7 components coveredField manual · Dryer
Gas dryer ignition system, electrical side (Whirlpool/Maytag and GE): field service manual
Covers: Residential gas dryers with a hot-surface (glow-bar) igniter, a radiant flame sensor and a two-coil gas valve: Whirlpool-built 29-inch and GE-built gas dryers. Electrical diagnosis only.
Most US gas dryers light the same way: a silicon-carbide igniter heats up, a flame (radiant) sensor next to it opens once it sees heat, and that switches power to the gas valve coils. When the burner lights, the sensor keeps the valve open. This manual covers what can be tested safely with power and gas off. Anything that touches the gas valve body, gas line, connector or burner gas pressure is blocked and goes to a licensed gas technician.
Safety first
- Close the gas shutoff and unplug before any panel removal.
- If you smell gas: no switches, leave and call the gas utility from outside.
- Never loosen gas fittings, remove the valve body or adjust gas pressure: licensed gas technician only.
- Do not touch the igniter element; it is hot and breaks easily.
How it works
Call for heat: the timer or control closes the heat circuit through the thermal fuse, high-limit and cycling thermostat. Current flows through the igniter and, in parallel, through the flame sensor, which is closed when cold and holds the secondary coil out of the circuit.
Ignition: the igniter glows for a short time. The flame sensor, mounted on the burner tube beside the igniter, heats up and opens. That routes current to the secondary coil; with the booster/holding coil already powered, both valves open and gas flows to the hot igniter.
Run: the flame keeps the sensor open, so the igniter cools while the coils hold the valve open. When the cycling thermostat opens, the burner shuts off and the sequence repeats on the next call for heat.
Reading the symptom: igniter never glows points to the thermal fuse, thermostats, igniter or flame sensor; igniter glows and then goes dark with no flame points to the valve coils (or a gas-side problem); flame lights and goes out after a few seconds points to airflow; heats at first, then stops lighting once warm is the classic weak-coil pattern.
Components & tests
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OnCall Tech is a reference tool for trained technicians and can make mistakes. Always disconnect power and confirm with the manufacturer's documentation before you work. © 2026 OnCall Tech. Original content; not a reproduction of any manufacturer document.Generic part photos (not of this brand): Washer and dryer side by side under a wall-mounted water heater by Pușcaș Adryan, Pexels License
