Control panelThe control panel, with the buttons and settings for each load.
DoorThe door, which swings open to load and unload the drum.
DrumTurns so the clothes tumble through the warm air. They tumble instead of lying in a heap. Also called the tumbler.
Lint filterThe lint filter, or lint screen: it catches fluff from the clothes. Clean it before every load.
BlowerPulls the warm, damp air and lint out of the drum. This fan then pushes it out through the exhaust duct.
From the front: 7 3
Cycle selectorThe cycle selector: the dial that picks the drying cycle.
Moisture sensorMetal bars the clothes touch as they tumble. They let the dryer tell when the clothes are dry and stop.
Leveling legsScrewed in or out so the dryer stands level and steady.
Inside and the vent: 4 3
Heating elementHeats the air before the air goes through the drum. Gas dryers use a burner instead.
Exhaust ductCarries the hot, damp air through the wall. It runs from the back of the dryer. Also called the vent pipe.
Exhaust hoodThe exhaust hood, or vent hood, on the outside wall. Its flaps let air out and keep birds and insects from getting in.
How this list was compiled: Read 2026-09-27. (1) Wikipedia, Clothes dryer, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clothes_dryer : a rotating drum (tumbler) through which heated air circulates while it turns; the hot, humid air is vented outside; heating elements; sensor dryers; a fan motor pulls moisture and lint from the drum; they are pushed through the exhaust conduit (flex transition hose, rigid pipe and elbows in the wall, vent duct hood outside); the vent hood’s plastic flaps keep out insects, birds and snakes; a blocked vent wastes energy and can cause a fire. (2) GE DPSR610 clothes dryer owner’s manual, https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-7283398 : control panel, cycle selector, door, drum, lint filter (clean before each load), moisture sensor, leveling legs, exhaust duct, exhaust hood. Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site by script, 2026-09-27. Own work, nothing traced. Licence: own work
How it works
These are the parts of a dryer on a front-loading electric tumble dryer: first from the front with the door open, then cut through from the side to follow the air. Start with the 6 main parts.
Read the full guide
The front
Set the cycle on the control panel. Clothes go through the door into the drum, which turns so they tumble through warm air. Moisture sensor bars tell when they are dry, and the lint filter below the opening catches fluff.
Following the air
The heating element warms the air, which passes through the tumbling drum. The blower then pulls the damp air and lint out and pushes it along the exhaust duct, through the wall, to the exhaust hood outside.
Clean the lint filter before every load: lint in the filter or vent slows drying, wastes energy and can start a fire.
Questions and answers
What is the drum of a dryer?
The big tub the clothes go into. It turns, so the clothes tumble through the warm air instead of lying in a heap, which helps them dry evenly.
Where does a dryer's air go?
A vented dryer blows the warm, damp air out through the exhaust duct to a hood on the outside wall. Condenser and heat pump dryers cool it and collect the water instead.
How does a dryer know the clothes are dry?
On many dryers, moisture sensor bars at the front of the drum touch the clothes as they tumble and sense how damp they are, so the dryer stops when they are dry.