Used to be it was shit wiring or something. Now it’s mostly stuff like this that burns down most houses now a days. Better safety and wiring standards over the decades has helped.
That’s not warranted for the very very unlikely chance of that happening vs the impact that would have on getting chores done. Just keep your appliances well maintained and in good condition and then use them whenever it’s convenient
The vent is for the moisture-laden warm air that results from forcing hot air into it. Possible than vented dryers are less common in your region if you are not familiar? They are an incredibly simple design, and thus very cheap to make, but are significantly less energy efficient than modern condenser or heat-pump dryers.
Yeah looks like only heat pump driers are even allowed to be sold in the last 14 years here. But even before that, my family never had one that vented outside (Switzerland).
There are gas burning dryers, but I’ve only ever personally seen or used electric ones (resistive heaters), it’s there to vent the damp air outside. I’d personally like a heatpump dryer, as far as I know they don’t need any venting.
Heat pump dryers have a huge drawback though: the heat exchanger is woven through the condenser. So you cannot remove the condenser from the system. The lint which is not in the trap thus builds up in the condenser over time. Bad enough, but that’s also where the moisture goes. So after several years it will start to reek, and your laundry will start to reek, as the reheated air goes through there.
So, long story short, cleaning that mess: you’re going to have a bad time, as you can’t just remove the unit and cleanse it under running water. I would rather buy just a condenser dryer (or check up whether heat pump dryers became better, our model is 7 years old now, maybe they’re better nowadays).
There is a brush that came with it and the manual said the same, but after 5 years of family use, that stuff was not only in the front anymore. I had to use a pressure washer and some chlorine based detergent to get rid of everything (if I knew about an ozone generator back then I might’ve tried that against the odor).
YMMV. If you’re using it e.g. in a 2-person household you might never have that issue during the whole expected lifetime, but with our usage and especially all that babystuff, that happened, and I hated it 😅.
Mine froze shut, or at least small enough that the dryer stopped drying two winters ago. Luckily it was near the end of the season so I just used the laundromat a few times then it warmed up and thawed.
Then I procrastinated getting it cleaned and the same thing happened last winter. This time, I bought some extra venting tube and a plastic box that you plug one side in to your dryer and the other side in to the wall vent, and it has a switch and a screen that lets you pick between venting inside or outside. Heat and humidity are in demand during the winter, so it was a win/win. My clothes came out dryer and faster than ever, plus the heat and humidity were appreciated.
Though joking aside, for some reason this last time it was actually easy. Other times I’d be tempted to bum a smoke at social gatherings, which would lead to me feeling embarrassed about that and getting my own pack for a gathering, which then would turn into “better have them before they go stale and not waste them” and then the nicotine addiction would be back and I’d get another pack.
But this time, there wasn’t even much temptation to have social smokes. Probably helped that I made the decision in early 2020 when health was a popular topic for some portion of the population. I did have one social smoke since then, more out of curiosity than a craving, and it was back to tasting like an ashtray. Didn’t even finish it because I got tired of it before it was done.
It’s nice to be actually done with them instead of just stopping because I probably should even though I didn’t want to.
I hope you mean through the attic and out the roof or siding. A dryer vent should not vent into the attic space or you are at high risk of having problems with mold.
If this is what her lint trap looks like, I can’t imagine what the dryer vent looks like.
Btw, get your dryer vents cleaned out! Annually is ideal, but absolutely no more than every 3 years. A blocked dryer vent is a huge fire hazard.
Two houses on my street have burned down within the past two years for this exact reason. It happens more frequently than I think people realize.
Used to be it was shit wiring or something. Now it’s mostly stuff like this that burns down most houses now a days. Better safety and wiring standards over the decades has helped.
Don’t ever run washers or dryers or dishwashers when not at home.
That’s not warranted for the very very unlikely chance of that happening vs the impact that would have on getting chores done. Just keep your appliances well maintained and in good condition and then use them whenever it’s convenient
What is a dryer vent even for? Do dryers in North America burn gas, is it the exhaust?
The vent is for the moisture-laden warm air that results from forcing hot air into it. Possible than vented dryers are less common in your region if you are not familiar? They are an incredibly simple design, and thus very cheap to make, but are significantly less energy efficient than modern condenser or heat-pump dryers.
Yeah looks like only heat pump driers are even allowed to be sold in the last 14 years here. But even before that, my family never had one that vented outside (Switzerland).
There are gas burning dryers, but I’ve only ever personally seen or used electric ones (resistive heaters), it’s there to vent the damp air outside. I’d personally like a heatpump dryer, as far as I know they don’t need any venting.
Heat pump dryers have a huge drawback though: the heat exchanger is woven through the condenser. So you cannot remove the condenser from the system. The lint which is not in the trap thus builds up in the condenser over time. Bad enough, but that’s also where the moisture goes. So after several years it will start to reek, and your laundry will start to reek, as the reheated air goes through there.
So, long story short, cleaning that mess: you’re going to have a bad time, as you can’t just remove the unit and cleanse it under running water. I would rather buy just a condenser dryer (or check up whether heat pump dryers became better, our model is 7 years old now, maybe they’re better nowadays).
Oh yeah that’s unpleasant, good to know.
You just need to brush it out about once a year. Might need to partially take it apart depending on the model.
Looks like that in my machine
There is a brush that came with it and the manual said the same, but after 5 years of family use, that stuff was not only in the front anymore. I had to use a pressure washer and some chlorine based detergent to get rid of everything (if I knew about an ozone generator back then I might’ve tried that against the odor).
YMMV. If you’re using it e.g. in a 2-person household you might never have that issue during the whole expected lifetime, but with our usage and especially all that babystuff, that happened, and I hated it 😅.
Mine is a different style of condenser. For that, I’d probably brush it out a lot more often.
I just hang my clothes outside, inside if its raining and use a dehumidifier if necessary.
This is what my clothes would look like half the year if I dried them outside.
Ah, that might be it. Apparently only heatpump units can be sold here in Switzerland since 2012.
Mine froze shut, or at least small enough that the dryer stopped drying two winters ago. Luckily it was near the end of the season so I just used the laundromat a few times then it warmed up and thawed.
Then I procrastinated getting it cleaned and the same thing happened last winter. This time, I bought some extra venting tube and a plastic box that you plug one side in to your dryer and the other side in to the wall vent, and it has a switch and a screen that lets you pick between venting inside or outside. Heat and humidity are in demand during the winter, so it was a win/win. My clothes came out dryer and faster than ever, plus the heat and humidity were appreciated.
I got the duct cleaned this year.
As long as you’re not using a gas dryer.
Ah yeah, didn’t even realize that one of those would vent the same way as the humid air. But no, I don’t have a gas dryer.
Ok good lol. Don’t want you slowly killing yourself.
Yeah, would have quit cigarettes for nothing.
Congrats on quitting! That’s so freaking hard to do.
It’s not that hard, I’ve quit smoking many times!
Though joking aside, for some reason this last time it was actually easy. Other times I’d be tempted to bum a smoke at social gatherings, which would lead to me feeling embarrassed about that and getting my own pack for a gathering, which then would turn into “better have them before they go stale and not waste them” and then the nicotine addiction would be back and I’d get another pack.
But this time, there wasn’t even much temptation to have social smokes. Probably helped that I made the decision in early 2020 when health was a popular topic for some portion of the population. I did have one social smoke since then, more out of curiosity than a craving, and it was back to tasting like an ashtray. Didn’t even finish it because I got tired of it before it was done.
It’s nice to be actually done with them instead of just stopping because I probably should even though I didn’t want to.
Yeah I think I’ve had 1 in the last 10 years. It did not taste good and I’m grateful for that lol.
I’m fortunate that ours runs into the attic. I check it every year, but it’s always spotless
I hope you mean through the attic and out the roof or siding. A dryer vent should not vent into the attic space or you are at high risk of having problems with mold.
Yeah, it vents out the roof
Mine runs into the basement. I should check it.
Yeah I had to seal mine. Extra important if it’s a gas dryer.