Dryer update

Here's the last update from our honey-do weekend when, as you may remember, family and friends converged to help us knock a few things off our to-do list. A year and a half ago, my parents help us clean out our dryer vents and get rid of the lint that could be such a fire hazard. At the time, we planned to replace the vent with something that could insulate a little better against the cold. The existing one was already mostly unstuck from the brick and dented and looked like it had seen better days. The problem was that it was too chilly outside to apply caulk (it required at least 45 degree F or something like that, in order to set properly). Of course we never got back around to installing it when it warmed up that summer.

But this fall we finally had help and motivation. Here's the old pipe - covered in lint, dented and sad. There was a louvered opening, but it didn't seal very effectively when it wasn't in use.

Here's our replacement. Right now it's shiny and new, but I'm sure it will look grungy eventually. The louvered opening closes much more tightly, blocking some chilly air. And the grating on the outside will protect it from dents and from curious critters trying to get in.

(We didn't get pictures of the actual installation because getting the ring around the vent in the basement turned out to be a fairly difficult two-person job and no one was able to snap an action shot.)