dryer had been working fine; I went to swap loads and found that although the clothes in the dryer were mostly dry, it had stopped before it finished its cycle, stopping in the cool-down stage. I tried turning it back on, but the start button won't start the dryer. I checked the fuse box in the house, it didn't trip, and the light is still on inside the dryer, so I don't think it's a main fuse. it just won't turn on. any ideas?

as it turns out, the dryer is fine and works great. the problem was with the electrical receptacle in the wall. it was loose and at some point started to burn (I could see the melted plastic around the prongs on the dryer plug, and the one that blew had a discolored prong, it was obvious). I had checked the fuse box of course and nothing was tripped, but it fried one side of the 30amp receptacle so it wasn't getting juice. if it had been the other side that fried, the dryer would have ran but wouldnd't have gotten any heat — but because it was the side that handed power to the unit, it wouldn't run. I replaced the receptacle (I got a 30 amp outlet for less than $6 at home depot) and everything is working fine now. I considered replacing the plug on the back of the dryer but haven't done that yet.

thanks for the help, and I hope this helps someone else! next time, I will check the prongs on the plug in addition to the fuse box just in case. learn something new every day.