If your dryer is taking two or three hours to dry one load clothes that should normally dry in one hour, lets see if we can pinpoint what it is the problem.
The first thing you need to check and make sure it is that the dryer is heating.
Set the dryer in the regular timed cycle and turn it on, let it run for about 5 minutes, open the dryer door and check to feel if it is heating.
If it is heating ok the next thing to check, it is to see if the tumbler is turning inside of the dryer. With the timer set on the regular timed dry cycle, open the dryer door, push and hold the door switch in. Press the dryer start button and look inside to see if the tumbler is tumbling or not.
If the belt breaks and the tumbler won't tumble, the clothes are not going to dry out. If the tumbler tumbles ok, check the exhaust hose to make sure that it is not blocked with lint.
Turn the dryer on with out any clothes inside and go outside and check the exhaust tube coming to the outside of the house. There should be a good amount of air exhausting to the outside. If the airflow coming to the outside is weak, see if it is any lint blocking the air coming out.
If it looks ok at that point, go inside of the house and remove the exhaust hose from behind of the dryer. Check the airflow coming from the dryer, it should be strong, if it is strong, the problem has to be in the exhaust hose.
It could be lint, a kink in the hose and I have even seen when the hose is hanging and bend in a U shape, water in the hose restricting the airflow.
If everything mention is working ok, then the problem could be thermostats, heating elements, switches, etc.
Before you decide to take the dryer apart because is taking too long to dry the clothes, make sure that your problem is not an obstruction on the exhaust hose.
Electricity could be dangerous if you are not careful when working or checking an electric appliance. Make sure to disconnect the dryer before you do any work on it.
