Plastic Dryer Vents - A Fire Waiting for a Place to Happen...
Plastic dryer venting has been banned from residential usage for several years 
now. However; I still run into this material from time-to-time in newer and older properties. This product is considered a fire safety hazard and should be replaced if you have this present in your home.
Most households use flexible foil as the connector between the dryer and the exterior discharge. Although not much better than it's plastic counterpart, it has been approved for residential use by Fire Marshal's in many municipalities.
Optimally, the better product is flexible aluminum cut to the shortest length possible and the best is rigid metal adapters connected to the dryer discharge and the vent. These are more difficult to install but are worth the cost and effort in the long run.
If it has been more than 3 years since you cleaned your vents, consider doing so. Dryer lint builds up on the sides of the duct, and will reduce the efficiency of your unit. If the build-up is extreme, your dryer could burn out.
This posting and the contents herein are the intellectual property of Michael Thornton of Complete Home Inspections, Inc. providing home inspections for Brentwood, Nashville, Davidson and Williamson County TN. This post is a contribution to the ActiveRain Real Estate Network.
This posting and the contents herein is the intellectual property of Michael Thornton, CEO of The Complete Group. We provide the highest quality service in the areas of home inspections and videos/photography for the web, corporate, businesses and the real estate industry. Complete Home Inspections, Inc. and Creative Video Concepts serves the Brentwood, Franklin, Nashville and the area surrounding Davidson and Williamson County TN. This post is a contribution to the ActiveRain Real Estate Network.
Hello Michael,
I see the hole in the vent. Did you find a small resident shacked up close by. Mice love to construct with dryer lint. Great tip to clen the vent every few years, often overlooked.
Make it a great day !!
Good morning Michael-good alert post. Everytime I run across this I tell the owners to get rid of it immediately-so dangerous and i actually know 2 people that their homes went up in flames from them-and an FYI, it is a fast and furious fire.
Thanks for the post Michael.
I'll be on the look out for that type of plastic piping.
Good Luck..
I remember those and bought some in the past, haven’t seen them in some time now. Have a great day sir
Good morning, John. No, this was a burn hole. The folks were lucky the place did not catch on fire...
Marco, I tell folks the same thing...
Greg, thanks. I always look...
James. I do not see it very often but I still run into it several times a year...
Michael: Great reminder. I still see these dryer vents at home inspections occasionally. Too dangerous for me!
I see it all the time! But hey, aren't holes like that in the side just air gap devices? Surely that must be true.
Michael, just a great reminder...i learned about this early on as a homeowner and I have never seen a home inpsector not notice the problem...but the do it yourselfers still carry on with this stuff..
As I have resident turn over, I am replacing these when machines are gone and the area is clear - easier and less expensive.
Hi Michael,
I see these types of old venting pipes all the time. It seems at times the homeowners have an endless supply of this stuff. LOL
There is a good quality vent for dryers out the made by the "LAMBRO" company. An aluminum flex duct that will solve their ducting needs.
Have a great day in Nashville. Tennessee my friend.
Best, Clint McKie
Thank you for he reminder. . I have a listing appointment today in an older home and I will be checking their vent
Michael, thanks for a timely post. I replaced my own vents with aluminum a couple of years ago.
Great tip Michael....a good way to start spring cleaning a little early and be pro-active with a serious safety issue as well !
Michael, it's surprising how often we run into this today. I replaced mine with rigid aluminum a few years ago, and I clean it out yearly. I also bought a long dryer brush and clean it numerous times a year. I have a friend who lost her house to a dryer she left on and went to shopping. It simple enough to alter, so friends, please do it soon.
Hi Michael - It is scary that those plastic hoses are still around.
Good morning Michael,
Excellent tip! I like Mike had a friend who left her dryer on while she ran a few errands and came back to finding her home destroyed..she had never cleaned her dryer vent out!! Congrats on the featured post.. well deserved!
Had a home inspection one time where the plastic was filled with lint and very dangerous. It was pointed out by the home inspector. Came home and looked behind the dryer. Same thing! Cured that the next day! So easy to overlook some hazards!
I find it amazing that they were ever legal anywhere. I'm not surprised they're still in use in many homes. Scared, but not surprised.
Hi Michael - I am always fearful of fires... always tragic... I have to admit, I ran down to my basement after I read this to 'make sure' Phew!
Michael...
I bought an aluminum vent connector but couldn't get it over the dryer discharge. What am I doing wrong?
Michael, good information. We actually have an annual service for our common dryer vent in a condominium. A company comes by an snakes out the vent to remove lint that accumulates. I want to say it costs $100 and it is good insurance.
Michael, Thanks for the reminder! Mine oar overdue and this nice weekend coming up will be a great time to due it.
Michael, I replaced the plastic tubing on my dryer vent last year. Thanks for the reminder.
Excellent awareness blog Michael. We clean the dryer dust trap with every load trying eliminante build up in the vent, but of course we know some gets through. To clean out the vent is tricky to say the least, in fact, not even sure how to go about it.......another blog for you at some point?
Michael ...Another great reminder! Congrats on the feature ....I like to re-blog these ....great information for everyone's following!
Have a great day!
Michael excellent! Congrats on the Feature!
So many people don't even realize the potential hazard this plastic venting system can cause. Thankfully you're here to tell them.
Michael, this info is a lifesaver. I know two friends who've lost homes this way and luckily no one was ever hurt. Mine's past due and it'll be checked today, thanks!
Michael, scary stuff, I've had a client with a plastic one that started to smoke, fortunately the owners were home and turned off the dryer and called in for repairs to replace it.
I see these all the time.
Michael Great advise as usual What a wonderful post worthy of being Featured
HelpfulHannah
I just cleaned then dryer vent line and this warning came up many times. Good tips as those plastic vents cause fires!
Michael
WOW we have a plastic vent for our dryer, time for a change.
Good luck and success.
Lou Ludwig
You put a great reminder for me to check and clean out my vents. I haven't done it in quite some time. I haven't seen plastic vents in a while, but I imagine they can be quiite the hazard!
I have seen that first hand Michael! That sight can raise those little hairs on the back of your neck for sure!
Hi Michael, Great post on very important information. I did not know that this material has been banned. Thanks again!
Thanks for the reminder. I love you inspectors reminding us agents about these "issues" we need to watch for! Makes us look "smart" to our buyers!!!
Hi Michael , I thought the hole in the plastic duct was for the " humidification system " . It scares me to think about all the buried ducts in walls , floors & ceilings . Ed
A great picture which I hope I never encounter for real. I do see the plastic dryer vent frequently, yesterday comes to mind. Always admonish the clients to get rid of it before ever even using their dryer.
Wow...thank you for posting this. I literally just bought this yesterday to replace my own dryer hose. Needless-to-say, I'll not be using it. The hardware store said it was fine for a short trip to the outside vent. Yikes. thanks again.
Michael, sounds like I need to be cleaning my dryer vent. Fortunately, no plastic dryer vent here.
Michael, EXCELLENT posting, I have actually teamed up with a gentlemen who owns DUCTZ here in Bel Air and provide a free dryer vent cleaning to all my customers at closing, it introduces his business to them and they are THRILLED to get rid of the old homeowners lint, AND it provides an opportunity for an expert to make sure all the ductz are in a row :-)
Michael, Thanks for your post. I keep telling my husband that we need to clean the dryer vents. And he hasn't belived me. I just sent him your article, and I'll point out the burn hole. That's convincing information there.
A great reminder with a good illustration. What is the best method of fastening rigid vent pipe?
Boy, thanks for that. I'll be checking ours today.
My father owned a small appliance store (like a little Major Brands - lol) for years. When I moved into my current house he installed flexible aluminum for my dryer vent instead of the plastic flexible vents I was used to seeing. He told me the same thing, the plastic dryer vents are a fire hazard.
Well...I have the plastic, I have not cleaned my vent in over three years.....so I guess I won't sleep tonight.
Geez thanks!
Dear Michael,
We still have many of these in our area & I always recommend to swap them. Really cheap insurance. Cleaning the lint is also a good hint. Sometimes, I see dryers with a lint trap that has lint from the last three or four years in it. And then people wonder, why it takes so long to dry. Take the lint out, dry in half the time, save yourself some money (& headache in case of a fire).
Actually plastic dryer vents are no longer manufactured for the very reason you state, they are a fire hazard. That one and like the ones I frequently see are actually meant for bath vents. The problem is dryer vents and bath vents are the same size.
I think the fire hazard issue with these is scary. If you want to see something horrifying go on YouTube & see a planned fire. Now this makes we think of when I did it last.
Thanks for the blog..I have heard of so many dryer fires that I will not run mine and leave the house or go to bed.
Hi Michael, I agree. If fact I think dryers are one of the big fire hazards in the house. Lint is everywhere and you have high temps and oxygen!
Michael: It is amazing how much lint will accumlate in those dryer vents. Now only will they be a fire hazard but they also greatly reduce the efficiency of the dryer and can burn out the motor.
This is why you need to higher qualified, experienced contractors. Amazing the house did not burn down. Good reminder to clean the vent yearly as well thanks.