Often overlooked home maintainance problem

[hornet driver]

So the other day I was drying some cloths . I went to get them and noticed that they were still damp--hmm---odd. The cycle had stopped about 1/3 the way through. I figured the power had burped and just shut things down. I fired up the old Amana again and all was well..The next day the same thing happened and I immediately thought the problem was the timer--I ran a few runs on different cycles. No problem with the cool air cycles--HMMM. This dryer is only about three years old and it's a higher end unit so the timer just didn't make sense. I pulled it out of the hole and checked the vent hose. It had a little dust in it but no clog. I vacuumed the rear intake vents clean and started it. Sure enough it shut down after a few minutes. I'm still not sold that this is a timer problem! I went outside and checked the outlet. Sure enough the outlet was not clogged but the trap door was stuck in the closed position causing an overheat condition..I cleaned it up and vacuumed the whole shebang out. I re-cycled the dryer and good as new!! With newer dryers this is not really a fire hazard so much as a headache but, calling a tech out to fix it can cost you. So once a year checkout and clean out those dryer vents--it's only TIME and not money --right!---H

 

[Woody's Workshop]

Really good advice.

 

[rharshberger]

Good point indeed. The longer the dryers vent pipe is the worse the problem can get. When we bought our new home I installed the dryer vent myself for the wifes new stacking set the vent is 12" from the dryer to the outside and very easy to clean for that very reason. Its also a good idea if your vent is close to the ground to check that the rodent screen is still intact behind the louvers. I forgot to plug the old dryer vent location so now the laundry room gets very cold, time to break out a baggie and some spray foam so I can make a removable plug for the old vent.

 

[rrlc]

I recently had to bust out the leaf blower on the dryer vent....Ours is like 20 ft long or so. A massive amount of lint came out. I'm talking MASSIVE. Definitely an eye opener for me. I'll be cleaning that out every few months from now on.

 

[The_Lone_Beagle]

LOL, I was on another list for computers, and there is a huge thread there now about washers & dryers.

And yes, using the leaf blower to blow out the dryer vent is very popular!

 

[michigander]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-339251...650366?hash=item2c80093dfe:g:5nAAAOxyUylTP6A~

I have replaced that fuse a couple times here on our gas dryer , lint backed up does it

 

[TALON]

I own a town home & the laundry area is off the main hallway in the middle of my unit. This necessitates a vent going up/vertical through the roof. No open closing door, just a dunce like cap to keep rain water out while still allowing the hot air to vent.
A month after I moved in I had the same problem. Checked the vent hole & hose, some build up, but not enough to cause problems. But I tried it again and same result, not drying and the back of dryer getting very hot. Looked for the vent on the outside walls, no luck! Finally I climbed up on the roof. There was several vent stacks, but only one with a cap. When I pulled of the cap, there was lint at least 3 feet deep in the vent pipe. My home was built in 1970 & I bought it in 2001, so I believe no one ever went up there to check or clean it!

 

[tightwad]

I clean out my vent monthly and use a sink snake to break loose the lint in the exhaust pipe yearly. We clean out the lint trap after every use of the dryer. As a firefighter I have responded to many dryer fires that were all caused by lint build up.

 

[Onebadhawk]

Hey,,
That's a good thing that this isn't the fire hazard that it used to be...
Ther certainly is some good from technology...

Teddy

 

[Marc_G]

Hmm. I've cleaned out the lint by the outside egress and near where the dryer mates to the ducting, but never had someone out to actually clean the 20 - 25 feet of duct itself. Maybe this spring.

 

[dhbarr]

They sell a nice flexible rod & brush combo 12ft long or so that you can chuck into a drill.

I bluetape a shopvac and conical transition to the inside end, then feed in from the roof. No fuss, little muss.

 

[chrisudy]

My dryer is in the middle of the house. Vent runs down into the crawl space and then about 20 feet to the exterior. Every week, the little grid on the vent gets cleaned, and every 4 years the duct work gets replaced from the dryer all the way to the exterior. There is usually about 1/2 layer of crud lining the duct when I pull it. I'm considering putting a booster fan about 10-12 feet from the dryer, but we're looking to sell the house next year...

Chris

 

[Screaminhelo]

I check the outlet outside fairly regularly for good flow and clean as needed. When I notice that the build up is slowing down out there, I look for blockage in the tube. Most of mine is accessible in the basement and I made a QD with a band clamp where it comes down from the dryer so that I can access the entire length to clean, 10 min from start to finish.

 

[walterb]

I took the front off and cleaned between the lint screen and the outlet. There are just clips that hold it on. I filled a whole plastic grocery bag. It dries much faster now. I think my teens got lazy and were not cleaning the lint screen but some can always get past it.