Dryer Cleaning

[autowasherfreak]

I was doing some laundry Saturday, and when I was cleaning the lint filter I noticed a lot of lint build up where the lint filter goes. So I started cleaning it with my reliable Electrolux. The lint was too much for the crevice tool so I used my hand and pulled out four to six large hand fulls of lint. I should have taken a picture of it the pile on the floor was several inches high.

After that I decided to take the dryer apart for a good cleaning. What a nightmare, Frigidaire did not make this task very easy. It was pain in a## to get the front front off. It took about a couple hours with the help of a friend. But now she's all cleaned out. Cleaned the duct work as well.

I can see how dryer fires can start. I guess I will have to keep an eye on this more closely now.

 

[qsd-dan]

Yep, I make it a 6 month ritual to clean the dryer and ducts. It's amazing how quickly the lint builds up!

 

[autowasherfreak]

I think having two dogs and five cats causes it to build up quicker.

 

[iheartmaytag]

two dogs and five cats

Could cause a quicker buildup. My guess is a long run of duct work, possibly through an unheated area.

I have a fairly short run, only about eight feet, but alot of it goes through an unheated crawl space which causes the moisture to condense quickly and the lint sticks faster.

I clean my vent run about twice a year. With my old dryer I would vacuum the lint trap area about once a month. I have only had my new dryer for two weeks so It's hard to gage how quickly lint will accumulate with it.

 

[frigilux]

Jim---Do you have a GM-era Frigidaire or an Electrolux/WCI?

My Electrolux Frigidaire has had quite a bit of lint build-up down in the slot where you normally put the filter. I also use my crevice tool to get at the lint, but am not brave enough to pull the machine apart for a complete clean-out.

In my opinion, my Frigidaire has too small a lint filter for load size the machine can accommodate. When drying new bath towels the first few times, I pull the screen out about 2/3 of the way through the cycle and clean it. It's completely full again by the end of the cycle.

 

[gmmcnair]

"In my opinion, my Frigidaire has too small a lint filter for load size the machine can accommodate. When drying new bath towels the first few times, I pull the screen out about 2/3 of the way through the cycle and clean it. It's completely full again by the end of the cycle."

Okay....I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed that. I tend to do smaller loads of towels because the lint filter in mine loads so quickly.

 

[qsd-dan]

I tend to do smaller loads of towels because the lint filte

My DE750 Maytag dryer does that since it has a tighter woven filter screen mesh compared the 806. On the positive side, it does keep the lint buildup to a bare minimum for the both the machine and ducting.

 

[sudsmaster]

The problem with the WCI/Frigidaire dryers is that their blowers are a bit anemic. How do I know? When I bought this house, I replaced the electric WCI(GE branded) dryer with a gas version (WCI). This dryer had run just fine in my old rental house. I had used an old stove vent chimney to vent the dryer (dryer was in the kitchen next to the stove). But in the new house, the dryer seemed to take forever to dry things (as did the electric one). Finally after a couple three years, I bought a Maytag Neptune set. The first thing the Maytag dryer did was blow a huge clot of lint out the end of the dryer vent ductwork (about 13 feet of 4" rigid ducting). Why? Because the Maytag dryer has a much more powerful blower.

Since then I've checked the duct work periodically but there is never enough lint accumulation to worry about. It's about due for another check. I also keep an eye on the louvers outside the house when the dryer is running. As long as they are horizontal, I know there is plenty of clearance in the ducting.

 

[sudsmaster]

PS-For dryer duct work running through unheated spaces (like a crawl), one could insulate the duct with the same sort of stuff one uses to insulate heating/AC ducting. This stuff can be bought in a roll, and it's fairly simple (if a bit itchy) to wrap the outside of the ducting with the insulation material.

One of these days I'll have to do it myself ;-).

 

[yogitunes]

seems my neptunes don't clog up inside and thru the entire vent, maybe a light layer of lint to clean out.....

but my fridgidaire gas dryer has lint build up in the front vent, even down in the grooves that keep the filter from sliding down completely, plus lint around the door seal, the filter lip, and even the 4 foot duct needs cleaned out about every 2 months.....seems like you have dust bunnies flying all over when you open the door....no other dryer I have does this, just this one...

 

[autowasherfreak]

I have a Frigidaire/Electrolux Gallery dryer. The exhaust duct wasn't that bad, it mostly in the area where the lint filter goes.