GE dryer: water inside before and after new vent duct!

[2screws]

Help! Have an 8 year old GE Profile electric dryer. Laundry room is on 2nd floor in center of house. About 2 years ago, started to get water and condensation in and under dryer. I take it apart and do thorough cleaning of blower, inside, lint filters, etc, regularly. Vent duct was in wall with immediate narrow periscope unit with two 90degree bends, followed by short section then another 90, then a 12' four inch pipe to outside flapper. I struggled cleaning the periscope and vent with a thin plumbing snake and brush. This would solve the problem for a few months; then I'd repeat process.

Finally, water started building up in dryer again more frequently in 2 or 3 months after cleanings. I decided to replace the old duct in a new direction. Ran a new 4'' rigid aluminum vent pipe starting with 90 degree elbow, to new pipe 8' straight up into the attic, 2nd 90 elbow, the horizontally 12', the 3' flex to a soffet vent with flapper. (All taped with foil tape, all male ends in direction of air flow.)

Worked OK for a week, now water again in dryer and new vent.

Could it be something with the dryer itself? Or is the new duct inadequate too? Dryer heats up well and turns fine. Other hints: New flapper on end of duct at soffet is stuck open when dryer isn't running, and weather has been super hot.

Any help appreciated!

[sh2sh2]

12 hours ago, 2screws said:

Could it be something with the dryer itself? Or is the new duct inadequate too? Dryer heats up well and turns fine. Other hints: New flapper on end of duct at soffet is stuck open when dryer isn't running, and weather has been super hot.

Any help appreciated!

Hot humid air is coming down the vent and condensing inside your dryer due to the temp difference with air conditioning, need to get the flapper to shut 

[2screws]

Thanks Sh2. You're right– I could feel hot, humid air coming in from inside rigid duct end when I disconnected flex from dryer. I dried drum out and ran dryer for 10 minutes to try to dry duct. Last night, did a test load of laundry: dried pretty well and no water at all in drum when clothes removed. This morning: water in dryer; went outside and looked up – flapper not fully closed!

Can you recommend a vent terminal device for a soffit that I could use? Maybe with a spring on flapper to close it?

 

[sh2sh2]

No, sorry I don't deal with stuff like that

[Hiroshi]

I would just clean the heck out of the vent terminus with a plastic brush, pick all bits out of the path of the flap so it has no impedence to its movement- you could buy a new one, but you will have to clean that a year from now... There are some backflow inhibiting systems, but they are very sensitive and need to be accessible for regular maintainence, so a second floor installation may not be reasonable... It is also important to keep that flap working to avoid inviting every bird in creation to try and make your duct its new home! I would not advise a spring on the flapper as it will block airflow and cause a host of other problems...