What the noises your tumble dryer makes might mean

Tumble dryers are an excellent part of the home laundry setup, making drying your clothes quick, easy and effective – reducing moisture and preserving the freshness of your garments for everyday use.

They’re also fairly complex machines, needing to be well-balanced, well-located in the home and regularly looked after to ensure their optimum capacity. Some reliable modern models, such as those in the Hoover range of appliances, are designed for their longevity, reducing the need for maintenance so you can keep your laundry fresher for longer.

One of the best indicators that something might be amiss with your dryer is if it suddenly starts making odd noises. If it does this, it’s best to try and diagnose the problem as quickly as possible, so you can take action to prevent anything from getting any worse.

In this blog, we’ve put together a guide to the different noises your dryer might be making. We’ll discuss what the noise might sound like, what it signifies is happening inside and what you should do to resolve it.

Unplugging your machine

Before we start on deciphering the noises your tumble dryer is making, the very first thing you should do is unplug the dryer. Some of the tips and tricks here might involve moving your tumble dryer, and some will require more extensive repairs so it’s always safer to turn the power off.

Diagnosing the noises your tumble dryer is making

Squeaking

If your tumble dryer has suddenly started making a squealing or a squeaking sound, this is most often down to the bearings.

The bearing is a small, but important component to your tumble dryer which holds the drum in place so it can spin around quickly and reliably. They are almost triangular components, which should sit on a panel near the drum. If they get worn down or loose, it means that the drum can become loose – another sign of this is if the drum jumps around.

The simple solution to this is to replace the bearings, which you can do yourself, but it requires taking the back off the tumble dryer – if you’re not so confident, it’s a quick fix for a tumble dryer repair person.

Rumbling

If your tumble dryer is making a deep rumbling type of sound like an aeroplane, it could be a problem with your fan. Each fan in a tumble has an essential role in keeping air flowing through the machine to improve performance and ensure enough air reaches your clothes.

If these can become worn down, as can often happen on older appliances, they’ll need replacing, which is often best done by a professional. If they’re just a bit loose, you’ll only need to tighten them up.

Grinding

If your tumble dryer is making grinding noises, that sounds like metal on metal, you’ll want to look to the drum for the cause of the noise.

One of the big reasons this noise might be coming through will be because your appliance isn’t quite balanced on level footing. It might be leaning one way or the other, but either way, this imbalance will be leaving the drum to lean on other components.

Fortunately, this might all just be down to your machine’s placement. To sort this out, you’ll need to move the dryer slightly to recompense. Use something like a spirit level to judge how things are out of shape and where you need to adjust.

Creaking

A creaking sound is normally an issue that can be traced back to the tension pulleys. As the name suggests, the tension pulleys are the part of the tumble dryer that cause the tension that runs the drum.

If these have worn down and no longer work, your tumble dryer could well stop working altogether too. So if you’re hearing the creaking and noticing a substantial drop in performance from your dryer, you may want to consider getting in touch with a repair person.

Choosing a tumble dryer with Hoover

Hoover tumble dryers are reliable and effective additions to the modern household, designed for their longevity and endurance.

Our H-DRY 500 is a heat pump model, with a size of 11kg so you can keep your laundry going for the whole family, with fresh dry clothes every morning. Better yet, they’re A++ rated for energy consumption for better energy savings, and they also feature a range of features including anti-allergy, Aquavision and 14 programmes for every eventuality.

Their sleek modern design and colour choices between white and graphite mean they’ll fit in just about any kitchen or utility room.

Want to find out more about the H-DRY 500 and discover your different options? Find out more on the product page and buy yours today