Hot answers tagged dryer
20
Sorry to be the Nay Sayer here, but trying to repair a 240vac heating coil element is just plain dangerous. You mentioned using aluminum wire, WRONG! That wire will melt in a heartbeat as soon as you turn it on. The heating element is probably made of tungsten or other hardened heat producing metals and trying to use copper or aluminum is no substitute.
...
18
NO!!!
The vent will expand and contract and break the glass. You need to go through the cinder blocks (preferable, but if you must, go through the concrete).
Also, with double paned glass, there is usually an inert gas (or Nitrogen) sealed in between
the panes. Drilling it will break the seal.
My advice: Get someone to do it for you. It is unlikely you ...
13
According to Chicago Building Code
18-28-504.1 Installation.
Clothes dryers shall be exhausted in accordance with the
manufacturer’s instructions. Dryer exhaust systems shall be
independent of all other systems and shall convey the moisture and any
products of combustion to the outside of the building.
Exception: Where the make and ...
13
This usually happens because the dryer vent is getting clogged with lint (the lint-catcher isn't 100% effective, so some does escape). You should clean it out regularly because a clogged vent can cause fires. If the vent is short enough, you may be able to use a vacuum cleaner to clear it; otherwise use a dryer vent brush (can also be called a dryer duct ...
12
You can probably do it yourself cheaper than hiring it out. You could try something like this vent cleaning system. It seems to have fairly good reviews on Amazon, and for $25 it's worth a shot. It claims to have a 12' reach and the ability to navigate turns in the vent, so you may have to go at the last 3' from the other end.
Note: You'll need a drill to ...
12
They sell inline lint traps, that can be installed along the exhaust vent.
This should catch most; if not all of the excess lint, and give you a convenient easy way to clean the lint. The lint should be cleaned often (along with the dryers internal lint trap), to increase dryer efficiency and decrease the chance of fire.
Keep in mind, these are ...
11
Vented air from the dryer is full of moisture since it contains water from the clothing being dried. Do not vent it into your crawlspace or basement since you will definitely have moisture problems. After you vent it outside, run the dryer and put your hand over the vent and you will see what I mean.
10
a broken wire or loose connection can pass voltage but as the current draw goes up, the voltage goes down. depending on the quality of the break, the voltage at no current draw (such as with a multimeter) could vary from full voltage to almost nothing.
to really figure this out, you'll need to remove the cover of your breaker box. measure the voltage ...
10
Before you do anything, you must figure out where it goes. It really has to vent outside. If it vents into the attic, you are going to have serious issues, including the potential of mold and rot as the hot, moist air is vented into an unconditioned space. It is (usually) against building codes to vent into the attic for this reason.
If it is venting ...
10
Dryer vent air is full of water vapor and dust. I wouldn't want to blow it into my house.
I do not know how much heat (BTU's) a dryer outputs during a run but it seems like it would be a small amount, and of course most people don't run their dryer very often - maybe a handful of times a week.
10
You're mixing grease with lint, which is only going to make a mess and clog up in no time. You could also create a situation where dryer exhaust goes back into your house instead of outside, causing excessive humidity and a mold/mildew risk. The workaround for that would be to install dampers, but those would likely get jammed with the grease/lint ...
9
As far as I know, as long as the electric and gas lines don't actually touch, there's no more reason to be concerned about the gas and electric being 2 feet apart as there is 20 feet.
If you have a gas leak from the furnace, the furnaces own ignition system (pilot light or electronic sparker) has as much chance of setting off a blast as the dryer.
9
What you are doing is done all the time, and there is no problem with it, if done properly. The fact is these 3 prong receptacles still exists in many older homes, and there is no requirement to upgrade an entire circuit simply to plug in a device. If you go out and purchase a new electric dryer, the seller will ask if you have a 3 or 4 prong receptacle. ...
8
In general, the shorter the vent, the better, so moving the dryer next to the basement wall would be the optimal solution. If you can't do that, then moving the vent as you said would be a lot better than your current set-up.
This article covers the whole topic in a lot of detail, see especially the sections on why to keep the length as short as possible:
...
8
It makes complete sense to replace your water heater early, because the failure mode for most of the older ones is "break and drain all over the inside of your house" -- and the 'drip pan' can only catch so much.
You don't say where you're from, so I can't give you any climate or region-specific suggestions on what to replace and what not to replace. I ...
7
Can you continue the vent on the porch to an exterior wall? Maybe put in a 90 degree bend and continue the vent pipe along the wall of the house? Here is a list of maximum vent length, down toward the bottom of the page.
I wouldn't try to share the bathroom vent. I can see several potential downfalls. The dryer may actually vent into the bathroom which ...
7
Let me echo everything that Chris just said so well. Especially the part about NO!!!
Drilling a hole through a double pane window will reduce the efficiency of the window. It will almost surely crack when you tried to drill it, if not, then later. And you surely do not have the tools or the skills to drill such a hole. On top of that you do NOT want to ...
7
I would not do this for exactly the reasons you've asked about:
1) By sharing the bathroom vent pipe, you're ensuring that at least half the gunk that's being spewed onto your porch is going to be spewed into your bathroom unless you can find and install some kind of one-way flapper between the new "Y" fitting and the bathroom. If you do find and install ...
7
Looking at the this parts digram, this model appears to be a combination washer dryer with an electric dryer, so it's not likely to be carbon monoxide. Possibly the dryer is not correctly vented to the outside, so it is pumping warm moist air into your house. First, make sure the lint trap on the dryer (in a slot at the bottom of the door opening) is ...
7
30 amps is where a 30 amp breaker should cut off, and to avoid that, you should only use 80% of the breaker's capacity. So for a 30 amp breaker, you shouldn't be using more than 24 amps. Using a 50 amp breaker and a dedicated outlet ensures that you don't exceed the capacity of the circuit with that appliance.
7
This answer was based on a prior version of the question
The picture that Jeremy posted in his answer you is perfect. I do however disagree with the idea that there may be a short between ground and neutral. Ground and neutral should be at the same potential and intentionally connected/ bonded in the breaker box.
As far as the readings you are getting L1 ...
6
Chris is right, but let me add. You really want BOTH and hot and cold water feed. If you leave off the hot water and don't cap the input, cold water may escape out the hot water feed port through the mix valve (if so equipped) when the machine is set to warm. Besides, your wife will be upset when she tries to bleach whites with no hot water!! You will need ...
6
The glass temperature (point at which it starts becoming molten) for PVC is 82°C (179°F). The generally accepted maximum operating temperature for PVC is 70°C (158°F) though again, this can vary by product. Pressure ratings are at room temperature (21°C/70°F), and they go down as the temperature goes up: at 70°C the pressure rating is decreased by around 20% ...
6
You're supposed to clean your dryer duct once a year or so to prevent a fire hazard.
The standard thing to clean a dryer duct is a brush with a long flexible handle. They make ones specifically sized for dryer ducts. Here is a typical one:
Disconnect your dryer and push the vent into the duct. Run it back and forth a few times. Keep a vacuum handy. ...
6
They make Dryer Vent Cleaning Kits for this very purpose:
As to why there is water in there - hopefully it's just condensation.
6
The top hole is indeed used for the washer drain.
The lower pipe is used to drain a washing machine pan.
If the washer leaks this pipe allows the water to drain away safely, instead of flooding the laundry area.
5
If you go to your local hardware store you will be able to find a tape made for air ducts and high heat areas. It would be something like this 3M High Temperature Flue Tape.
But also a new dryer vent is probably going to be cheaper to buy than the roll of tape when you only need one piece from the entire roll. So if you can easily get to the back of ...
5
How did you check the vent? Mine had an open airway, but after years of use, I picked up a cleaning brush and was amazed as how much lint came out of the vent. If your dryer is anywhere other than on an outside wall, I'd pickup a cleaning kit just because they are nice to have and reduce your fire risk. Here's one from Amazon:
That reminds me, I should ...
5
I bet there's a standard 15- or 20-amp outlet nearby that the previous owners used to power their gas dryer, that, before your fix, was powered by the red wire that had been attached to one pole of the breaker.
As a side benefit to fixing this you've also made your home safer: using a 30-amp breaker to supply current to a 15- or 20-amp circuit is a major ...
5
If your refrigerator really is 20 years old, you should investigate whether it makes sense to buy a new, more energy efficient one. The electric utility may provide a rebate in addition to what you will save on electricity.
Most of the appliances you mention should last a very long time with little maintenance. For the dryer you should keep the lint trap ...
Only top voted, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible
