Home Inspections in the Lower Mainland — case study - dryer vent
Clogged vents don’t just cause fires. They also reduce the efficiency of your dryer to the point where you could be paying an extra $20 a month to run it and it won’t be long before you’ll have a costly repair on your hands. If clothes are taking longer than normal to dry or are still hot and damp after a full cycle, that’s a clear signal that you need to clean the vent.
You can hire a pro to do the job or, for fifteen to thirty dollars, buy a dryer vent cleaning kit with a rotary brush that extends up to 12 feet. Some kits are made to rotate with the help of a power drill. Make sure you extend the brush the full length of the vent so no hidden blockages remain. Then use the vacuum extension to remove the lint and debris the brush has loosened.
Check connections and if it’s time to replace your dryer duct, use rigid or flexible metal ducting (never plastic or thin foil) and metal foil tape to keep your dryer safe.
People often ask me why they have to attend a home inspection with me, instead of waiting for the report. I’ve been an inspector for over 27 years now, inspecting homes all over Metro Vancouver and the Lower Mainland — as far east as Hope, as west as Richmond, North to Lions Bay and south to 0 Avenue in Surrey, and I’ve never had a client tell me after accompanying me on the inspection say, “this was a waste of my time”.
More often than not, they’ve learned many things they were unprepared for, and are relieved that they have answers and understand the importance of ongoing maintenance and proper repair.
Here’s a typical case study of a home inspection that I’ve completed with a client on site.
We’re going to cover many aspects of the home, using examples from many inspections I’ve done over the years, including solutions.
The house we’ll be inspecting over the next week or so, is a three bedroom two bathroom home built in 1969, in North Delta.
It’s springtime, and a clear day, when the clients, a young couple, Bruce and Heather, are buying their first single family home and they arrive. They’ve owned a townhouse in Surrey, and now have a family. Bruce is an accountant, and Heather is a stay at home mom. Five years ago, I inspected their first home — a townhouse with them, and they were pleased with that inspection. Now, we’re going to look at their new purchase.
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We’re now in the interior of the home.
What are we looking for?
We are looking at the laundry room.
As we walk towards the utility area where the washer and dryer is, we’re hearing sounds of a frustrated teenager.
The owner’s daughter is putting damp clothes into the dryer and muttering under her breath about how she “doesn’t have time for this”.
“I’m sorry that I’m here, guys, Mom and Dad said I shouldn’t be here during the inspection” she says to us as she frantically stuffs more clothes. “These were supposed to be dry by now. I think this dryer is another dud. It’s almost brand new and it isn’t any better than the old dryer!”
I look up at the dryer, and notice where the dryer vent goes through the ceiling and exits not near the bathroom, but, as I noticed, on the outside of the home — quite a ways away. The dryer vent begins at a hard 90degree curve and likely has more in its journey to the outside. Typical dryers are designed to be vented up to 15' with two 90 degree bends. With sweeping bends they can generally vent sufficiently up to about 25', but this dryer is still over that. The simplest solution is probably adding a booster vent for dryers, (an inline booster fan). They run about $200 and generally should be installed near the exit, but can be mounted anywhere 5' away from the dryer or more. With one of these 30' with a handful of bends would be no problem.
Another thing to check is determine if your clothes are hot after the dryer runs for a while. The problem will most likely be the vent pipe from the back of the dryer going outside is blocked with lint built up over years of use. I clean my vent twice a year by removing the outside cover and running a flexible metal snake in it like a plumber uses to clean out drain lines. When I first done this I was amazed at the amount of lint that came out when I started the dryer. Only thing — do not stare into the vent pipe when the dryer is started. (Don’t ask how I know). Once I even found a bird’s nest near the exit pipe! The birds had a periodic heat bath almost every day, and had lots of lint in their nest as a cozy bed for the babies!
The teenager was listening to my suggestions and said, “I’m telling Mom! Why didn’t we know this before? Maybe we didn’t even need a new dryer. I bet we didn’t!’
There’s another really important reason why lint should be removed frequently. Lint can cause humidity levels to rise around vents causing mildew and mold to develop in walls and insulation. But most importantly: Lint is combustible. Lint causes fires.
Fortunately, removing dangerous lint is simple. The first area to clean is the dryer lint trap after every load by removing the lint from the screen and wiping the edges. If the screen seems clogged, it may be from the dryer sheets you have been using. Submerge the lint screen in a sink of hot water and scrub with a bristle brush to remove all the built-up fabric softener.
Dryer lint brushes (cleaning kits) are available online at Amazon in a variety of sizes and prices.
Bottom Line: to sum things up, dryers are appliances that need periodic maintenance to keep energy costs down, make your home safer and, for your teenager, cause less frustration when her designer jeans don’t dry fast enough.
Solutions?
If your dryer seems to be taking a long time to do its job, consider a cleaning kit, check your vents, determine how long the dryer vent hose is, and where it exits. Check and clean the exit route of your dryer vent and consider a an inline booster fan if necessary.
This Delta inspection scenario is one of the important reasons why I really like people to attend the inspection with me. Like a CSI operative, sometimes we’re lucky to have a ‘situation’ show up while we’re on the inspection — where we can help, not only the buyer, but the owner, with solutions that can make life much more comfortable.