A DRYER IS A TERRIBLE THING TO WASTE

There was a frantic knock on the door. It was the neighbor. He seemed quite agitated. I got defensive and started to utter…. “I was just about to mow the lawn. And, the leaves on the ground…well, it makes good mulch….”

But, it wasn’t poorly maintained landscaping he was here to discuss. Apparently, something was wrong with his dryer. The problem had started weeks before—just about when he started taking over laundry duty. He noticed the loads were taking longer and longer to dry. At first he thought he was overstuffing it. So, he reduced the load size little by little. His load was down to four pairs of socks and a towel. When he found this load still damp (albeit hot and steamy) after an hour on the White Heat cycle, he had lost it. A big dent in the door marked the incident.

After hearing this, my defensive tone softened and I went into my "helpful neighbor" mode. I asked “Did you check the vent? Was it clogged?”

“Vent? Uh..I’m not sure.”

“Was the lint screen compartment clean? Lint can bypass the screen and clog up the compartment sometimes.”

“Lint screen? Where is that? Around back? I haven’t checked there yet. Should I? May I borrow a screwdriver?”

In the least judgmental tone I could muster, I asked “You don’t know where the lint screen is? And, you’ve done how many loads? Okay…. this could be a problem. Let me get my flashlight.”

You’re probably snickering and thinking “Who doesn’t know to clean out the lint screen after each load! Good grief! The guy deserves to waste a Saturday fixing his dryer.”

But, before you make plans for that bike ride, you should think about the first question. Was the dryer vent clean?

Many of us are very diligent about removing lint from the lint screen after each and every load. The instructions are embossed right onto the handle. How could we possibly disregard it? It would be like pouring bleach into the darks cycle. No one does this. And if you do, you deserve the consequences, right?

However, as I told this appliance-challenged neighbor, some of the lint does bypass the screen and end up in the compartment. And, lint can also bypass the compartment and end up sticking to the walls of the dryer vent. Think tiny pieces of wet toilet paper in the form of hot moist lint shooting out. Over time, the dryer vent clogs up like the artery of a cheesecake addict.

What’s the consequence? Wouldn’t it be great if it were just limited to the inconvenience of extra long dry times, massive energy waste, and reducing the life of the dryer? Many of us might be okay with that to avoid wasting a Saturday afternoon on tedious chores. Unfortunately, that isn’t all of it. A clogged vent is also a serious fire hazard. There are 13,000 fires reported each year in the U.S. that started in or at the dryer, a number of which can be blamed on lint build up.

To work properly, a dryer must exhaust hot moist air to the outside. If the vent is clogged, the dryer has to work harder to exhaust that air, which can cause the motor to overwork and get hot. Also, lint can catch on fire.

The moral of this story? Don’t wait for a pair of nylons to melt onto the dryer to know it’s time for a maintenance check. Be proactive! As joyless as this task may seem, you’ll feel a great sense of accomplishment once it’s done. So, take a Saturday morning and do the following:

STEP 1: Remove the lint screen and use a Shop-Vac or the hose attachment on your vacuum to suck out any lint remaining in the compartment. Even when diligent about removing lint after each load, lint often manages to get around the lint screen and build up in the compartment.

STEP 2: Pull the dryer away from the wall and unplug it. Give the base and back of the dryer a good vacuuming, too.

STEP 3: While the dryer is unplugged, disconnect the flexible hose vent and give the inside of it a good vacuuming. Before reconnecting your flexible hose, see Technical Corner for additional tips.

Step 4: Go outside and check the vent cap (where steam exits when the dryer is running). Clean the lint from around the cover and make sure the flap can open and close easily. It should open freely to let hot moist air out but stay closed when not exhausting to keep pests out. (see Technical Corner for additional tips.)

STEP 5: The most tedious part: Clean the lint out of the dryer vent (connects the back of the dryer to the vent cap outside--could be any length depending on where your dryer is in relation to an exterior wall).

You may be one of the lucky ones with the dryer close to an exterior wall, which means your vent will be short and easy to clean from either end. Also, shorter vents are less likely to clog. However, if your dryer is located far from an exterior wall, you will need to brave a trip down to the crawlspace or basement to assess the situation.

Check the vent for overall condition keeping in mind that fewer angles and joints are better, and that even the straight runs should extend no more than 25 feet (less if there are angles). Disconnect each section of duct and clean the inside. (If you have a flexible hose-type vent, see Technical Corner for additional tips.)

Homeownership has many rewards. But, with the good comes the not so great —such as performing tedious home maintenance tasks. It may help to keep in mind that tedious is generally better than expensive. And, we can probably agree that tedious is definitely better than a house fire. So, let’s keep plugging along on our home maintenance.

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And, while you’re in there…….
(Sadly, by “in there” I mean the crawlspace or basement.)

You may want to take a close look around for signs of uninvited “friends” that might have set up camp during the wet and cold fall we had. Admittedly, it seems cruel to remind you that critters may be peering at you from dark corners when all you are trying to do is be responsible and clean out the dryer vent. But, wouldn’t a second trip down be worse?

Rodents can be a problem whether you live in a $5M waterfront mansion with a stunning view of Elliot Bay or in a 2-bedroom cottage in a less remarkable part of town. Rodents do not distinguish between luxury digs and starter homes. However, one of the criteria they do use to determine which basement to call home is ease of entry. Why gnaw through a metal grate crawlspace vent cover when the neighbor’s vent has a welcome mat and a piece of cheese hanging over the clear opening? Even rodents understand the concept of path of least resistance.

Not satisfied with merely being purveyors of emotional distress, rodents wreak havoc in many other ways. It has been estimated that 20% of house fires of undetermined causes are started by rodents. They can chew through just about anything, including electrical wires. And, they can do a number on insulation and ductwork. If that weren’t enough, they are known to carry diseases that can be transmitted to humans.

So, grab a flashlight and head down to look for the following signs:

• Rodent droppings (the bigger the droppings, the bigger the critter—the more droppings, the bigger the population)
• Nest made of shredded paper or other fibrous material
• Dislodged or damaged insulation and ductwork
• Food scraps or pet food where there shouldn't be food scraps or pet food

As long as you are in the hunting mode, you may as well do a quick check of the attic to ferret out any rodents that may have established residency there. Despite much denial, you probably know deep in your soul that those scurrying and scratching sounds aren’t related to the house settling.

Signs of rodent activity in the attic are similar to those described for the basement/crawlspace described above, with one additional clue to look for--"trails" in the insulation. Also, the attic will most likely house roof rats as opposed to Norway rats in the basement, a minor technicality.

If you do see signs that critters may be around, it would serve you well to act quickly to remove those that are present and prevent any future entry. A Norway rat can produce 4 to 6 litters a year. Each female in the litter can do the same. You do the math.

If you decide to remove them yourself, there is an endless array of contraptions designed for this purpose available in hardware stores and online. But, no one will think less of you if you called in a professional exterminator.

Even if you do not find signs of an active infestation, you should do everything in your power to prevent a future run-in with these creatures. Seal all likely entry points, including:

• Tightening the crawlspace access cover
• Install screens over crawlspace and soffit vents
• Seal gaps at the base of all exterior doors with weatherstripping or gaskets (rats can get through a 1/2-in opening, and mice only need 1/4 in)
• Seal gaps around pipes, wiring, cable, etc, that penetrate exterior walls
• Remember that pet doors provide easy access to pets as well as rodents
• Cover rooftop plumbing vents with screens
• Trim overhanging tree branches to at least 3 feet of the structure (roof rats can jump quite a distance)

The other thing rodents like is easy access to food. So be sure to keep garbage and recycling bins tightly closed, keep pet food in a sealed container, and keep gardening supplies organized neatly and away from the house. In general, maintain good housekeeping practices by keeping clutter away from the structure.  

There are a thousand other tasks that need doing around the house. But, cleaning out the dryer vent and securing your house against pesky pests probably qualifies as a productive weekend of home maintnance. Go forth now and enjoy your well-maintained, rodent-free house!

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