Hot air blowing through vents into condo, including into dryer -- what to do?
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Anonymous
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Hello,
I bought a condo in Fairfax County recently and noticed that our dryer has been wet from the inside/constantly covered in condensation when not in use, clothes are coming out wet, etc. I thought it was a clog and decided to clean it. However, I quickly realized that our dryer vent itself is clean -- as soon as I disconnected the vent, a slew of hot air blew in my face and I saw that the dryer vent flapper connecting to the wall is covered in condensation. It turns out that none of the dryer vents are connected to anything on the roof to blow the dryer lint out; the lint lives in the walls and has for years/since the first W/Ds were installed in this building. It also turns out that NONE of the vents that are supposed to suck air out of the room (e.g., in the bathroom) are doing that; instead, they're actively blowing hot air INTO the condo, which explains why our bathrooms are constantly hot. I can call a W/D repairman, but he won't be allowed on the roof to check for problems/clogs higher up unless he bribes one of the staff members. I'm also told that building staff are aware of the issue and will "maybe" look into it in 4-5 years, even though the problem has been happening for ages. DCUM, would you know how can I fix this issue? I'm worried about fire hazards and mold in the walls as well. |
Anonymous
| Ask for the fire department for an inspection of your vent. |
Anonymous
| You have to go to the condo board, not the building management. |
Anonymous
| LInt in the walls from dryers is a huge fire risk. Call the fire inspector. I guarantee you they can get up on the roof, and they take stuff like this very seriously. |
Anonymous
This is OP; I misspoke earlier in my OP, the board are the ones who told me that they'll "maybe" look at it in a few years when I brought it up at a board meeting. They don't care about anything; we've had issues in our building ranging from stalking to other serious offenses, and they only care about things like letting you use the gym during certain hours. Thank you for the suggestions to call the fire department; we'll do that. |
Anonymous
This is when you have to start community organizing. Get your neighbors involved to start bombarding the board and board meetings. Vote the existing board out and you run. |
Anonymous
| Wasn’t issues like this supposed to be disclosed before you bought the unit ? |
Anonymous
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Agree the fire inspection might be a good idea
Can you block these vents off and replace with a ventless dryer (warning - they dont work well) And yes, start drumming up support among neighbors. Seems odd to me a repairman cant get on the roof |
Anonymous
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This is bad! Terrifying- I’m not being facietious.
I was in a rental built like this and we eventually had a fire in the walls from lint build-up. Luckily we caught it immediately when it was still smoking, and no one was hurt but the damage was extensive and they basically had to take off the entire back wall of a building. Both the fire department and our rental insurance freaked out, so I would contact both of yours and tell them about the situation. |
Anonymous
| PP- just saw you are not renting but bought the condo. Call your homeowners insurance! |
Anonymous
That's a good idea; I'll look into it! Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and advice. People have attempted to organize before but are always shouted down by the board, whose members have no qualms about screaming over older women in wheelchairs at public meetings trying to bring up real concerns. It's the way it is here, unfortunately. Someone the board didn't like attempted to run for a small subcommittee position and the board structured the votes in such a way that the person lost (even though they got a lot of support and votes from residents). I know other residents have similar issues as well. I'll see what the fire department and insurance companies say; thanks again, everyone. -OP |
Anonymous
| Any update, OP? Did the fire inspector come? |
Anonymous
You're very kind to remember! Thanks for checking in. I brought it up to building management, who confirmed that our dryer lint goes into the walls and not outside, which is concerning. I contacted the fire inspector and was told to contact the code department in Fairfax County, so that's next to on my to-do list. My spouse is also paranoid about us somehow being blamed for this by either insurance and/or the fire inspector, so trying to convince them to go through with this hasn't been fun. Right now, we're keeping the dryer door open with the AC running and that helps keep the dryer dry. I'll report back with any additional updates. -OP |
Anonymous
| Please contact the fire inspector and insurance! I’ve been worrying about you- I’m the one who had a house fire that started with an errant overheated outlet by a wall full of lint. This isn’t like a saggy fence or a damp basement that can be put off for a couple of months- it’s literally a firetrap. I’m a Girl Scout leader and have my youngest Scouts use dryer lint for their first fires for a reason. |
Anonymous
You're too sweet; genuinely thank you for your concern! I didn't know outlets would be the ones to do it; I'll definitely keep you posted on what I find out. Talk soon, hopefully with positive news.  -OP
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