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Dryer is thumping, squealing, or rattling

A noisy dryer is usually telling you something small and fixable — very often just loose change in the drum or a machine that's drifted out of level. Even the wear-and-tear noises are mostly named, inexpensive parts.

tuneWhat are you noticing?
Select anything that matches and the checklist below reorders to fit. Not sure? Skip it.
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In Canadian homes, a steady thump or scrape on every rotation — worse as the load warms up — usually points to worn drum support rollers or glides. You can hear it: a rhythmic beat that tracks the drum turning. Listening for it costs nothing; roller and glide kits are inexpensive, and it's a doable job with care once the machine is unplugged and opened.

Ranked from real-world failure data. The order updates as you select what you’re noticing above.

Likely causes, in the order to check them

Showing the typical order
Beginner-friendly Doable, with care Safety-critical Call a pro

visibilityHow to check

warning Unplug it before you open anything — and check the vent while you're in thereReaching the rollers means opening the cabinet, where you'll be near the drive motor and, on an electric dryer, 240-volt wiring. Unplug the machine — not just stop the cycle — before removing any panel, and on a gas model close the gas shutoff and avoid straining the flexible gas connector. One bonus while the dryer is pulled out and open: clean the lint vent. A lint-clogged exhaust duct is a leading cause of dryer fires, and this is the easiest time to clear it (see "Clothes take forever to dry"). If opening the cabinet isn't for you, roller and glide replacement is routine work for an appliance technician.
  1. Unplug the dryer first (on a gas model, close the gas shutoff too). Then, with the door open, turn the drum slowly by hand and feel for a bump or catch once per rotation.
  2. Listen to the running noise: worn rollers or glides make a rhythmic thump or scrape that keeps time with the drum, and it often worsens as the load warms up.
  3. Opening the cabinet (rollers usually sit on the rear bulkhead or at the front glides) lets you see flat spots, grooves, or a roller that won't spin freely — the confirming look. This is a with-care job; read the gate first.
buildNo tools schedule10 min

handymanHow to fix it

With the dryer unplugged, open the cabinet, lift out the drum, and replace the worn support rollers (and front glides, if fitted) with a kit matched to your model — a little high-temperature roller grease on the shafts finishes the job. While the drum is out, clean the lint vent run.

  1. Unplug the dryer (on a gas model, close the gas shutoff). Photograph the belt routing and any wiring before you disturb anything.
  2. Open the cabinet per your model, release the belt from the idler and motor pulley, and lift the drum out to expose the support rollers and any front glides.
  3. Pull the worn rollers off their shafts (a retaining clip usually holds each one), fit the new rollers and glides from a model-matched kit, and add a dab of high-temperature grease to each shaft.
  4. Reroute the belt exactly as photographed, reseat the drum, close up, plug in, and run a cycle to confirm quiet operation. While the machine is out, clean the exhaust vent — see "Clothes take forever to dry".
schedule90 min savings$20–60
Dryer drum roller and glide kitMatch your dryer's model number (sticker inside the door edge) — roller size, shaft, and glide style vary by brand High-temperature appliance greaseA dab for the roller shafts; ordinary grease melts or attracts lint
gavel Check your province first AB: homeowner may do this · BC: homeowner may do this · ON: homeowner may do this · PE: homeowner may do this · QC: homeowner may do this
Replacing drum rollers and glides on an unplugged cord-and-plug dryer is appliance repair, not fixed wiring — DIY-permitted in every province. On a gas dryer, disturbing the gas connection would add a gas-fitting concern (route that part to a licensed technician). REVIEW: confirm no province treats plug-in appliance repair as regulated work.

visibilityHow to check

  1. Open the door and shine a light around the whole drum — coins and buttons hide at the back and along the seams where the drum meets the front and rear panels.
  2. Run a finger around the soft felt seal at the drum opening and check the lint-trap slot; a zipper pull, an underwire, or a small screw can lodge there and rattle.
  3. Spin the empty drum by hand and listen: a loose object clatters and shifts, while worn rollers or a belt make a steadier, repeating sound that points elsewhere.
buildflashlight schedule5 min

handymanHow to fix it

Remove any loose objects from the drum, seal, and lint-trap slot, then make emptying pockets before every load a habit. If a stubborn item has slipped past the seal, a stray sock or coin can usually be fished out through the lint-trap opening.

  1. Clear every loose object you can see or feel from the drum and around the felt seal.
  2. Pull the lint filter and check the slot below it — small items fall in here; a flashlight and a bent wire or a vacuum crevice tool retrieve most of them.
  3. Run an empty cycle to confirm the noise is gone, and get into the habit of emptying pockets before each load so it doesn't come back.
schedule5 min savingsusually free

visibilityHow to check

  1. With the dryer off, push down firmly on each corner in turn. If the cabinet rocks or teeters, at least one foot isn't carrying weight.
  2. Set a level (or a phone level app) on top, front-to-back and side-to-side, and note which way it leans.
  3. Check that the dryer sits square on the floor and isn't leaning against the wall or the washer — contact there transmits vibration and adds to the rattle.
buildlevel schedule5 min

handymanHow to fix it

Adjust the levelling feet so all four carry weight and the top reads level, then confirm the cabinet no longer rocks. Most feet turn by hand or with a wrench; a locknut snugged against the cabinet keeps them from drifting.

  1. Tip the dryer back gently (or have a helper steady it) and identify the four threaded feet; loosen any locknut on the ones you need to change.
  2. Turn each foot in or out so all four sit firmly on the floor and the level reads true front-to-back and side-to-side — usually you only need to lower one or two.
  3. Snug any locknuts back against the cabinet, rock each corner to confirm it's solid, and run a load to check the rattle is gone.
schedule15 min savings$0–10

visibilityHow to check

warning Unplug it firstGetting to the belt and idler pulley means opening the cabinet, near the drive motor and 240-volt wiring on an electric dryer. Unplug the machine before removing any panel, and on a gas model close the gas shutoff and don't strain the flexible gas connector. If the cabinet isn't a place you want to be, belt and idler replacement is routine, inexpensive work for an appliance technician.
  1. Unplug the dryer first (on a gas model, close the gas shutoff). A rising squeal as the drum speeds up, or a rhythmic slap, is the classic belt-or-idler sound.
  2. Turn the drum by hand: a belt that's intact but frayed will feel and sound different from one that has snapped (a snapped belt lets the drum spin far too freely and usually stops it tumbling under power).
  3. Opening the cabinet lets you see the belt for fraying or cracks and check whether the spring-loaded idler pulley spins freely or is dry, stiff, or seized — the confirming look. With-care job; read the gate first.
buildNo tools schedule10 min

handymanHow to fix it

With the dryer unplugged, open the cabinet and replace the drum belt (and the idler pulley if it's dry or seized) with parts matched to your model, then reroute the new belt around the drum, idler, and motor pulley exactly as it came off.

  1. Unplug the dryer (on a gas model, close the gas shutoff). Photograph the belt path around the drum, idler pulley, and motor pulley before removing anything.
  2. Open the cabinet, slip the old belt off, and check the idler pulley — spin it by hand and replace it too if it's stiff, noisy, or dry.
  3. Fit the model-matched belt around the drum with the grooved side against the drum (per your model), then route it around the idler and motor pulley exactly as photographed.
  4. Close up, plug in, and run a cycle to confirm the squeal is gone and the drum turns smoothly. While the machine is out, this is a good moment to clean the exhaust vent.
schedule75 min savings$15–45
Dryer drum beltMatch your model number exactly — belt length and rib count differ even within a brand Dryer idler pulleyMatch your model; replace with the belt if it's dry, stiff, or noisy
gavel Check your province first AB: homeowner may do this · BC: homeowner may do this · ON: homeowner may do this · PE: homeowner may do this · QC: homeowner may do this
Replacing a drum belt and idler pulley on an unplugged cord-and-plug dryer is appliance repair; no fixed wiring is altered — DIY-permitted in every province. Gas-model work that touches the gas connection routes to a licensed technician. REVIEW: confirm no province treats plug-in appliance repair as regulated work.

verifiedWhy this one goes to a pro

Replacing a rear drum bearing or a blower wheel means fully splitting the cabinet, pulling the drum, and working around the motor, the blower housing, and 240-volt wiring — and on a gas dryer, the burner and gas line. It's more teardown than the roller or belt job, and getting the drum re-centred and the blower balanced is what the experience buys. In Canada this routes to a licensed appliance technician; a gas dryer adds a gas concern. A tech can confirm and quote it quickly.

gavel Check your province first AB: homeowner may do this · BC: homeowner may do this · ON: homeowner may do this · PE: homeowner may do this · QC: homeowner may do this
Rear-bearing and blower-wheel replacement on an unplugged electric dryer is legally still cord-and-plug appliance repair in every province, but the teardown and drum re-centring route this to a licensed appliance technician in practice. On a GAS dryer, the burner/gas connection makes part of the job licensed gas work — that portion is gas_fitter-only. REVIEW: confirm the electric/gas split and any province that regulates it more tightly.

Your notes travel with the request — what you saw, what you ruled out, when it started — so the pro arrives with a head start instead of a mystery.

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Why the list is in this order

We don’t sort by likelihood alone. We sort the way a good, honest tradesperson thinks: rule out the free, safe, common causes first. That’s why the cheap checks outrank the expensive repairs — and why anything dangerous gets a hard stop instead of a pep talk. The order exists to save you money, not to sell you anything.