Pro tip: The customer's 'broken' dryer was just full of sand.

Got a call for a dryer that wouldn't heat at a house near the beach. The guy said it just stopped working one day. Checked the usual suspects, thermal fuse, heating element, all good. I was about to start pulling the whole drum assembly when I noticed the vent hose felt weirdly heavy. I disconnected it and about 15 pounds of fine, wet sand poured out onto the laundry room floor. The guy's kids had been using their sandy beach towels and swimsuits, and over the summer the sand just built up and completely blocked the vent. Cleared it out, dryer fired right up. He looked at the pile and just said, 'Well, that explains a lot.' Has anyone else found a truly bizarre vent blockage that saved a long repair?

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jennys726mo ago

Ever find a vent clogged with something that wasn't lint at all? I pulled a shredded dog bed out of one once. The foam bits had been slowly sucked in for months until it was just a solid plug. Homeowner had no idea where the bed even went.

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holly_sanchez756mo ago

Doubt that sand really stops a dryer.

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hugo_schmidt5mo ago

Wait, sand can really do that? I mean, I get why @holly_sanchez75 is doubting it, but that story about the dog bed foam is wild. It makes you realize how much random stuff can get pulled in there over time. I guess if fine sand built up in just the right way, it could totally jam things up. Makes me want to go check my own vent now.

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