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View Full Version : How NOT to replace your clothes dryer...



Art Mulder
09-09-2006, 10:50 PM
Here's how you save yourself $500-$1000 on a new clothes dryer.

First, you need to have a house, with an old dryer in it. Got one? Good.
How old? Whatever suits. Ours is at least 8yrs old, as that is how long we've been in this house.

Next, you need to notice that the dryer isn't doing its job as fast as it used to. This may take a while, if, like most of us, you have better things to do than time how long your laundry takes.

Then, you need to be the typical lazy husband, and just ignore it for a few weeks and hope it'll go away. Finally, you get around to stopping by the outside vent, and cleaning out of any lint that you find.

This will buy you another week or so, before you (or your wife -- who does the laundry, anyway?) notice that the dryer still is taking way too long to do it's job.

2hrs to dry a load of towels is just a bit too much, don't you think?

By this time, you're thinking it's time to chuck the old beast, so you even stop in at Sears when you're at the mall and have a gander at the washer/dryer section. This is when the sticker shock sets it. A basic electric dryer is still going to run you $4-500, and one of the nicer jumbo models with front mounted controls.... well, you can easily spend $9-1000 on one of those puppies. Add to that the fact that you'd really like to chuck the electric and put in a more efficient gas dryer.... Hmm, you'll need to hire a gasfitter to come in, and probably run a good 30 feet of pipe for you in order to bring the natural gas line from the furnace room up into the laundry room, and while you're at it you should have him do the rough-in behind the stove, as you know that you want a gas stove someday also, and maybe even a nat-gas insert to close in that drafty old masonry fireplace. Don't kid yourself, that is probably a $500 visit from the installer dude.

Yeah. Maybe an electric dryer isn't so much worse than gas.

But you wanted to know how I was going to save you $500-$1000 on a new dryer? Oh, that is simple. Just get off your butt and pull the old dryer out from the wall, disconnect the hose, and stick your hand in it and pull out that fist-sized clump of lint that has collected in the bend. Suddenly, it's like you've got yourself a new dryer. Imagine that, clothes dry in 45 minutes!?

Hmm, I wonder what next month's electrical bill will look like...

best,
...art
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Chris Padilla
09-09-2006, 11:06 PM
It could have been worse...you could have replaced it and a lot more from the ensuing fire.... :)

Dennis Peacock
09-10-2006, 7:09 AM
Pretty amazing eh Art? The LOML and I both are pretty strict on checking for lint build up as we've know folks who had house fires because of excessive lint build up in the pipe. Glad yours was that simple and all without a fire. Congrats on the "new" dryer. ;) :rolleyes:

Glenn Clabo
09-10-2006, 7:55 AM
Not one to frequent infomercials...but I sprung for this a few years ago and can't believe how much lint builds up in a short time.
http://www.alltvstuff.com/on11055.html

bob gugerty
09-10-2006, 9:12 AM
I just bought a special lint brush at the county fair a few weeks ago. I guess I will head Art's advice and get that "new" dryer.

skip coyne
09-10-2006, 9:52 AM
take the back off the dryer and get the lint that escaped and built up inside , the belt broke on ours a few years ago and when I took it apart I was amazed how much lint was inside .

Steve Clardy
09-10-2006, 10:55 AM
Found a birds nest in ours here while back.:eek:
Seems the cheapie plastic flap had stuck open, letting them critters in.
Dryer works much better:)