Venting your Dryer Properly.
Hello Folks, my name is Rich and I am the owner/operator of Western Appliance Repair in Boise and Meridian Idaho.
- In this blog page I’d like to discuss dryer vent hoses. The dryer vent hose can be made of Vinyl, Flex Aluminum or Rigid Aluminum. I’ll discuss the benefits of each one of these. Vinyl dryer hoses should never be used in my opinion. They degrade too quickly and are very susceptible to leaks. They just don’t appear to withstand the heat generated from the dryer. They are not recommended by appliance manufacturers.
- Flex dryer vent hoses are my preference. Although they are NOT recommended by some manufacturers they are easily installed and attached to appliance and ducting. They withstand heat very well and are very useful when it comes to moving your appliance out from the wall. These flexible vents are most common.
- Rigid dryer vents: Appliance manufacturers appear to recommend the hardest and most durable vent they can to protect themselves from lawsuits. There are big problems with rigid vents however. I find rigid vents crushed in on about 80 percent of my dryer repair calls. Many times they are so crushed that they are restricting air-flow to the point of damaging the dryer. Many other times the vent is just not installed properly. The clamps that are used to hold the vent to the dryer and ductwork are not strong enough. Thus, many times I find the vent hose disconnected and venting air directly into the washroom. The installation of these rigid vents is difficult from many homeowners and even professionals. So, while the rigid material itself can withstand heat and resist punctures more than the other types, the numerous installation and crushing failures of these vents make them more of a problem than ever.
