Frigidare electric dryer not heating properly

Longer dry times and improper heating can be attributed to poor dryer vent ducting. The first thing you need to check is the ventilation ducting to ensure that it is not kinked or clogged. Poor air flow is the number one cause of dryer failures. Not to mention it can cause fires due to lint backing up inside the dryer. This can cause an "electrical" smell a lot of people complain about. If lint accumulates on the heating element it will smolder and burn. It is often reported that you should clean your ducting twice per year. I recommend the ducting be checked (this means inspected to see if it needs cleaning) thoroughly about once per season. That's 4 times per year. If you've never cleaned the ducting, or your dryer is pushed all the way up against the wall causing the ducting to become kinked, you will have air flow problems. One way in determining air flow is to remove the vent hose from the back of the dryer and start the dryer with a load to see if it heats better. The air flow coming out of the back of the dryer should be forceful and gradually warm up to about 140 degrees. If the air flow is weak, you may have a clog inside the air baffle of the dryer (this is where the lint screen slides into). If the air flow is good, reattach the dryer hose and check at the output of the dryer vent as it exits your home. If the air flow is weak or non-existent then you know you have a clog in the vent line somewhere. Periodic cleaning will go a long way towards preventing future clogs. Dryer vent rule of thumb: The SHORTER and STRAIGHTER the vent line, the BETTER. Everywhere you have a bend or kink is an area where you will create potential collection points for lint. Poor dryer maintenance is also one of the frequent causes of house fires. In addition, if the dryer vent runs into an attic, or under a crawl space, this can cause heating problems due to frequent clogs (remember the shorter and straighter rule). I would recommend a little routine inspection and maintenance before assuming you have a part failing. Leaving a dryer in a poorly ventilated condition will eventually lead to failure of the heating circuits. If you have checked the dyrer thoroughly and have no ventilation problems, we can take it from there to see if you have a component starting to fail on you. Please post back and let me know. I hope this is helpful to you.