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TECHNOLOGY AND YOU

Tight-sealing dryer vent blocks drafts, allergens and bugs.

Q: The clothes dryer outdoor vent flapper sticks open sometimes. In the winter, it's chilly near the dryer and in the summer, mosquitoes get in through it. What is the best sealing, most efficient vent cover?—T. S.

A: Many homes have similar problems, but the homeowners never realize that the source of drafts, bugs, pollen, molds, etc. is from a leaky dryer vent. In my own home, a mouse crawled indoors through a leaky flapper.

A leaky dryer vent cover wastes energy dollars year-round. In the summer, a leaky vent may not be as apparent as in the winter. You probably can not feel a draft, but humidity and warm air leaks indoors. This pushes up your air-conditioning costs and exacerbates allergies to mold, mildew and dust mites.

In the winter, a draft often forces you to set your furnace thermostat a little higher to compensate for the chilly feeling from the draft. This results in a double energy loss.

It is sometimes difficult to determine if your vent flapper is always closing properly. Check it while it is still warm immediately after the dryer has stopped. It will often hang open until it cools off and the materials contract a little.

Particularly in the winter, just a fine layer of lint near the hinge area can keep it from closing properly. This layer of lint absorbs moisture. When the dryer shuts off, the damp lint can freeze solid and hold it open. At lease once a week, go outdoors and wipe off any lint while the dryer is still running or immediately after it has stopped.

I installed a slightly more expensive vent cover design (about $13 at hardware stores) that uses a "floating cap" seal. A round cap, inside the vent, slides up and opens when the dryer is on and flows against it.

When the dryer shuts off, the cap slides back down and seals tightly over the end of the vent outlet. It is made of smooth plastic to eliminate lint buildup and the exterior shell is paintable to match your house.

Another simple option is to buy an easy-to-install indoor draft blocker. It mounts in the duct between the dryer and the wall. There are built-in one-way only louvers that only let the air flow out.

If you ever need to run a humidifier in your home in the winter, try venting your electric dryer indoors occasionally. This really cuts your utility bills. Don't forget to vent it outdoors again in the spring.

One do-it-yourself indoor vent kit ducts the dryer air into a small water reservoir and through a filter to remove lint. Another design is indoor/outdoor switchable. By moving a lever, the warm moist dryer air can be directed indoors through a replaceable filter or outdoors.

If you need a new clothes dryer, consider one of the European-style no-vent electric condensing dryers. Since it does not need to be vented outdoors, it can be located anywhere in your house. These dryers are more expensive than standard vented dryers, but they are very quiet and last a lifetime.

Write for Utility Bills Update No. 961 listing manufacturers of tight-sealing dryer flapper and "floating cap" vents, indoor dryer vent kits, no-vent and combination washer/dryers, and laundry efficiency tips. Please include $2.00 and a business-size SASE., and send to Jim Dulley, Illinois Country Living, P.O. Box 3787, Springfield, IL 62708.

James Dulley is a mechanical engineer who writes on a wide variety of energy and utility topics. His column appears in a large number of daily newspapers.

Copyright 1996 James Dulley

10 ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING • JULY 1996