Don’t you hate that blast of cold air from your dryer in the winter? Me too. So much so that a couple of years ago, I wrote about how much I loved my beloved energy efficient dryer vent. This baby nips the cold in the bud and saves me some green on my energy bills.
It’s been seven years and I still love this dryer vent cover. I just wish it wasn’t plastic. For years, in my previous houses, I suffered the cold “shoulder” from my dryer during the winter. The cold air would just travel from the flap dryer vent through my dryer. I winced every time I opened the dryer door. I know you feel my pain.
In the new “green” house, I installed the above energy efficient dryer vent and never looked back.
Why Re-Introduce the Dryer Cover Again?
At a recent presentation that I gave about the good, the bad, and ugly of building a green house, I showed one of my quick energy fixes. Yes, the dryer vent. Some of the architects in the room nodded their heads in agreement of how much they liked it as well. So I figured with the warm, summer weather, it was a great time to remind you to start closing air infiltration gaps. Start first with your uncomfortably cold in the winter laundry area. It is an easy, affordable fix.
Don’t forget to caulk around the edge to stop air infiltration.
My Experience with the Vent
As I mentioned above, I have owned this vent for about seven years. In that time, I haven’t cleaned it out until I noticed the dryer wasn’t working well. Clothes just didn’t dry.
Waiting so long to clean out the vent was not the brightest of ideas. Realize my dryers are right up against the outside wall. As you can see from the picture, I climbed up a ladder to the second floor to clean out the vent. I was scared sh*tless.
Don’t wait as long as I did since it was pretty full of lint. According to Consumer Reports, dryer vent blockages accounted for 14,000 fires from 2002-2009.
So, clean it out when it is warm. As you can see, I am wearing my winter coat. My fear of heights and it being cold was not the best combination. Once I cleaned it out, the dryer was fine.
So while you are installing your dryer vent, start looking at closing the air gaps in your house. Read the following articles to help in your quest:
- Home Energy Audits Are Just Like Liposuction without the Pain.
- Air Infiltration Stopped Dead in its Tracks with Gaskets
- Energy Bills Too High? Stop Air Infiltration in Attic
- Is Your Living Area Just One Big Leak?
- Outlet and Light Switches Suck Your Money Right Out the Window
- Give Your Ducts Some TLC to Stop Global Warming
Insulation Articles:
- BASF’s COMFORT FOAM® Reduces Energy bills and Increases Comfort
- AirKrete Fire Proof Foam Insulation: Peace of Mind with Lower Energy Bills
- Recycled Denim Insulation by Bonded Logic: Green, Warm, and Itch-Free
- Wool Insulation by Oregon Shepard: Natural, Energy Efficient, NonToxic
- Icynene® Insulation–The Ultimate Barrier to High Energy Bills
Join the Conversation
- Is your dryer giving you a cold blast in the winter?
- Do you own the above dryer vent closure? If so, do you like it?
- If not, have you successfully reduced your dryer air infiltration?
John O'Neill says
August 11, 2012 at 6:34 pmOf all the contraptions with which we mess up our homes and our finances none is more disposable than the clothes dryer. I reckon that with the costs of the dryer(s) – they don’t last, the electricity, the ducting and the insulation thereof, we could build a decent verandah on which to dry our clothes in good fresh air. OK, you’ve got a baby or two, wearing re-usable nappies. Maybe then. Otherwise buy an extra kit of underwear to ride out the wet day problem.
Len says
June 23, 2015 at 8:45 amOne of the worst places I’ve experienced for cold air infiltration is the exhaust vent over my stove.
it is so cold in the winter that I have taken to inserting a sheet of cardboard behind the mesh grill in order to stop the air from blowing back into the kitchen.
there must be a better way.
Anna@Green Talk says
June 29, 2015 at 7:05 amLen, you think someone would come up with a solution. I find the same problem. Anna