Willow tumble dryer not heating: causes & fix

What is actually happening

On a conventional dryer this is usually a failed element or a tripped thermal cut-out, and the cut-out normally trips because airflow was restricted — so replacing the part without clearing the fluff simply repeats the fault. On a heat pump dryer there is no element at all, and a dryer that runs a full cycle without heat and reports nothing is a different diagnosis entirely.

The Willow fault codes that point at this

A Willow tumble dryer will usually tell you what it thinks is wrong before anyone opens it up. These are the codes we hold for this make that relate to not heating:

E02 — The machine has not taken in the water it was expecting, so it has stopped and flagged a fill problem.
E04 — The dryer has flagged a problem with its heating circuit — the control board is not seeing the heater behave as it should, so the cycle is halted.
E05 — The dryer has lost a sensible reading from the temperature sensor on its heater, so it has shut the heating down rather than run blind.
E09 — The machine has decided the electricity reaching it is outside the range it will work with, so it has stopped rather than run on a bad supply.
E11 — The main control board has lost communication with the separate board that runs the drying side of the machine, so the dryer function won't start or continue.
E15 — The machine has detected that the drying air is getting too hot, and it has shut the cycle down to protect itself.
E16 — The dryer has sensed the air inside it getting hotter than it should and has shut the cycle down to protect itself and your laundry.
E17 — The temperature sensor that watches the drying side of the machine isn't giving a sensible reading, so the machine has shut the drying down.

If yours is showing one of those, that is a much shorter conversation than a general fault — tell us the code when you book and the engineer can often carry the part.

The usual causes on a Willow tumble dryer

A failed heating element
A tripped thermal cut-out, usually caused by blocked airflow
A blocked lint filter, condenser or vent hose restricting air
On heat pump models, a refrigerant or compressor fault rather than an element
A failed thermostat or sensor

What you can safely check yourself

Clean the lint filter, and on a condenser model pull out and rinse the condenser block
Check the vent hose is not crushed, kinked or full of fluff
Note whether it is a heat pump model — the diagnosis and the cost are quite different

Still not heating?

Most of these need an engineer once the checks above are done. £66 including VAT for an engineer to come out and diagnose it, or £84 in total including VAT if it is put right on the visit and no parts are needed. Any parts needed are quoted on site before we fit them — you decide. Every repair carries a 90-day workmanship guarantee.

Our engineers work on Willow machines week in, week out, so they arrive knowing the machine rather than reading the back of it. Local engineers across Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire.

Call 0115 648 0929 Book online — postcode and number is all we need

Common questions

Why is my Willow tumble dryer not heating?

The drum turns and the cycle runs, but the clothes come out cold and damp. On a conventional dryer this is usually a failed element or a tripped thermal cut-out, and the cut-out normally trips because airflow was restricted — so replacing the part without clearing the fluff simply repeats the fault. On a heat pump dryer there is no element at all, and a dryer that runs a full cycle without heat and reports nothing is a different diagnosis entirely.

Can I fix a Willow tumble dryer not heating myself?

Clean the lint filter, and on a condenser model pull out and rinse the condenser block. Check the vent hose is not crushed, kinked or full of fluff. Note whether it is a heat pump model — the diagnosis and the cost are quite different. Beyond those checks this one normally needs an engineer.

What Willow error codes mean not heating?

Willow tumble dryers report this through their own fault codes. The ones that point at not heating are E02, E04, E05, E09, E11, E15. If your machine is showing one of those, that narrows it down considerably — each has its own guide on this site.

How much does a Willow tumble dryer repair cost?

£66 including VAT for an engineer to come out and diagnose it, or £84 in total including VAT if it is put right on the visit and no parts are needed. Any parts needed are quoted on site before we fit them — you decide. Every repair carries a 90-day workmanship guarantee.

Other Willow tumble dryer faults

Repairs we cover near you

Written by the engineers at ASAP Repairs from our own repair notes. See also our general guide to tumble dryers not heating and our Willow repairs page.

Willow tumble dryer not heating