#AskDerekCole Episode 72: Dryer sheets in vent

Hey, this is episode 72 of the Derrick Cole Show, and you're exactly right, this is not Derrick Cole, but this is Scott Cole, and I'm here today with Derrick Cole.

You ask your comfort and energy questions and they get answered. This is the Ask Derrick Cole Show. Hey, this is Derrick Cole with episode 72 of the Ask Derrick Cole Show, and today I have a special guest. As you see by his actions, that is my brother. So you have to forgive that. Yes, I am missing a little bit of hair. That's what he's alluding to. I was actually— let me tell you the story. I was at a networking meeting and there was alcohol, and a lady comes up to me. She said, you're bald. I said, yeah, I know it. I knew that before you did, so I don't know what that was about. Anyway, I'm fine with it. I don't care. I'm good. Anyway, I got my CF bro here. He is a professional engineer, first time on the show. 72 episodes, first time showing up. I don't know why.

That's because you're trying to keep me in hiding. You don't want the world to see what else is out there.

That's right. Maybe so. Anyway, he's here for a very good reason. We have a technical question that he can answer, right? All right. Do I need a surge protector for my unit? Surge protector, something very important, I believe. Now we have the professional engineer from NC State to tell us why do we need Well, first of all, we have a lot of surge protectors on computers and TVs and stuff like that, but we don't see many on heating air units, and that's really one of the most expensive appliances.

Yeah, absolutely. There's no good method for surge protectors on heating air units, so what you generally see when you do want to protect your unit is a lightning arrestor, something that protects large surges because Your general surge protectors that you're using on your computers and all that are detecting very small amounts of surges to protect items that run on very low voltage, whereas your unit, you know, has items that are high voltage but also has circuit boards that are low voltage. And so there are different levels of lightning arrestors. There's one for your low voltage portion of the unit, there's one for your high voltage portion of the unit. Definitely a good idea, especially in the Southeast where lightning storms are Very common in the summertime and over the course of a summer we'll have lightning issues with compressors at least once a week that we go out and address and have to sign an affidavit that lightning has struck the unit.

And too, we have a lot of— you said a lot of storms, but we have— I mean, it's 95 degrees one minute and then 5 minutes later it's 75 degrees. I imagine that's a problem with power.

Yeah, or issues where the power's out and when the power first comes back on, we get a surge of power. When the power abruptly ends and has those flickers that we all experience, the voltage can change over that time period and cause high voltage spikes and do some damage.

Yeah. So lightning arrestor, good idea.

Lightning arrestor, very good idea.

Yeah. So we have a low voltage which we sell. A lot on the zone systems, things like that. And then we have a standard one that we install for the units. And if you have two pieces, should one be on each outdoor and indoor piece?

Absolutely. And everywhere there's a connection to your main power source, your panel, you need to have a lightning arrestor. If you have two pieces, you'd put one on the outdoor unit, the indoor unit. And then there's a low voltage, your thermostat wire that goes between the two units, you would tie your low voltage Lightning arrestor to that portion of it. And if you wanted something, they do make whole house surge protectors that go in your panel that are more suited for handling surges. But for your unit itself, you're generally dealing with lightning arrestors.

Awesome. How's my interview skills?

Well, it leaves a lot to be desired. You're no—

I'm no Oprah.

You're no Oprah. Then again, I don't know if I've ever complimented you on much of anything.

I think you're right. Anyway, next question. Is it a good idea to put dryer sheets in my vents?

That's a good one.

Okay, let me just start off by saying no one's ever asked that question before.

Ever.

Yeah, and 72 episodes in, I would think you would probably know my answer by now.

Well, you know, and I got to think, if it was a good idea, I would think like Downy and Snuggle and all those guys. I mean, I really think they'd have that as part of their advertising program.

Yeah.

So, because I mean, what better use? I mean, how many vents do you have in your house? If you put one in every vent, I mean, it's got to be like a box.

Yeah.

You know, and it's going to take you like 2 months to go through a box if you just use them for laundry.

Yeah. And that smelled Can't last that long. I mean, what, like one day?

Yeah, we got to be asking ourselves, what are we covering up?

Yeah, I mean, that's really the question. What are you trying to do with the dryer vent or the dryer sheet covering the vent? Are you trying to eliminate a smell coming out? Are you trying to prevent dirt from coming into the vent? So what's the real goal? I mean, if it's dirt in the vent, I mean, where's the vent at? "Can we adjust things or do you have something sitting over it? You're putting shoes on it? What are you doing there?" If it's a smell, I mean, obviously something is causing the smell, so you want to attack the problem.

The source and not put a Band-Aid on it.

Yeah. You want to attack what's causing the smell versus just covering up the smell.

Absolutely.

Using a Febreze on the carpet. Well, what's causing the smell? Let's eliminate the smell and then we can stop using dryer sheets and Febreze.

Because I'm pretty sure nothing in nature smells like a dryer sheet.

No.

I mean, there's got to be some chemicals and stuff like that that we're putting in the air to cover up the smell that necessarily may or may not be good for us.

Yeah. We have plenty of natural products that can fix these problems. Dryer vent in the grill, I would not recommend. There's, correct me if I'm wrong, but there's no design from the manufacturer saying this one's designed to have dryer sheets in the vents.

No, not at all. I'm pretty sure the system wasn't planned around that.

Yeah, so definitely something I would not do. If you're having a dirt getting into the vent problem, that's another issue. Maybe it's in the wrong place or maybe we're doing the wrong things. In that space, and that can be fixed and moved.

Yeah, I mean, you shouldn't use it.

Yeah, some kids have thrown toys and, you know, soaked the floor and let's sweep in the hole. It's a hole there, let's sweep it in there.

Very common in new construction.

Yes, very common in new construction. I've seen sandwich bags, cans, drinks, towels, towels. I saw one that had blood on one time. I was like, is the guy okay? I mean, there's just a bloody sheet in here. What's going on? So anyway, dryer sheets in the vents, not a good idea. The point is, we have technology available. It's not technology, it's Mother Nature technology. I mean, stuff's been around for billions of years, natural products that can help smells, odors, growth. We have all the stuff that we can deploy inside your home. And the reason it's there is because naturally your air handler, the inside of your unit, is in a space, a crawl space or attic or vertical in the garage where there is no natural sunlight. The reason it's growing these things and making these smells is because it's in a damp, dark environment. And what happens? Things start to grow. It's all natural. I mean, I've said it before, but you go to the north side of a tree or look at the north side of a house, you see moss, mold— well, not mold— moss and algae, mildew, all that green stuff you see when you pass by somebody's house. Okay, well, that's the north side because there is no sunlight. Where there is sunlight, that does not exist. So same technology inside your unit.

Absolutely.

That's episode 72 of the Ask Derrick Cole Show, and Scott Cole is here as a guest. It's not the Ask Scott Cole Show.

I think it might be so popular that this becomes a duet.

We'll see you next time. I'll see you next time.