Had a chat with a old timer yesterday that made me rethink how I diagnose dryers

Ran into this guy who's been doing repairs since the 80s at the supply house. He told me he never replaces a thermal fuse without first checking the venting with a manometer. Said I'm probably wasting money and time throwing parts at dryers that just need a good vent cleaning. Been doing this 10 years and never once thought to measure static pressure. Always just cleared the lint and called it good. Has anyone else actually used a manometer for dryers or is this overkill?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_rose27d ago

A MANOMETER for dryers? That's wild honestly. I have been doing this for 12 years and never even knew those things existed outside of HVAC work. So basically he's measuring how much back pressure the lint is causing in the whole system, not just the trap. Bet that old timer has seen some nasty vents in his day, probably saved himself a ton of callbacks by finding the real problem first instead of guessing.

claire_fisher4127d ago

Old timer knew exactly what he was doing, a lot of guys skip the manometer and just clean the vent until it feels clear. Real problem is you can't guess where the blockage is hiding, especially in those long twists and turns they run through attics. Saved himself a whole lot of headache and trust me, customers appreciate when you prove it's fixed with numbers instead of just saying "yep, all good.