It can be disappointing dealing with a Maytag Centennial dryer that won’t do its job – that is, dying clothes. But why is your Maytag Centennial dryer not drying?
Your Maytag Centennial dryer isn’t drying because of a dirt-clogged lint screen, a blocked or wrong-size dryer vent, excess or extra wet laundry, the wrong setting, or unstableness. It could also be due to a failed moisture sensor, heating element, or blower.
And if you have a gas option, then the flame sensor, the solenoid, or the igniter could be faulty. So, I’ll help you understand these reasons so you can know what to check when your Centennial dryer won’t dry clothes.
Sometimes the dryer may dry the clothes, but it takes longer or more than one cycle. At other times, it may not dry all the way, leaving the clothes wet, or it may heat up but fail to dry.
I’ll also discuss all those issues in this troubleshooting guide. Let’s get into it!
In a hurry? Find a quick troubleshooting guide for your nondrying Maytag Centennial dryer below.
Quick Troubleshooting Guide for A Maytag Centennial Dryer Not Drying
| – | Likely Cause | Recommended Fix |
| 1. | Dirt-Clogged Lint Screen | Clean the dirty lint screen with a nylon brush, soap, and water |
| 2. | Blocked Dryer Vent | Clean a clogged vent, unkink it if it’s kinked and replace it once it collapses |
| 3. | Wrong-Size Dryer Vent | Replace the dryer vent if its diameter is less than 4-inches and features five or more 90-degree turn |
| 4. | Excess Or Extra Wet Laundry | Reduce the load size in the dryer to ¾ full or less, and avoid loading the clothes when dripping wet |
| 5. | Wrong Setting (Timed Dry Or Auto Sensing) | Disable Auto Sensing and Timed Dry and select ‘Normal Cycle’ instead |
| 6. | Unstable Dryer | Adjust the dryer’s legs to keep it stable |
| 7. | Failed Moisture Sensor | Replace the moisture sensor if it’s faulty. However, clean it first to see if it works |
| 8. | Failed Heating Element | Replace the heating element once it lacks electrical continuity |
| 9. | Faulty Blower | Remove instructions around the blower and if the blower is worn out, replace it |
Why Is My Maytag Centennial Dryer Not Drying?
Below are nine possible reasons why your Maytag Centennial dryer is not drying and the respective remedies.
1. Clogged Lint Screen
The lint screen’s job is to catch lint, debris, and other filths before they get to the dryer vent. So, you’ll find it on the vent’s opening or outside the dryer.
Due to the nature of its job, the lint screen needs cleaning after every drying cycle to remove the accumulated filth. You should, however, do a deep cleaning involving soap and water and a nylon brush every six months.
Not cleaning it could translate to your Maytag centennial dryer not heating up, delaying doing it, or failing to dry the clothes completely.
Fix
Inspect the lint screen, which, as I mentioned, you can find outside the dryer or in its vent’s opening. If it’s dirty, clean it, and here’s how to do it:
- Prepare soap, water, a nylon brush, a vacuum hose, and a dry towel
- Unplug the dryer from the power and pull out the dirty lint screen
- Vacuum inside the dryer’s lint trap to get rid of any dirt blockage
- Use the nylon brush, water, and soap to clean the dirty lint screen
- Dry the wet lint screen with a towel and reinstall it
2. Blocked Dryer Vent
The dryer needs optimal airflow to dry clothes. That depends on a clean and unblocked dryer vent. So, you have to check the dryer vent for possible blockage, and that includes these checks:
- Vent clogging – Like the lint screen, the dryer vent accumulates lint, debris, and other filths, which may clog it and lengthen the drying time. The clogging may also be far-reaching, enough to prevent the dryer from drying at all.
- Vent kinking – The dryer vent may also block by kinking/twisting. Kinks usually restrict airflow, preventing the dryer from heating up well and drying clothes. So, you ought to inspect that.
- Vent collapse (crushing) – The dryer vent can also crush, especially if it’s weaker material such as metal foil or plastic. Once that happens, the vent blocks and restricts airflow, causing the dryer not to heat.
Fix
Check the dryer vent for kinks/turns and remove them by stretching the vent out. If the duct is collapsed/smashed, consider replacing it. Opt for a rigid/flexible metal vent this time around, however.
And if the vent is dirt clogged, clean it, and here’s how to do it:
- Locate the dryers exhaust vent outside your home
- Unplug the dryer and move it away from the wall
- Use a vacuum hose to clean the exhaust vent
- Then locate the inner vent and use a vacuum hose or dryer cleaning brush to clean it
- Plug back the dryer and reconnect the hoses
- Run an empty cycle for about 15 minutes to ensure there are no clogs
3. Wrong Size Dryer Vent
Maytag recommends a dryer vent with a diameter that’s at least 4″ for optimum airflow. If the exhaust is slimmer than 4 inches, minimal air will flow, prolonging the drying time.
The vents’ diameter is not the only consideration. You also have to consider the number of bends.
According to Maytag, the vent shouldn’t have more than four 90-degree turns as that slows down airflow. But overall, 45-degree bends are more favorable.
Fix
Replace the dryer vent if it is narrower than 4″ and has five or more 90-degree bends. Overall, the broader and shorter the duct, the better, which promises better airflow and drying.
4. Excess or Extra-Wet Laundry
The dryer may fail to dry the clothes if there’s something wrong with their loading. For starters, you shouldn’t overload the dryer. It shouldn’t be filled to the top, restricting airflow and preventing drying.
Secondly, you shouldn’t load extra wet clothes. If so, the dryer will either take a long time to get hot and dry the clothes or may fail to dry the clothes completely. Both cases are very frustrating, thus the need to act immediately.
Fix
Check the dryer’s load size to ensure the clothes are only ¾ full. If the dryer is filled to the top, reduce the load size to ¾ full or less. Meanwhile, ensure the clothes are not soaking wet.
If they are, you’ll need to turn off the dryer and wring them first. The easiest way to avoid that is to drain the clothes in the washer before transferring them to the dryer.
5. Wrong Setting
Your Centennial dryer could also fail to dry your clothes if the setting is wrong. Here are the settings likely to interfere with the dryer drying:
- Auto Sensing (or Auto Dry) – This dryer setting forces the dryer to stop drying once the load reaches a specific dryness level.
- Timed Dry – Timed Dry allows the dryer to run for a specific amount of time, and it’s not dependent on the clothes reaching a precise dryness level.
Fix
You need to disable these settings if you unintentionally selected them. You can try selecting ‘Normal Dryness to not only allow your dryer to dry the clothes all the way but also save energy.
6. Unstable Dryer
Sometimes the dryer won’t dry because it’s unstable. Instability means the dryer cannot spin the clothes properly. And if that doesn’t happen, you’ll likely have damp clothes at the end.
Fix
Try adjusting the dryer’s feet to stabilize it if it’s unstable. Alternatively, move the dryer to a more leveled surface to prevent shaking.
7. Failed Moisture Sensor
If your Maytag Centennial dryer won’t dry all the way, it’s likely because of a failed moisture sensor. The moisture sensor’s job is to monitor the clothes’ moisture level and prevent the dryer from over-drying or under-drying.
Once it fails, the dryer may under-dry the clothes (resulting in wet clothes), over-dry them, or fail to dry at all.
Fix
Locate the moisture sensor at the wall of your dryer’s drum. It could be close to the lint trap if it’s not there. Inspect it for lint and debris clogging and scrub the clog off if present.
Then wipe it clean with a rag. Now check the dryer’s auto-sensing to see if the setting is on. If it’s on, and the dryer won’t dry the clothes, replace the moisture sensor.
8. Failed Heating Element
The heating element produces adequate heat in the dryer and warms the inbound air. Its failure, therefore, means your Centennial dryer won’t heat. The heating element can fail either from wearing out or burning out.
Fix
Consider a heating element replacement if your dryer’s heating element is bad. You can tell if it fails the multimeter’s electrical continuity test.
9. Faulty Blower
The dryer blower, which you’ll find at the dryer cabinets bottom part, circulates warm air in the dryer. So, it directly determines if the dryer will dry the clothes or not.
Once it fails, the dryer may fail to dry entirely or have longer drying cycles.
Fix
Inspect the blower for obstruction and wear. In the former case, remove the obstacles, and in the latter case, replace the blower.
Maytag Centennial Gas Dryer Not Drying
If your Maytag Centennial gas dryer won’t dry, it’s likely because of a faulty gas valve coil (or solenoid) which does not allow the gas to get to the burner to let the burner burn.
It could also be a faulty igniter, thus unable to ignite the supplied gas, or the flame sensor failing to detect the gas. You can tell if the flame sensor or the igniter is faulty if they lack continuity.
Maytag Centennial Dryer Heating But Not Drying
If your Centennial dryer gets hot but cannot dry the clothes, the problem is not the power supply. It’s most likely a clogged lint screen or vent, which needs proper cleaning.
It could also be the heating element starting to fail or a malfunctioning thermostat. So, you may have to check the thermostat and thermostat for faults and replace them. That’s possible with a multimeter.
Maytag Centennial Dryer Not Drying Well (Not Drying All the Way/Wet Clothes)
Several issues could prevent your Maytag Centennial dryer from drying (all the way), resulting in damp clothes. They include the following:
- Failed moisture sensor, which is unable to detect the clothes’ moisture level
- The wrong setting, especially Auto-Sensing (or Auto-Dry)
So, you need to check the setting and choose Normal Cycle. If that doesn’t fix the problem, check the moisture sensor and replace it if it’s faulty.
Maytag Centennial Dryer Taking Too Long to Dry (Longer Drying Time)
While the Centennial dryer may sometimes dry due to a fault, it may take much longer. In such a case, the problem could be any of the following:
- Dirty lint screen, which you should wash
- Clogged vent, which you should clean (unclog)
- Crushed vent, which you should replace
- Large wet load
- Power issues, especially a tripped breaker, loose plug, or faulty fuse
Closing Thought
Now you know how to fix a Maytag Centennial dryer not drying. Whether the dryer doesn’t dry at all, doesn’t dry all the way, or won’t dry in one cycle, you can troubleshoot it with the above guide.
It starts with checking the lint screen and vent for blockage and unblocking them, and it ends with replacing a failed heating element moisture sensor or blower.