A couple of years ago I left my dryer running and went to work, 1/2 day. When I got home at noon, I could smell it as soon as I opened the front door. I thought it was on fire from the smell, but thank goodness it was just really hot. So I emptied and let it cool down. checked the lint trap, nothing, checked the exhaust, nothing. So being single and on a budget I start taking it apart (done this before to replace parts). There was a big ball of lint behind the drum the lint had made the elements get really hot, the top one was sagging touching the bottom one, they fused together. Long story short, only cost $20 to fix, but then I couldnt get the drum back in the dryer, LOL...thank goodness for men!