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If it snakes like a snake, but it's not a snake, it's probably still dangerous

If you leave a comment, Russel will visit your blog and comment, and let me keep this fine box. I don't want anyone who's not a home inspector playing like they are a home inspector, but there are some things that just about anyone can look at and make an educated guess about it being wrong.

Usually these types of things can be found in older homes that have been renovated. During the process of renovation, they had to adapt or compromise in order to make room for modern appliances that were not in use when the home was built, such as a dishwasher or a washer and dryer.

Here's a picture from a laundry room that had been added to the interior of an older home:

Laundry room utilities

Notice that silver doohickey along the top of the picture? That's the exhaust flue for the dryer. Now take a look at the next picture.

Exhaust flue for dryer

There it goes. Just like a snake, in this case crawling up the wall and over the furnace utility closet. Think that's the end of it? Nope. Next picture please.

Exhaust flue for dryer

There it is coming out of the wall, and squiggling a little there, too. Just like a snake. Ah, but we're still not finished. One more picture, please.

Exhaust flue for dryer

Yep, that's it, snaking along the top edge of the picture there until it finally exits the garage.

You want to keep the dryer exhaust flue as short as possible, and if you have to use one of those corrugated connectors, certainly keep it short. Short, short, short!

The exhaust flue has to carry moist air, and a little moist lint, to the exterior of the house. When you make it too long, like it is here, or use too many connectors, or too long of a corrugated connector, the flue is subject to lint accumulating in it. When that happens, you'll have longer dryer times -- higher utility bills. Worse, though, is that the dryer could overheat, causing a dryer fire, or that the flue and lint could become excessively hot, resulting in a flue or lint fire.

If it snakes like a snake, but it's not a snake, it's probably still dangerous.

For a previous discussion about the laundry room, read "Your laundry room is about more than just washing and drying."

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Posted by Russel Ray, San Diego home inspector on 04/05/2009 08:41 PM

Comments (34)

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34 Comments on If it snakes like a snake, but it's not a snake, it's probably still dangerous

APR

Russel good grief where is the dryer in the middle of the house? Oh wait I know it is on the other side of the house but, they could not go out that wall so they decided to go all the way across the house to the opposite wall RIGHT?

I was expecting this terrific picture of a snake. You hooked me. Terrible mess in this house. Looks like a do-it-your-selfer got carried away. Some things need to be left for the professionals.

Yikes, that's remarkable. Remarkably foolish!! I can't imagine how poorly his dryer must work.

That could be a hazard, true? It never ceases to amaze me!

With all the bends and turns, it certainly looks as if it's beyond the acceptable length. And someone needs to remind that owner that Duct tape isn't really for ducts.

Hey, Larry.

The could have gone directly outside of the laundry room, but that would not been near as much fun.

Hey, Treva.

It's just that there are different species of snakes -- LOL

What a ghastly view of things. It is so dangerous.

Hey, Matt.

One does have to wonder. Maybe the washer and dryer are just for show -- LOL.

Hey, Bridget.

Definitely a true.

Hey, John.

Now don't go picking on Mr. Duct Tape.

Hey, Kim.

Unfortunately, many home owners don't understand the theory behind why something is or is not done specific ways.

Love your tag line: "If it snakes like a snake, but it's not a snake, it's probably still dangerous". Priceless! Sadly though, I cannot say that this surprises me in the least. It hasn't taken me long to learn that I will constantly see new and amazing things in regards to "home improvements".

Hey, Scott.

Sometimes home improvements aren't all they're cracked up to be -- LOL.

Sometimes, that happens in newer homes, too. When my dryer overheated and stopped, I started checking around (yeah I know, better late than never) and discovered that the exhaust was run through the floor underneath the house and all the way across to the other side of the house. Where it came through the floor, it was literally only 2 feet away from an exterior wall, but I guess the contractor must of had some extra ductwork he just had to get rid of. Who knows.

Hey, Roger.

I'm seen that, too, but not in a newer home. I file it under "out of sight, out of mind."

There is no way the dryer lint is going to make it through every one of those turns! We've had to clean out our own, and it just goes straight up!

Great illustration of an important point! Thanks for sharing this.

Hey, Lisa.

The straight up ones are some of the more problematic because you have wet air and wet lint defying gravity. Keep those flues short!

Hey, Fred.

Pictures often truly are worth a thousand words.

The pictures were worth a thousand words. I would be very nervous about that being that long. Never really paid attention to them myself in homes but guess I'll probably be looking more now!

Hey, Valerie.

This is one of those things that anyone can see, not just home inspectors -- Sellers, Buyers, Realtors, home owners, etc.

Good photos RR thought that was going into the neighbor's house.

APR

Holy smoke, Russel... that has to be the longest flue I've ever seen. Is that like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest? ;-)

Russel, What a mess... Is it any wonder that some folks burn up their dryers? - Go figure...

Most communities have a code stating how long the dryer venting is allowed to be. My guess, this one would violate all of them.

My Garage looks just like that...I will fix that.

It is funny the creative methods people come up with on the older homes to retro fit things in. Snakes everywhere!

I have definitely never seen anything like that. I guess they had no other choice but still.

APR

Now, I know why I was not a home inspector! That looks perfectly O.K. to me......!

Hey, Russel. What were they thinking??? Nothing about that looks right. Thanks, Jim

I hate to say that the dryer vent in my home goes straight up to the Attic, across the attic and out the side of the house up high. I have had to clean it out to keep the dryer drying. The whole pipe is corrugated. The dryer is in the middle of the house way from any exterior walls. All in all it probably runs 30 feet unlike the dryer vent in my mountain home it runs about 8 inches straight outside.

APR

Russel,

I found this snake on the side of this house that had shed its skin. This also is a dangerous species, I believe from the "Shockus Maximus" group of reptiles. Your silverish snake looks like it is from the "Overheatus" or "Lintus Collectis" group. Of course, with that Anaconda-like length, it could be from the "Dryurs Fyrs" species.

SEC

Hey, Joshua.

It took me a few minutes to compose myself from laughing so hard before I could dictate this comment. That's too funny. I like your species names, too.

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