On 26 Oct 2006 07:35:53 -0700, "Jennifer" wrote:


ap wrote:
Hello,
we are noticing that the dryer takes a bit longer than usual,
we always clean the lint filter that plugs into the dryer.
I was wondering if others clean their dryer vents that lead
to the outside of the house?

If so, can this be diy or is too hard? We are not handy types.

If you have any web links on how to do it, please send them.

Thanks!

In my admittedly limited experience, the lint tends to collect most at
the point where it exists the vent to the outside, and you can often
just reaching and pull it out with your fingers. It's been that way in
the three houses I've lived in, anyway. Can't hurt to check.

There can be worse things than lint too. A few years back, our dryer
started taking forever to dry stuff. Finally, I pulled the dryer out,
undid the vent line and found a piegon's nest and two (hard boiled)
eggs in it!

Apparently ithe birds were small enough to fit through the outside
opening (no screen or flap, just the sheet metal rain hood) and they
liked it...probably flapped out when the dryer started up, the nest
appeared to have been partially rebuilt so maybe miore than one set of
birds used it.

Anyway, after replacing the dryer vent hose, I built a bird excluder
out of some heavy-gauge copper wire (basically made a cartwheel shape
and folded the "spokes" in as I pushed it down into the vent where it
exited the wall). Withe the spokes bent out as spikes and the wire
itself we've not had a problem since.

The copper wire should last for decades and the "mesh" is more than an
inch square so I don't worry much about lint build up. One of these
years, I'll pull the vent and check to be safe.

This is a condo but whenever I retire to a real house, I'll put a vent
with a flap or something built in. Besides the fire danger and wasted
energy, I really hate having cooked the pigeon eggs even though I
loathe pigeons.

Jim P.