I would bet that most of you never get the opportunity to crawl under your home. In fact, I bet that you shudder to think what is actually going on down there.

Often the things I discover as I look at a home are things that you had no idea about. Dryer vents are one of those things. If your home is on a crawlspace, your dryer vent likely goes through the floor, into the crawlspace and through the foundation wall. If your home is on a slab, the vent usually goes right though an exterior wall, and sometimes up into the attic.

It is not uncommon for me to find a broken dryer vent in the crawlspacl. The great thing about this situation is that it makes the crawlspace smell fantastic. Good for me, bad for you. The reason this is bad is because every time you kick on the dryer, you exhaust warm, moist air into the space under your home. This air will allow conditions that mold and mildew thrive on. This broken dryer vent will also fill your laundry room with warm, moist air, great in the winter, not so great in the summer.

We moved into an old home about 4 years ago. I knew the dryer vent under the laundry area was plastic(never ever use plastic) and in-tact. Last year I had to enter the space to do some plumbing repairs and accidently broke the vent. When I replaced the vent, the drying time went from just over 90 minutes to 45 minutes. Talk about an energy savings.

So, in closing, check your dryer vents, or call someone to check them for you. Vents should be some form of metal, plastic will melt and often clogs quickly. Replace or clean the vent and save money and your crawlspace today