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Is your hose too long? It may be inefficient!

By
Real Estate Agent with Rossi & Riina Real Estate VT# 082-0007326

 Fire Marahal Bill

OK folks let's keep those hoses short, unclogged and SAFE!

Don't make me call Fire Marshal Bill!

flexible vent pipe

Often times on the job and while attending inspections I will see a dryer hose that looks like a snake working it's way from the basement floor up, over and out; or from the middle of the upstairs, up the interior wall, into the attic and out the soffit vent. In many locales there are codes for material and length.

In this post I am talking MORE about the length and whether or not it is drooping and twisted than the material.

I will say I prefer solid aluminum. 

 periscope type solid aluminum dryer vent#1 choice because by its rigid nature it will not droop, it has no ridges to collect the dryer fuzz which clogs the vent hose, and it is not a static generator as it is grounded metal. Wow that was a mouthful.metal dryer vent kit

#2 choice is the flexible yet rigid aluminum as it has the properties of number one yet it can be bent around corners.

#3 would be the plastic with some kind of metal grounding (anti-static) system so it does not attract the clogging lint.

I will bet my inspector friends here on AR could tell us stories that would keep us up at night... really!

I myself have seen 50 feet of hose going across a basement ceiling to a joist pocket vent with many "droops" do to lbs. of lint. Now if you cannot get closer to an outside wall (example is a condo) then use the solid pipe and run a brush through it every year or two, not 15 or 20.

Two words for the old way: Inefficient and Fire Hazard (OK it's 3 words)

Another (less obvious) problem is a flexi vent pipe running on top of the attic insulation in northern climates. Now you have wet, frozen lint for an escape route to vent your warm moist dryer air. You can see what might happen there.

I have had people say "well do you know how much it will cost me to run 40 feet of that solid metal vent pipe"? I answer "Yes, but do you know how much it is costing you in extra electricity (or gas) every month to have what you have?

I will say they could pay for a replacement venting system EVERY month!

Also if you talk to your local Fire & Safety peeps they will tell you the lint buildup can be a fire hazard. Not only is it combustible but it is the CAUSE of the heat buildup do to it restricting the air flow.

I do want to mention that people are not always careless, often they bought the place and it may have been like that, and they did not know... 20 or 30 years ago we were not blessed with home inspectors, at least they were not common.Short Dryer vent

If you know anyone who has the #1 option where the dryer is on an outside wall ask them how long it take to dry a load of towels?                                                               outside wall->

          So the tag line for this post is... "Long droopy hose BAD"

                                                       "Short rigid hose GOOD"

                                                                                        

                                                                                            Best Option

     ... If you need or want a devoted REALTOR®

call Dana Basiliere @ 802-238-3939 or email Dana@VermontisHome.com

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   Dana Basiliere REALTOR®/AGENT ABR, SRES, CNS, CHMS, CNIS

   Opening Doors for Vermonters... with a Personal Touch!  ©

Comments (7)

Jordon Wheeler
The Jordon Wheeler Group - Fairburn, GA
J W Group Real Estate Sales and Service

Hey Dana,

Very interesting information.  Seems logical the more I think about it when you are talking dryer vent hoses.  Thanks for posting.  Best of success to you this year!

Jan 12, 2013 12:54 PM
Larry Bettag
Cherry Creek Mortgage Illinois Residential Mortgage License LMB #0005759 Cherry Creek Mortgage NMLS #: 3001 - Saint Charles, IL
Vice-President of National Production

Good tips and I do think a bit of logic as well.  Losing a bit of pressure with longer hoses.  Makes me want to re-examine ours.  Thanks

Jan 12, 2013 12:58 PM
Erna Neal
The Viking Team, Realty - Winter Park, FL
A Knowledgable Central Florida Realtor

Dana, great post. It is so common for people to just forget about taking care of those hoses, also to clean the lint filter in the dryer.

Jan 12, 2013 04:10 PM
Dana Basiliere
Rossi & Riina Real Estate - Williston, VT
Making deals "Happen"

Jordon,

With dryer vent hoses short is preferable ;-) Have a great 2013

Larry,

Good point, it takes more energy to push the air through. (plus they plug up)

Erna,

If left for years the hoses can be more than half plugged. They make brushes you can run through them like a chimney sweep.

 

Jan 12, 2013 11:29 PM
Rebecca Gaujot, Realtor®
Lewisburg, WV
Lewisburg WV, the go to agent for all real estate

Excellent post...now I need to ask my husband to check our dryer and see what we have...

Jan 13, 2013 09:51 AM
Dana Basiliere
Rossi & Riina Real Estate - Williston, VT
Making deals "Happen"

Rebecca,

He will probably know what you have for a vent. A lot depends on when it was built.

Jan 13, 2013 10:12 AM
Debbie Reynolds, C21 Platinum Properties
Platinum Properties- (931)771-9070 - Clarksville, TN
The Dedicated Clarksville TN Realtor-(931)320-6730

Dana, Those can be real fire hazards. This is good information and may save someone some real damage.

Jan 13, 2013 11:59 AM