Friendly reminder to clean your exhaust

[inkbrigade]

Over the last few months the dryer has been really smelly. The girls in the shop didn't notice so much but when i would come in after they had been printing for a few hours it seemed really smokey and hard to breath. It smelled like exhaust. We keep the filters on the dryer cleaned out so that wasn't the problem.

I thought maybe there was a leak in the pipe. So I'd get up there with a ladder and add more duct tape. Didn't seem to help though.

Then in the middle of the night my wife wakes me up and says she had a dream the dryer started on fire and we need to check for clogs on top of the roof.

So the next day i climb up there and holy crap, she was right.

There wasn't much lint in the pipe itself, but the cap had this little mesh thing to keep the birds out i guess. Anyways that thing was soild with lint.

So i ripped it off. That did the trick. We couldn't believe what a difference it made!

I feel so bad for making the girls work all those months breathing in exhaust. So check your exhaust everyone!

For good measure i got some high heat tape on my pipes as well.

You can see photos of what i'm talking about here:

http://imgur.com/a/IsPAG

[mk162]

holy cow, that mesh was way to fine.  that's dang near window screen.  I am going to check ours, but I think ours is stamped steel mesh with about quarter size openings.

I bet your wife had been telling you for days to check the roof, then she made up some story about a "dream" and you bought it.  Sucker.

That is a great tip though.  I can see mine from the ground if I stand in my neighbors yard.

[Fresh Baked Printing]

Vent cleaning should not be considered deferred maintenance!

[Zelko-4-EVA]

I had to put chicken wire over the exhaust to our Raypaul a few years back when pigeons got in our dryer.

I strongly recommend chicken wire.  Cleaning charred remains of pigeons from the inside of a dryer isnt a fun thing to do in the morning.

[Croft]

also cleanup around your dryer, A local shop went up in flames last summer here . Rags under the dryer caught fire.

[hazeremover]

Vent cleaning should not be considered deferred maintenance!

Sadly, regular maintenance, specifically lint removal, in some shops is overlooked. Lint can catch fire in mere seconds. All it takes is a tiny spark then get ready for a fire show. Presses, dryers, vents and floors are relatively easy to keep clean. Ceilings are a little more challenging but it can be done. I always shake my head when I visit a shop and every surface resembles a Chia Pet.

[tonypep]

I had to put chicken wire over the exhaust to our Raypaul a few years back when pigeons got in our dryer.

I strongly recommend chicken wire.  Cleaning charred remains of pigeons from the inside of a dryer isnt a fun thing to do in the morning.

I'll never forget that sound of pigeons churning in that Ray Paul.

[Screened Gear]

here is a good questions to ask. What fan do you use on your exhaust? I have a inline booster fan and the pipe goes straight up and out the ceiling. I am not sure the CFM. What do you guys use?

[Sbrem]

We use an inline booster on each of our 3 exhausts, and clean or inspect every 6 months, works for us.

Steve

[inkbrigade]

here is a good questions to ask. What fan do you use on your exhaust? I have a inline booster fan and the pipe goes straight up and out the ceiling. I am not sure the CFM. What do you guys use?

Our ceiling isn't supertall but in in-line fan probably would be a great idea.
We're going to be moving in a year and a half, so I will probably have one installed at the new place.