Listen to your wife when she says the dryer isn’t drying clothes
 

For a few weeks I’ve had to listen to my wife re our dryer problems. Error codes were popping up and clothes never really dried out. I, like usual, was clueless. We had our one year inspection last week and she insisted that the dryer vent be checked out. One of Franks sons climbed up on the roof and they found out that a vent with a screen was installed rather than a flap and it was close to 100% blocked by lint. Frank said that it was a fire hazard and should not be used until corrected. Hopefully that fix will be happening soon. Moral of the story - listen to your wife!

Ps I’m thinking that my house was not the only house with this screw-up.

I don't like the design that pipes the vent up out the roof. Seems like gravity works against this design (IMO the screen compounds the problem ( lint that passes the dryer screen can't escape) IMO out the side wall low is much better and seems to not plug up as bad, plus it easy to check see I find it's venting by placing you're had at the flappers.

I don't understand why a dryer vent is placed way up high. It makes it so much more difficult to check and clean.

We’re in a concrete villa. Probably easier to break through the roof rather than do whatever would be required to go out the concrete. Although now that I think about it, the bathrooms vent through the soffit. They could have done something similar with the dryer vent.

Same story for me Cousin Brucie, different result. We had a small dryer fire. Spending the money to have it done correctly is worth it, as soon as the clothes take a little longer to dry. Someone, please give the name of the highly recommend man who does this for us. Once a year was the schedule in Jersey.

Frank & Son's are the best.

So was that a mistake when they installed a vent with a screen rather than a flap! Or is that what they normally (and stupidly) do?

I'm thinking it must be the code??? But I'm not certain. It could have been a worker who made an error or took a shortcut.

I was agreeing with you about listening to the wife when she says its taking to long for the clothes to dry. I was thinking yea right. Turns out in my case, I have selective hearing and almost or could have lost the house because of it.

My dryer line is metal and no longer than two feet long and there is a removable plastic cover on the outside to keep varmints out. Frank Deangelo would have the correct answer for you about the code.

My problem in Jersey was the pipe was too long and had two turns. I had to put a blower to advance the lint along and get it out of the house.

For dryer vent cleaning: Covenant Enterprises | 352.308.9243

It's best to try to schedule when rain isn't forecasted.

That's the one. Thank you.

I’m thinking that if they installed the screen rather than the flapper in error, then someone else (other than me) should pay to have the line cleaned. Probably fat chance of that happening.

Actually as re-read the summary for the inspection, it says a screened bath vent roof cap was found to be incorrectly installed on the dryer vent stack. So they definitely screwed up. It says this can damage the dryer or become a severe fire hazard. In the case of a gas dryer, it can cause carbon monoxide poisoning. This was not a little mistake. You would think that the Villages would find out why this happened to make sure it’s not being repeated. I would think there could be quite a lawsuit if this turns into a tragedy for someone.

Dear Bruce,
We appreciate the trust you have in us to do your one year warranty inspection. In your case, us finding a incorrect dryer vent was a serious issue. We do not find this often, but we do find this a few times a year. Whenever possible, we ALWAYS check for this.

The code states that a dryer vent should never be screened...it should instead have a flap. Most roofers know this.....in your case, whoever installed that vent cap was not paying close attention and installed the wrong one. The screen allows lint to get stuck and accumulate, eventually blocking the vent totally. This results in much longer dryer times. It can also easily cause a fire, as lint is very flammable and once clogged, can get stuck in your dryer, near the heating element, etc.

This is why we recommend that dryer vents get cleaned out once every year or two. This should be done even when you have the correct flapped vent.

Thankfully for you, the newer dryers are "smart" dryers, and will warn you when this occurs.

As you know, we put this in the report that this was a serious fire safety issue, and that the incorrect vent needs to be removed ASAP and the correct vent installed. We also put in the report that since we have no non-invasive way of knowing how much of the vent ductwork is also clogged, that the warranty department should cover a complete dryer vent and dryer cleaning, as this clog is directly caused by the installation of a incorrect screened vent cover.

When I found out today that the warranty department did not do this right away, I contacted them again today stressing the urgency of this error. Please let me know Bruce if this is not done within the next day or two. I will personally follow up on it even more.

This is the second one we have found in a week. This is why we walk all over the roof and go all over the attic in 98% of the homes we inspect.

Thanks again for your business! Keep me posted....

Frank D'Angelo

For those that want to DIY, these work well. Can be used from the roof or ground level:
Shop LintEater Dryer Vent Lint Removal Kit (White/Black) at Lowes.com

Never listen to your wife. Pretend the solution was your idea and tell her how smart you are. She will worship you forever until she realizes you are full of it. Then watch out! I am twice divorced and know what I'm talking about.

P.S. I am now divorced 3 times but still "real smart".

Call warranty to find out.

Thank you to you and your sons for doing a thorough job! I’ll let you know if we don’t hear from them soon re the vent.

No matter the opening at the end of the dryer vent, lint is MUCH more an issue and problem here where humidity is often above 80 percent. It wets the fuzz and the blowing air soon compacts it into a felt like substance that sticks to the inside of the pipe and it just keeps getting thicker and thicker... not the dry fluffy stuff that we are used to up north. You need to have your dryer vent cleaned at LEAST once a year.

Here is an ethical business; Covenant Enterprises. LLC Desmond Harris, Owner. 352. 308.9243

It was the construction project manager for your house that screwed up. It’s his/her job to check everything the subs do. I would contact that person ( name on sticker affixed to the electric panel cover).


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Update - SunKool came by today. The guy said the manufacturer of the vent erroneously put in a screen rather than a flapper. SunKool doesn’t check this prior to installation and assumes it is correct. However Sunkool can’t just replace the screen with a flap. The roof vent itself has to come out and be replaced by the correct one. Consequently in addition to Sunkool coming back, a roofer also has to come back. We’ll be able to use the dryer until that time since they cut away the screen. The SunKool Guy said when they come back they will check the vent pipe for any obstruction. What a pain in the ass!

Who is going to pay for this repair? I don't think you should have to.

Remember this. A year from now with your new dryer opening, your dryer will slow down and not dry clothes well again. You have to have your dryer vent cleaned here often because of the high humidity. It turns lint into felt. Hard as it can be.

To all new people. Have your dryer vent cleaned regularly.

Whoever installed the vents on our roof turned the one over the laundry room the wrong way (or something like that). In heavy rain, water was pouring down the dryer vent tube. When the dryer quit drying clothes, we called Beck's appliance repair, and the late Mr. Beck came out, disconnected the vent tube, and where it formed a "U," it was full of water.
The house was out of warranty, but we called Warranty anyway. The roofer and plumber kept kicking it one back to the other, but warranty kept on it, and finally one of them caved and came out and fixed it.


The bad news is it took a year and a half for one of them to quit arguing and fix it. Part of that was the two contractors stalling and our forgetting to hound, etc. But Warranty did keep on it whenever we called.

They are paying.

I don’t feel so bad now.

:coolsmiley:

Complete Dryer Vent Services. Gus. 352-653-0809
Gus is an authorized Whirlpool appliance repairman. He does dryers on the weekend. $75 to clean your vent and $150 to clean vent, dissemble your dryer, clean and reassemble. He is a nice young guy and he knows what he is doing. Several in our neighborhood have used him.

This is the best way to get the job done and is the correct way also. In N.J. they had a company called Duct Dudes who had the biggest vacuum truck you ever saw and they would clean the line and the dryer from the outside dryer vent. It was amazing and quick. 20 minute in and out $75 or $100. For this guy to disassemble and clean, he's the one for us. Thank You perrjojo. :bowdown:

Think about it. Cleaning the line and not the dryer is the same as changing your oil and not the filter. Once you have seen the damage from a dryer fire no reminder will be required. Just do it, TODAY!

It took 30 days for the correct vent to be finally put in after many phone calls. I guess the problem was that the sunkool guy and the roofer had to be here at the same time. On my last call to warranty they gave me the Sunkool number and asked me to call since they were having no luck with Sunkool. Instead of calling sunkool I expressed my frustration in an email to my Villages realtor who forwarded the email to the builder who called me and finally got it done. For the most part I’ve been very satisfied with the warranty dept’s responsiveness. This instance not so much.

To all new people. Have your dryer vent cleaned once a year.

I have concrete block CYV. My dryer vent out on the back wall due to location of washer and dryer connections. Even though it mismatched with the dryer vent it's through the concrete wall. I guessing you're design has the dryer on inside wall which usually leaves nowhere to vent except straight up?? I can look at the design of houses and tell which have dryer venting through the roof by what's sticking up on the roof. IMO another problem is venting between studs in the wall up through the roof. The ducting used to fit in the wall studs are not 4" in diameter, there smaller and IMO along with gravity compounds the problem, which leads to that design to be cleaned out mimum annually?

When I was married, my wife always said I never listened to her, or something like that.

Always call warranty first and act nice. Warranty reports to the boss who hires the contractor. Warranty is just like anyone else, they always act nice when you act nice. And warranty is the power, not the contractors, don't call them, always call warranty. We have built eleven homes in our life. The two here had the least difficulty. Anything on the list was fixed immediately. And have Frank DeAngelo for your year inspector. He is thorough and honest. The Villages are honest too and they do an excellent job. P.S. Frank and his son are so good and so requested you may NOT be able to get them, if not Frank will recommend other inspectors who he considers good.

GG, are you saying new homes are to be inspected just before the end of the first year of ownership?
Thanks!

Who signed off on the certificate of occupancy ?

Exact thing happened to me.

You cannot see the screen and it will take a few months for the screen to become blocked. Many homes are need new roofs, along with the new roof, you will usually get a new dryer vent cap. These new vent caps many times have the screen rather than the swinging flap door.

Yes please listen to your wife!
 

We had the same problem, clothes were not completely dry. Had to run the cycle 2-3 times depending on the load. Husband checked the bottom vent....was not clogged. Decided the old dryer just couldn’t do the job anymore. New dryer installed, guess what, was not trying the clothes! Up on the roof, found the pipe was blocked. New dryer works find noe, perhaps the old one would have also worked fine...we’ll never know!

Have someone clean out your roof vent once a year. Flap or screen, they all get clogged. The high humidity in the air turns fibers into felt, hard as leather. I think I have the card of the guy who cleans out ours every year;

Here is is; Covenant Enterprises, Desmond Harris,352 308 9243 This guy is reliable, honest and fairly priced.

My daughter called me while she was staying at my other house. She said she smelled gas (mercaptan) and felt lightheaded when she went to get her clothes out of the gas dryer which is located in a small laundry room. She also told me she had to run the dryer twice to get her things fully dried. I asked her if she smelled gas when the machine had not been run for a while and she said no. My guess is the burner is partially clogged from contaminants in the natural gas supply and incomplete combustion is producing carbon monoxide as well as leaving some gas unburned. This issue in addition to clogged venting is another thing to monitor if one has a gas dryer.