Should you repair or replace your broken clothes dryer?

Consumer Reports looks at clothes dryers and lands on a relatively optimistic note: because dryers are mechanically simpler and tend to last a few years longer than washers, many faults are genuinely worth fixing. Its interactive tool weighs the dryer’s age, type, original cost, and the repair quote to point you toward the smart move.

Dryers also carry a safety dimension CR flags — a poorly maintained or failing dryer can become a fire risk — so “repair” has to mean a proper repair, not a patch. OwnWise helps on both fronts: it identifies the likely fault (a $15 thermal fuse, a worn belt, a failed heating element), estimates the cost, tells you whether it’s safe to DIY, and flags hazards like blocked venting that shouldn’t be ignored. Most “dead” dryers are a cheap part away from working — OwnWise tells you when yours is one of them.

CR weighs the economics; OwnWise gives you the fault, the cost, and the safety read.