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Talked to a property manager yesterday about dryer vents...
I was out at a complex in Arlington, replacing a heating element in a Whirlpool dryer. The property manager, this older guy named Frank, came by to chat. He mentioned he's been having the tenants clean the lint trap every load, but the dryers still run slow and trip the thermal fuse. I told him the machine itself was fine, so I checked the exterior vent cover. It was completely blocked by a bird nest and felt like a solid wall of lint behind it. Frank said he's never had anyone check the actual duct run in the 8 years he's managed the place. That conversation hit me different because I realized how many service calls might just be hidden vent blockages. How often do you guys actually pull the dryer away and look at the full vent path before swapping parts?
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simon_carr5d agoProlific Poster
Solid wall of lint" sounds like a new fire hazard cologne.
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emmaking5d ago
Honestly I used to just laugh at warnings about dryer vent fires and stuff like that, figured it was overblown. But after reading this thread and looking into it more, yeah I get it now. That lint buildup is basically kindling waiting for a spark, especially if the vent gets blocked. Someone posted a photo of their clogged vent the other day and it looked like a solid brick of fuzz, not even exaggerating. Changed my whole view on how serious it actually is to clean those things out regularly. I'm gonna go check mine this weekend now.
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