Post by TMan on Oct 28, 2010 6:46:30 GMT -5
In case you never heard: clothes dryers are a major cause of house fires. Lint builds up, air flow is restricted, heat builds up...
Most newer models have a sensor that if it overheats, will turn off the dryer. Our dryer in India had that. One day shortly after arriving for an extended stay, I was in the kitchen, heard the dryer start up when the maid put clothes in it. A few minutes later I went into the kitchen and heard the dryer stop. I frowned and looked at the maid. She pointed in the general direction of the dryer and shook her head.
When I investigated, I found one hot dryer and almost an inch of lint on the filter. I explained to her the best I could that you had to clean the filter. It didn't take. Next visit - same problem.
So I'm always careful to ensure the filter is clean and I do check the outside vent occasionally.
Since I'd pulled out the dryer to paint the baseboard, I disconnected it, looked into the vent pipe and saw a buildup of lint on the outside of the housing. I went outside, looked at the white plastic that now had a lot of mold on it and decided I'd get a new one.
Ace hardware had one where the vent was brown instead of white. Way to go, I bought the whole kit. I checked the screw holes on the outside part and they were in the exact same place as the old one. This was going to be easy; foolish man that I am.
With the old one, the plastic part fit inside the vent pipe. With the new one, it fit on the outside. That meant the hole needed to be enlarged and the old pipe would have to come out. No problem, a new pipe came with the kit.
Using a block of wood and a hammer, I drove the old pipe out from inside the house. That was easy. Then came the shock, and the reason for this post: there was almost a 2" hole inside the pipe where it had rusted through from moisture. That meant that moisture was going down inside the wall. Would it be enough to rot the wood? I'm doubtful. Would it be wet enough to attract termites? You had better believe it.
Having spent thousands of dollars trying to get rid of the little buggers, the last thing I want is some wet wood attracting them back. The year after the first treatment, I found a mud tube going up the side of my holly. The treatment company agent said: "they will go for live wood when they are starving."
So, if you live in an area that has problems with termites, check your dryer vent pipe. Unless of course you would rather pay thousands of dollars out in treatments vs. spending it buying guns.
Most newer models have a sensor that if it overheats, will turn off the dryer. Our dryer in India had that. One day shortly after arriving for an extended stay, I was in the kitchen, heard the dryer start up when the maid put clothes in it. A few minutes later I went into the kitchen and heard the dryer stop. I frowned and looked at the maid. She pointed in the general direction of the dryer and shook her head.
When I investigated, I found one hot dryer and almost an inch of lint on the filter. I explained to her the best I could that you had to clean the filter. It didn't take. Next visit - same problem.
So I'm always careful to ensure the filter is clean and I do check the outside vent occasionally.
Since I'd pulled out the dryer to paint the baseboard, I disconnected it, looked into the vent pipe and saw a buildup of lint on the outside of the housing. I went outside, looked at the white plastic that now had a lot of mold on it and decided I'd get a new one.
Ace hardware had one where the vent was brown instead of white. Way to go, I bought the whole kit. I checked the screw holes on the outside part and they were in the exact same place as the old one. This was going to be easy; foolish man that I am.
With the old one, the plastic part fit inside the vent pipe. With the new one, it fit on the outside. That meant the hole needed to be enlarged and the old pipe would have to come out. No problem, a new pipe came with the kit.
Using a block of wood and a hammer, I drove the old pipe out from inside the house. That was easy. Then came the shock, and the reason for this post: there was almost a 2" hole inside the pipe where it had rusted through from moisture. That meant that moisture was going down inside the wall. Would it be enough to rot the wood? I'm doubtful. Would it be wet enough to attract termites? You had better believe it.
Having spent thousands of dollars trying to get rid of the little buggers, the last thing I want is some wet wood attracting them back. The year after the first treatment, I found a mud tube going up the side of my holly. The treatment company agent said: "they will go for live wood when they are starving."
So, if you live in an area that has problems with termites, check your dryer vent pipe. Unless of course you would rather pay thousands of dollars out in treatments vs. spending it buying guns.
