I finally realized I was over-tightening dryer vent clamps for years

I always cranked those metal clamps down super tight until last month when a customer's vent hose split right at the joint and I saw the damage. Turns out I was crushing the hose and restricting airflow, which probably caused a few extra service calls I didn't connect to my own work. Anyone else learn a basic habit the hard way like this, or am I the only one who missed the memo on proper clamp torque?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_xena2mo ago

I mean, is this really that big of a deal? I've been cranking mine down for years and never had a hose split. Sounds like maybe the hose was already trash quality, not your fault.

rodriguez.diana2mo ago

Oh geez, you're probably right! I'm the queen of buying cheap hoses and then being surprised when they act cheap. Last week I literally had one that kinked so bad on the first use it looked like a pretzel. Maybe I should just stick to soaking my gardens with a watering can like a grandma until I learn how to pick decent equipment.

campbell.tara1mo ago

Agree with you on that, @rodriguez.diana - using cheap hoses could be part of the problem here. I used to crank everything tight too until I saw the split on a customer's vent hose and realized I was doing more harm than good.