Dryer maintenance

[Snowhawk]

Ladies... how many of you keep up with your dryer maintenance?
We are back in our yard...giving Monty a good going over (garage is a nice thing to have, to store stuff, while you're working on Monty) and I
discovered the guy who installed our combo dryer just threw a screw on the vent hose which resulted in a ton of lint on the floor, behind the unit. That's fire fodder. It's a bit of a pain to pull the unit out (it was screwed to the floor in the front) but well worth the fire prevention. I also checked the rubber gasket the door fits into and found a fair amount of lint that had dried inside it. AND... I figured out how to get the soap dispenser out (it doesn't come out as easily as the book eludes to.) This vent tube installation also explains why there was SO much humidity in that closet. Just thought I'd feed your thoughts and maybe prevent future troubles.

[eeoski]

Helen,

We don't have a washer or dryer unit in our plans for our unit, but I am glad you brought this up as a safety issue! Dust and lint are so highly combustable it makes me shudder to think about a pile of it behind your unit.

I do have a question for you...is the vent hose smooth or one of those "ridgy" ones? We just installed a new dryer in the stick house and one of the things that Doug insisted on was a smooth/rigid vent to mitigate the amount of lint build up as, in addition to being a fire hazard it also affects the unit's efficiency. I don't know that you can (or can't) put a smooth vent in (presuming its not right now) but if the option is there I'd likely do it if I had a dryer in the unit.

(Having a husband who is a former quality assurance inspector and fire inspector makes for LOTS of pre and post "flight" inspections along with just general PM (Periodic Maintenance)! Doesn't mean we catch everything all the time, just means we probably think about it more than the average bear!)

I am glad you caught the problem before it became something really major and thanks for sharing!

Robin

[Imp]

If you use fabric softener sheets, you also need to clean the lint trap with water and soft brush, once a month. It will improve the air circulation and help prevent fires.

[Snowhawk]

Robin.... no the tube is metal and full of ridges. I took the brush attachment to the vacuume and gave it a real good cleaning. It's a really short tube but there was no duct tape on it to keep moist air or lint from falling out on the floor. I could change it really easy... well sort of.

Myrna... no, I don't use the dryer sheets but cleaning the lint trap is a real good idea anyway. I couldn't believe the
buildup of lint in there too. I didn't even know where the lint trap was... but found it and 11 cents in change caught in there. Hmmmm... I've heard of "two cents worth" but never eleven cents.

When I moved the unit out a little I was amazed at the stuff that found it's way under the whole unit. I'm going to recommend a look under there, a couple times a year, for anyone who has units installed anywhere in their Monties. How's that saying go: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure... I'm beginning to think so! I've heard that these campers can completely burn to the ground in about 15 minutes (is that accurate... those who know?).

[labmom]

Helen-thanks for the heads up. We don't have a washer/dryer in the rig yet but will soon. That info. is something I will share with Dave and he and I can both be on the lookout for it. Thank God, that it didn't cause you any problems. It is a very frightening thought.
Take care and thanks again,
Betsy