In last week's blog post, I explained how foil dryer transition ducts are allowed by code and by some manufacturers. I also talked about DryerFlex, a foil dryer duct sold under GE at Home Depot stores that is superior to most other products, even semi-rigid foil.
I set a bunch of these different dryer transition ducts on fire many years ago and made videos of all of that, but it's high time for another test.
For the second round of testing, I teamed up with Family Handyman to help put a more consistent video together. I bought a 200 CFM fan, filled a bunch of dryer transition ducts with shredded paper, then started them on fire. Check out the video below to see the results.
So what's the conclusion? While sometimes allowed, foil dryer transition ducts aren't the best option for connecting a clothes dryer to the duct. My preferred options are DryerFlex or UL Listed semi-rigid ducts.
Reuben Saltzman is a second-generation home inspector with a passion for his work. Naturally, this blog is all about home inspections and home-related topics in the Twin Cities metro area. In addition to working at Structure Tech, he is also a licensed Truth-In-Sale of Housing Evaluator in Minneapolis, Saint Paul and several other cities.
FLIR has a relatively new pocket-sized infrared camera with all of the bells and whistles of the much larger and expensive E6. It boasts the same resolution as the E6 but it's a fraction of the price at only $699. With these features and benefits, this camera ought to put the E6 out to pasture.
I recently had an informative email exchange with a past client that highlighted the discovery of some especially nasty water damage behind the stone siding at her townhome. I was curious about the events that led up to the discovery, and it all came down to one person being very curious and very persistent. I thought she had such a great story to share that I invited her onto our podcast, which you can listen to below.
Stone siding might be the most problematic siding that we come across as home inspectors. This stuff is failing left and right all over the country, and most of time the homeowner has no idea when their wall is a rotted mess behind the siding.
Take a look around any room full of home inspectors, and you'll notice we look a lot alike. We are almost all white men with a lot of gray hair. It's as if there's an unwritten rule that you have to be an old white guy to be a home inspector.
