Wear and Tear

• Dryer belts are primarily composed of black rubber, most often reinforced with steel to strengthen the rubber. It must be stretched very tightly around the drum of the dryer. Because it is rubber, and has to be stretched to be useful, it may break after extended use.
  
  

Belt May Rub on Drum

• If a dryer belt is not tightly stretched around the drum, it may also suffer from friction when it slips. Combining the tendency of rubber to age with use and the possibility of friction around a drum makes the dryer belt subject to breakage.
  
  

Belt Makes the Drum Move

• Because the belt is responsible for making the drum move so that clothes are tumbled in hot or warm air, if the belt breaks, the dryer will not work. A dryer belt makes little or no noise and generally gives no warning when it is about to break.
  
  

Gas vs. Electric

• The belts in both gas and electric dryers are subject to the same stresses. Heat, age, and friction may eventually cause the rubber belt to break.
  
  

Prevention of Breakage

• While it would be convenient to know why some dryer belts wear out faster than others, a cause and effect are generally guesswork. Some households use the dryer more frequently; thus wearing out the belt sooner than the neighbor's. Some repair professionals believe that overloading a dryer may contribute to breakage. The third possibility is that there is no explanation except luck.