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".