Dryer Contents

• Although it's safe to wash a pair of dirty sneakers in the washing machine, it's not necessarily a good idea to dry them in your Frigidaire Gallery clothes dryer. The drum has three baffles, or plastic dividers, attached to the drum wall. Their purpose is to separate clothes to prevent them from bunching up when they tumble dry. However, as shoes turn in the drum, the baffles can cause them to hit the sides of the drum wall especially hard and produce a loud thumping noise. Don't dry shoes in your household dryer; either let them air-dry or take them to a laundromat.
  
  

Dryer Isn't Level

• If your Frigidaire Gallery clothes dryer isn't level, it likely will thump and pound against the flooring surface as the drum turns. Place a level on top of the dryer to check for level. Adjust each of the dryer's feet at the bottom four corners with a wrench until the dryer is level. Operating a dryer that wobbles when it tumbles not only can cause harm to the dryer but also can weaken the flooring surface below it.
  
  

Faulty Drum Belt

• A rubber drum belt, similar to a large, thick rubber band, surrounds the drum at its center and aids in its even rotation. It's propelled by the motor and is positioned tightly around the belt by the tensioner. Over time, the drum belt can wear, loosen and eventually snap. When this happens, the belt is no longer able to maintain its once firm grip on the drum; consequently, the drum rotates irregularly, banging on the cabinet and producing a thumping sound. Stop using your dryer until you replace the belt. Depending on what caused it to break, you might also need to swap out the tensioner to restore the dryer's function.
  
  

Rear Drum Bearing

• Most Frigidaire Gallery clothes dryers have a drum bearing located in the back of the dryer. It's basically a support apparatus that holds the drum in position while it's rotating, consisting of either a shaft within a sleeve or a ball-and-socket type of center spindle support. If this component fails, the drum will slope down in the back so that it's no longer flat. This shift in position can cause the drum to spin inconsistently and hit the cabinet walls, creating a loud thumping noise when it does. Contact a dryer repair technician to inspect the rear bearing and change out the part if needed.