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When it was time to replace my washer and dryer, my husband was adamant about what brand we’d get: a Speed Queen. All of his coworkers raved about how large a load these machines could handle, and well, with a house of five, that also sounded pretty appealing to me.
So, we bought a Speed Queen washing machine and dryer expecting a simple, dependable appliance. Instead, I discovered a frustrating problem: Sometimes the dryer wouldn’t shut off at the end of a cycle.
And I don’t mean it ran for a few extra minutes.
Mine ran for more than 24 hours on multiple occasions because I didn’t realize it was still going.
My laundry room is in the basement, so it’s not always at the top of my mind. The first time I came down to learn my dryer had been running since I last turned it on over 24 hours ago, the lint trap was overflowing, and the clothes were extremely hot and rough-feeling.
Scared that my dryer was now a fire hazard (and a little upset my new, expensive dryer was already having issues), I called a repairman. But even then, the cause of the infinitely-running dryer wasn’t immediately obvious. It took two service visits before we finally figured out what was happening.
The problem wasn’t the vent, the moisture sensor, or the clothes inside. It was the direction I turned the dryer knob.
What My Dryer Was Doing
Most of the time, I would start the dryer, walk away, and assume it would stop when the cycle ended. But on several occasions, I came back much later and found it still running.
At first, the problem seemed inconsistent. The dryer didn’t refuse to shut off every single time, which made it difficult to diagnose. Sometimes it completed the cycle normally, while other times it continued tumbling indefinitely.
Because the issue came and went, I initially wondered whether I was choosing the wrong setting or overloading the machine. I also considered common dryer problems such as a blocked vent or faulty moisture sensor.
None of those turned out to be the real cause.
The First Repair Visit Didn’t Solve It
After the dryer ran continuously the first time, I called a repair technician.
During the first visit, there wasn’t an obvious failed part causing the dryer to stay on. Since intermittent appliance problems don’t always happen while the repair person is present, the dryer appeared to be working normally at the time. So, to ease my nerves, the technician replaced a sensor that he thought could be the culprit.
But the problem continued.
I had the repairman come back a second time, and we started going through specific details. That’s when he informed me that if the control knob on my model gets turned counterclockwise, the dryer knob doesn’t move, and therefore doens’t shut off.
In my opinion, this is a major design flaw. And I’d caution against getting a Speed Queen dryer for this reason. The dryer knob shouldn’t be able to turn counterclockwise if it causes the dryer to remain running.
There’s no solution other than not accidentally turning the knob clockwise. And with two careless teenagers in my house, that’s not always a guarantee.
Don’t Ignore a Dryer That Keeps Running
A dryer that runs longer than expected wastes energy, can over-dry or damage clothing, and may indicate that a control or safety-related component isn’t functioning properly.
I was fortunate to discover the dryer still running, but finding that it had operated for more than 24 hours was unsettling. After it happened multiple times, I knew it wasn’t something I could dismiss as accidentally choosing a long cycle.
Until the cause is identified, don’t leave a malfunctioning dryer running while you sleep or leave the house. I’m actually terrified to run my dryer at night now since we have a bedroom in our basement.
Call a repair technician and only use the dryer supervised until the problem is identified.