintenance as a main cause of dryer fires. It advises cleaning the lint screen after each load and removing lint from ducts and vents regularly.
The dryer heats but the clothes are still damp. Is the heater at fault?
Whirlpool says a dryer that heats but dries slowly likely has a vent issue or restricted airflow, and that venting should be cleaned every one to two years. Capital’s guide lists the exhaust hose, the outdoor cap and internal lint as the places to look.
Does a gas dryer that will not heat need a different company?
It can. Ontario allows only a person with a certificate for the work to repair or service a gas appliance, and Capital says it works on electric dryers only. Mark the request gas, and ask the company for its TSSA number.
