A dryer vent booster fan on a roof vent can save you money and time when doing laundry.
I’ll tell you from my personal experience how.
In my previous house, the piping for the dryer was about 35 feet long and went down through the slab and to the outside. I rerouted the exhaust through the roof and used a dryer vent booster fan. It drastically improved the performance of my dryer and lowered my utility bills. Here’s why:
Any time you’re venting anything, the shortest distance on your vent makes it more effective. In my situation, going through the roof was the shortest distance.
Hot air does rise, but it’s heavy and takes some extra energy to exhaust it out. This is where the inline booster fan comes in to save the day. For my home, I used a Fantech Dryer Booster Fan System.
It helps get the air out faster, plus it doesn’t turn on until the dryer is running and the air is moving through the vent. When it senses that hot, moist air, it boosts it to the outside then turns itself off.
Before installing the dryer booster fan, the drying cycle for my laundry was usually an hour and a half. After, it only took about 45 minutes, which saved me a significant amount on my utility bill.
Also remember, whenever you’re running a dryer vent through the roof, the vent hood is important. You want to create as little air resistance as possible for that roof dryer vent.
I recommend the DryerJack Vent Hood. This vent is curved, so it creates much less resistance.
You’ll find that over time, you’ll recoup the costs of the inline dryer vent booster fan and the DryerJack Vent Hood with reduced utility bills.
Skip to [skipto time=28:44][28:44][/skipto] for the full segment on the Today’s Homeowner Podcast.
Also on this episode:
- Fixing a gap in concrete
- Removing wrinkles from carpet
- Brightening up a dark wood den
- Setting a fence post
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Simple Solutions
Safe, Effective Way to Block Out Pests — Here’s an effective way to seal up holes around your home to ensure no pests crawl in.
- First, stuff some stainless steel wool into the holes.
- Then, spray in some expanding foam sealant. Instead of using regular expanding foam sealant, use pest-blocking foam that’s specially made to deter rodents and other critters. The foam contains capsaicin, which is the active compound that makes hot peppers spicy.
Now, if a pest manages to chew through the foam, it’ll hit the steel wool, which will act as an extra barrier.
Watch: Poison-Free Rat Control in Two Steps!
Tip for Cleaning Shower Walls and Doors — Whether they are made of porcelain, acrylic, ceramic tile or glass, shower walls and doors are notoriously difficult to keep clean. But here’s how to effectively clean any shower:
- Fill a soap-dispensing dish scrubber with half grease-cutting dish detergent and half white vinegar.
- Then, simply scrub the surface to remove soap scum, caked-on dirt and water spots.
And, we recently heard from a listener that suggested using a glass-cooktop cleanser to clean glass shower doors.
Question of the Week
Q: I converted my two-car garage into a family room, and I want to install vinyl plank flooring over the concrete slab. The problem is that the slab is very wavy and uneven. What’s the best way to level the surface for the new vinyl flooring?
A: Concrete slabs in garages usually have a grade towards the doors to allow water to roll away from them.
To get the slab even for installing vinyl plank flooring, use a self-leveling underlayment to even out the floors, like LevelQuik Rapid Setting Self-Leveling Underlayment from Custom Building Products. Prime the slab with LevelQuik Advanced Acrylic Primer. Then, pour the self-leveling underlayment and smooth it out for an even surface.
Let the underlayment cure for at least 16 hours before installing the flooring.
Skip to [skipto time=39:14][39:14][/skipto] for the full segment on the Today’s Homeowner Podcast.
Other Products and Links Mentioned
- Sikaflex 10.1 oz. Crack Flex Concrete Sealant
- Knee kicker
- Fantech Dryer Booster Fan System
- DryerJack Vent Hood
- Custom Building Products Level Quick RS
- LevelQuik Advanced Acrylic Primer
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Further Reading
- Light & Ventilation – Rules & Regulations
- The Correct Way to Ventilate Bathrooms and Kitchens
- Boosting a Laundry Room and Bath’s Efficiency
