"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
04/26/2016 at 11:40 • Filed to: None
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"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
04/26/2016 at 11:40 • Filed to: None | 0
| 22 |
My dryer stopped heating again. I just replaced the temp sensors about three or four months ago (maybe more, I forget). At that time, it had only been a year since I had done the same job. I’m about to disassemble the dryer again, but my concern is that the vent is getting clogged, causing the element to overheat. I should probably clean the vent, but I can’t get at the outside end of the vent. It vents through the roof, and the cover is underneath the shingles, and it’s got a screen over the opening to keep critters out. Can I effectively clean the vent pipe just from the inside? Or will I just shove all the lint to the top and clog the top? I still have to get inside the dryer to see how much lint is built up inside. But I’d say that half of the exit pipe in the dryer was closed off with lint.
coelacanthist
> ttyymmnn
04/26/2016 at 11:50 |
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I've heard you can plug a leaf blower to the vent pipe and blast everything out.
RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> ttyymmnn
04/26/2016 at 11:51 |
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Lint problem - not a big surprise. Worse, the kind of thing that would have caused trouble for a new dryer if you’d gone that route. Routing the vent through the roof makes sense for a bathroom vent, but a dryer?! The trouble with trying to clean it all from one end that I see is that you likely have a felt blanket inside the pipe all the way up, and I don’t think there’s any way to snag and drag out the whole thing without pushing from one end. That would be unless you set up something almost like a chimney sweep brush and can follow up with some kind of tapping clear or blowing at the outside surface.
The whole thing sounds like it was set up by a moron. They make through-wall dryer vent setups that exit level with the unit for a reason.
jariten1781
> ttyymmnn
04/26/2016 at 11:53 |
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Can you not pop the screen? I do the leaf blower thing yearly and there's normally pretty large chunks that fly out, I don't think they'd make it through a screen.
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ttyymmnn
> jariten1781
04/26/2016 at 11:55 |
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Leaf blower from the top? I don’t have an extension ladder, and I’d probably kill myself trying to get on the roof with a step ladder.
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ttyymmnn
> RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
04/26/2016 at 11:56 |
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The dryer is somewhat centrally located, and is not against an outside wall. Hence the central pipe.
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ttyymmnn
> coelacanthist
04/26/2016 at 11:57 |
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The vent goes out to the roof. I can’t get a blower onto it without detaching it from the roof and undoing all the roofing work that keeps the water out.
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jariten1781
> ttyymmnn
04/26/2016 at 12:01 |
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Nah, leaf blower from the inside, just tape it off for a good seal where the vent goes into the wall and it'll blow everything out to the outside. You'd need to pop the screen on the top though or I'm guessing the big stuff will get stuck at the exit.
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coelacanthist
> ttyymmnn
04/26/2016 at 12:08 |
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I mean hook the nozzle of the leaf blower up where the dryer normally hooks up on the inside of the house. A home inspector once told me to do this every once in a while, but I confess I have never tried.
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ttyymmnn
> coelacanthist
04/26/2016 at 12:09 |
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Trouble is that the output from the pipe is a covered hole on the roof that is closed over with mesh to keep rats and snakes and squirrels out. The lint would have nowhere to go.
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ttyymmnn
> jariten1781
04/26/2016 at 12:10 |
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Yeah, I’m thinking the same thing. But I don’t have an extension ladder to get to the roof, and I don’t want to climb up there without a spotter.
BigBlock440
> ttyymmnn
04/26/2016 at 12:13 |
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You seem to have a good understanding of this dryer, so you probably do but I’m going to ask anyway because we all miss the stupid little things sometimes, is the lint trap cleaned before/after each use? I don’t really use a dryer so I don’t know how quickly it builds up in the vent if you do clean the trap, but I don have an aunt that burned up a dryer in a few months because she didn’t know to clean it.
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coelacanthist
> ttyymmnn
04/26/2016 at 12:15 |
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hmm... that is a predicament for sure. My dryer vents through my roof as well, now I'm wondering how clogged mine might be. Thanks for adding to the weekend list!
Leadbull
> ttyymmnn
04/26/2016 at 12:24 |
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Can’t you just rent/borrow a ladder and remove the screen?
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ttyymmnn
> BigBlock440
04/26/2016 at 12:25 |
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Yes, lint trap gets cleaned every time. Interestingly, though, there never seems to be all that much lint. It only collects at the bottom corner of the screen. I’ve had this thing apart two or three times in recent memory, and each time, I vacuum out the inside, scrape the lint build up out of the lint trap, etc. I’m going to go into the attic to see if there is any way to get to the vent pipe from the inside. And I’ve got a friend coming over tonight who has a knack for this sort of thing, and who doesn’t mind climbing up on the roof. I don’t do heights.
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ttyymmnn
> Leadbull
04/26/2016 at 12:27 |
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I can, and I will. First, I’m going into the attic to see if there’s some way to access the vent pipe from the inside. I’ve got a friend coming over after work to help me out. I don’t do heights...
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Leadbull
> ttyymmnn
04/26/2016 at 12:33 |
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I hadn’t thought of that, but I’m sure the hose attaches to a fitting inside the roof.
That might be your golden ticket haha.
Chariotoflove
> ttyymmnn
04/26/2016 at 12:42 |
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Hire someone to clean out the duct. It’s not that expensive, and it’s worth it. Clogged ducts are the biggest reason why dryers fail, I’m certain. Do it once a year, and your clothes will thank you.
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ttyymmnn
> Chariotoflove
04/26/2016 at 12:47 |
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I think I can get it cleaned out myself. At the advice of a friend, I climbed up into the attic to check out the pipe. I can detach the angled portion, and the top of the vertical pipe goes straight into the laundry room. If I can’t get it blown out with a hair dryer, I’ll go buy a snake brush. Can’t be all that expensive. I’m ashamed to say that we’ve lived here for almost 14 years and never once have I cleaned that pipe.
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ttyymmnn
> Leadbull
04/26/2016 at 12:51 |
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This is the pipe. The vertical portion at the bottom goes to the laundry room, the angled bit goes over to the roof vent and isn’t even attached. It’s just sitting in the opening. It should be a snap to disconnect the angled portion and blow out the down pipe. Then I can clean the angled portion separately and screw it all back together.
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BigBlock440
> ttyymmnn
04/26/2016 at 13:48 |
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Seems like you’ve got it now, but do you have a basement? It’s not that uncommon to have dryers vented to the basement here, and it may make it easier to clean in the future.
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ttyymmnn
> BigBlock440
04/26/2016 at 14:04 |
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Nope. Concrete slab.
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Chariotoflove
> ttyymmnn
04/26/2016 at 14:37 |
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If it’s been 14 years, then I’m almost certain that’s your problem. We didn’t realize how important it was either until our dryer suffered the consequences.