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This is a badge bit (BB) that is part of the PEP curriculum.  Completing this BB is part of getting the straw badge in Nest.

In this Badge Bit, you will clean out the exhaust duct on a clothes dryer.

To complete this BB, the minimum requirements are:
   - Clean out the entire duct
   - Clean the outlet
   - Remove lint trap and clean out behind it

To show you've completed this Badge Bit, you must provide proof of the following with pictures (or a video < 2 mins long):
   - before, during, and after of cleaning out the duct and the area downstream of the lint trap on a clothes dryer
   - before and after of the outlet
   - show and describe what you cleaned the exhaust duct with
COMMENTS:
 
steward
Posts: 15821
Location: Northern WI (zone 4)
5007
8
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Approved submission
All I can say is...  Holy Fuck!!!

I hadn't done this since we bought the house.  The dryer might be 15 years old so it maybe has never been cleaned.  Very recently it hasn't been working right and putting lots of humidity into the laundry room so I figured I'd do this little job.

Holy Fuck there was a lot of lint in the machine.  Not so much in the duct but... after the lint screen.  Shit balls!

Based on what I found, I'm thinking about editing the BB to require checking more of the dryer.  This was amazing.

I probably got 1-2 cups of lint from the duct.  I think it was mostly at the elbow just after the dryer.  Under/behind the lint screen was somewhere between a quart and half gallon of lint.  I had to remove the plastic guide that holds the lint trap to get enough access to get it all out.  Just had to remove two little screws.

With the dryer running it blows soooo much harder out the exhaust.  I'm very glad I did this BB!

I bought a kit to clean it that had a round 4" brush on a flexible wire, a lint trap brush and an attachment for a vacuum cleaner.

Side note: the duct had detached itself from the back of the dryer which is what caused the humidity in the laundry room.  All fixed now.

Here are the pics:
Before.-Who-installed-them-so-snugly-into-the-corner.-What-a-dumbass....jpg
Before. Who installed them so snugly into the corner. What a dumbass...
Before. Who installed them so snugly into the corner. What a dumbass...
Before-of-the-exit-with-some-lint-on-the-louvers.jpg
Before of the exit with some lint on the louvers
Before of the exit with some lint on the louvers
Some-lint-in-the-pipe-going-through-the-wall.jpg
Some lint in the pipe going through the wall
Some lint in the pipe going through the wall
Fished-the-brush-down-as-far-towards-the-dryer-as-possible-several-times.jpg
Fished the brush down as far towards the dryer as possible several times
Fished the brush down as far towards the dryer as possible several times
Here-s-what-was-in-the-duct.jpg
Here's what was in the duct
Here's what was in the duct
After-of-the-area-around-the-duct-before-reattaching.jpg
After of the area around the duct - before reattaching
After of the area around the duct - before reattaching
Attached.jpg
Attached
Attached
Started-cleaning-down-here-with-a-brush-but-it-was-a-never-ending-supply-of-lint.-What-s-going-on-.jpg
Started cleaning down here with a brush but it was a never ending supply of lint. What's going on???
Started cleaning down here with a brush but it was a never ending supply of lint. What's going on???
Took-off-the-cover.-Ohhh...-That-s-where-the-lint-is-coming-from....jpg
Took off the cover. Ohhh... That's where the lint is coming from...
Took off the cover. Ohhh... That's where the lint is coming from...
Got-all-this-plus-a-fair-bit-that-went-up-the-vacuum-cleaner.jpg
Got all this plus a fair bit that went up the vacuum cleaner
Got all this plus a fair bit that went up the vacuum cleaner
Duct-clean.jpg
Duct clean
Duct clean
Outlet-after.jpg
Outlet after
Outlet after
Staff note (gir bot) :

Megan Palmer approved this submission.
Note: Great job!

 
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not applying for the pep but the other day i put a pair of chainsaw pants in the wash and i had emptied the pockets however there was a tear in the pants and huge amounts of sawdust was down in the pants which i was unaware of.
when i went to empty the dryer there was sawdust everywhere and the lint trap was overflowing
so much had gotten in there that i couldnt even return the lint trap to its position
what i did to clean that area out was roll up some paperboard (like cereal box)
to make a nozzle narrow enough to fit into the lint trap spot and held the vacuum hose over the end and stabbed around down there until it was cleared out
 
pollinator
Posts: 60
Location: Tennessee Zone 7
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Tried to do this  today... "Tried" because I took apart the venting tube and found that the previous person vented the dryer into the crawlspace.  You know, the part of the crawlspace that's about two feet high and way in the back with all the spiders.  Debating whether to spend the $199 service charge to have the HVAC guy run 15' of rigid pipe or brave the spiders.  Anyone done the duct work and, if so, on a scale from 1-10, how difficult is it?
 
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Approved submission
I used my hands and an old rag to clean everything.
20230927_144622.jpg
Before
Before
20230927_153254.jpg
After
After
20230927_145203.jpg
Before
Before
20230927_150103.jpg
After
After
20230927_145437.jpg
Before
Before
20230927_145638.jpg
After
After
20230927_150700.jpg
Before
Before
20230927_150626.jpg
Before
Before
20230927_153002.jpg
After
After
20230927_151615.jpg
After
After
20230927_151850.jpg
Before
Before
20230927_152114.jpg
After
After
20230927_152450.jpg
Before (Where the duct connects to the dryer)
Before (Where the duct connects to the dryer)
20230927_152707.jpg
After
After
Staff note (gir bot) :

Someone approved this submission.

 
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