Don’t Let Dryer Vents Leave You Cold

Cold winters are great reasons to take a second look at the other side of your dryer vent, you know, the one you try to ignore, the place where the duct ends outdoors. This is where you’ll probably find a plastic vent flap that’s supposed to stop cold air from back-drafting into your dryer and your house. But have you ever seen a plastic flap vent that actually worked? Just open up the dryer on a cold day and see for yourself. It’s typically cold enough in there to safely store milk and eggs between loads of laundry. This is because the slightest breeze flips the lightweight flap up, letting enough cold air indoors to create significant ice build-up on the outside of many dryer vent pipes as it makes its way to your machine.

My solution? A Canadian invention called Ecovent. Read my article “Dryer Ventilation Revisited” to learn more.