PSA - Clean your dryer duckwork and vents.

[mckenney99]

I'd noticed that my electric dryer's ability to dry my loads was getting worse, yet the loads were hot when I checked them. Now that the outside temperatures have dropped, therefore the house attic temps are bearable, I decided to tackle this job. I ordered a cleaning kit from Lowes (EASTMAN Dryer Vent Cleaning Kit Item #3592080 Model #60768) (very highly recommend) and went to work. Upon pulling the dryer free from the lower duct, it was completely clogged and with the kit rods & brush was able to reach up about 4 feet to clear a huge amount of lint. I climbed up into the attic and with a friend down below to operate the Shop-Vac and using the kit brushes and snap together drill rod extensions, cleaned out the ductwork from above. Good thing I went up into the attic, because the ductwork running from the laundry room ceiling to the roof vent was also completely blocked and the connection to the roof vent was just barely holding on by a thread of twisted up duct tape. (Whoever did the re-roofing before I bought the house, jury rigged the ductwork in the worst possible way, resulting in me having to install all new and proper ducting.)
Overall I removed a full 20 gallon Shop-Vac full + part of a trash bag of lint from the ductwork. Discharged air should flow much smoother and now there is less chance of a fire. God knows when or if ever the dryer ductwork had ever been cleaned. I've been in the house 10 years and it's the first time I've done it.

 

[9mmPatriot]

I've been preaching this for over 25 years.

You'd be amazed at how many fires are caused by restricted dryer vents.


Another tidbit....
Replace your cheap rubber hoses on your washing machine every 3-5 years to avoid coming home to a flooded home. They do dry/crack over time.

 

[9mmPatriot]

And never use vinyl tubing kits to connect water to your refrigerator.


Plugged aerators on your faucets are a clue that your water heater may be at the end of lfe.




Sorry.....once I get started I can't shut up.

 

[huthike]

Thanks for the tips and reminders!

 

[bamabiker]

I know a fireman whose house burned down because of a clogged dryer vent.

 

[LVSteve]

And never use vinyl tubing kits to connect water to your refrigerator.


Pluged aerators on your faucets are a clue that your water heater may be at the end of lfe.




Sorry.....once I get started I can't shut up.

A while ago at an office I visit from time to time I pointed out that the aerator seemed to be plugged. The "facilities guy" brushed it off. Last week when I visited the plumbers were replacing the hot water heater. Hmmm.

 

[swsig]

I'll re-post this from last week. This product will greatly reduce the need to clean your dryer duct

Here's a dryer exhaust line lint trap I can recommend. It catches virtually all of the lint that gets by my dryer's somewhat ineffective lint screen. It was recommended by Mike Holmes, and it's made in Canada, so it has to be good!

 

[delcrossv]

Not just the duct but the blower in the dryer.

Had to replace a snapped belt in our GE gas dryer and found the blower stuffed with compacted lint. You'd think they'd put the blower on the intake side instead of the exhaust.

Planned obsolescence? Maybe.

 

[Maddog 521]

I'm lucky that our dryer duct is very short and easy to clean. But, the idler pulley is starting to squeal on the drum belt again. Whoo hoo

 

[SMSgt]

Our house was built in '94. The vent that goes straight up from dryer to the roof had never been cleaned until last year. I pulled and replaced the "flex" hose--which had little lint--and blew out the vent with a leaf blower. It too had little lint. Lucky? I don't know. Maybe the straight-up design inhibits build up.

The majority of lint I found was within the dryer itself. Do not forget to periodically clean out the dryer. IMO, that is where the fires start, not within the vents which are beyond the heat (ignition) source.

 

[bigwheelzip]

I'll re-post this from last week. This product will greatly reduce the need to clean your dryer duct

I'll expand this company's (Fantech) product recommendation from the aforementioned lint trap to their entire consumer ventilation product line.

We've used their vent products for decades, in our own homes and specified it for others, and everyone is pleased by it's quiet efficiency and lifespan.

Dryer exhaust:

Dryer exhaust solutions - Fans & accessories - Fantech

Sent from my motorola one 5G using Tapatalk

 

[9mmPatriot]

Our house was built in '94. The vent that goes straight up from dryer to the roof had never been cleaned until last year. I pulled and replaced the "flex" hose--which had little lint--and blew out the vent with a leaf blower. It too had little lint. Lucky? I don't know. Maybe the straight-up design inhibits build up.

Sort of...
Any elbow creates a pressure drop and reduces the overall allowable length. Basically a 90 degree elbow has an equivalent length of approximately 10 feet. in most areas the building code allows for a maximum dryer vent length of 25 feet.


So a straight pipe is always a better option.

 

[quikdraw67]

I've been preaching this for over 25 years.

You'd be amazed at how many fires are caused by restricted dryer vents.


Another tidbit....
Replace your cheap rubber hoses on your washing machine every 3-5 years to avoid coming home to a flooded home. They do dry/crack over time.

Better to use the braided stainless steel w/m hoses like those made by Fluidmaster.

And better to shut off your w/m valves when not in use .

JMHO YMMV

 

[glenwolde]

Another tidbit....
Replace your cheap rubber hoses on your washing machine every 3-5 years to avoid coming home to a flooded home. They do dry/crack over time.

Or better yet, spring for the stainless ones.

I had a co-worker that came home from a vacation to water flowing out the bottom of the front door. Laundry was on the second floor and it looked like one of the hoses burst about 5 minutes after they left.

Entire home flooded, all the ceiling sheet rock on the first floor had fallen, along with the insulation.....etc...a real disaster.

Sure, insurance paid for it. While they spent two months in a hotel. All which could have been prevented by a $35 set of stainless hoses vs. a $15 set of rubber hoses.

 

[quikdraw67]

And never use vinyl tubing kits to connect water to your refrigerator.

Again, use the braided s/s hoses. Also, it's easier if you need to pull out your fridge to clean behind it than with a copper tubing water feed line.

 

[Kenna]

I'll expand this company's (Fantech) product recommendation from the aforementioned lint trap to their entire consumer ventilation product line.

We've used their vent products for decades, in our own homes and specified it for others, and everyone is pleased by it's quiet efficiency and lifespan.

Dryer exhaust:

Dryer exhaust solutions - Fans & accessories - Fantech

Sent from my motorola one 5G using Tapatalk

We use Fantech on jobs. Love their remote bath exhaust systems!