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DriVer · 09-26-2009, 08:10 PM

My original Splendid W/D came out of my 2001 Winnebago and it was transferred over to my 2003. The W/D has been working fine ever since day one. Wife complains about wrinkles but hey I don't care if my socks and underwear have a couple of wrinkles.

I noticed that the outside vent that was installed on my coach was beginning to severely degrade from the sun. The plastic vanes were cracked and extremely pitted and degraded. I elected to change the vent.

I went to a local RV supply company and bought a new one. It came in a kit which included a 24" dryer hose. That was a riot - the hose went in the garbage almost immediately.

Well since I was going to change the vent I decided that I better pull the W/D and perhaps change the hose. We pulled the W/D out and sat it on top of a compound bucket. So having removed the hose I got my wet dry vac and all my wand extensions and I vacuumed out the vent hose. After 6 years the hose was heavily loaded with lint.

The vacuum made short work of the stuff in the hose and I was ready to remount the hose. The vent hose actually screws into a collar on the back of the W/D. Man that was inconvenient restoring the hose. I had to get it close and then duct tape the thing so it wouldn't fall off.

The drain hose just fits into a elevated drain pipe that rotated forward and even getting the drain hose in the drain pipe was a hastle.

I removed the old vent from the body and matched it up to the new one and it was slightly smaller. I opened a Pandora's box when I removed the old vent because there wasn't any way that the new one was just going to go back up there. The old caulking needed to be trimmed for the new collar on the vent, I had to drill in new holes, some of the holes were too big so I had to first put in wooden sticks in the holes to take up the space. (I used trimmed Popsicle sticks) Then I had to go out and buy stainless screws - none provided with new cover.

Well after spending the best part of 3 hours on this project we finally got the vent mounted tightly and then we caulked the cover on. Now I have to put the W/D back, connect the hoses and power it up. Next I had to restore the cabinet doors and straighten the hinges. Picking up the tools and putting everything away ..... was too much like work!

So that completed that project!

Ray,IN · 09-26-2009, 08:25 PM

Sounds like I was lucky. The HD vent I bought fit exactly, screw holes in different places though. The old holes are under the butyl tape that fits around the new vent dress cover. The Splendide OEM vent cover is a piece of junk, only lasted 2 years.

RV Wizard · 09-27-2009, 04:16 AM

Mike, I hope after all that work, the vent cover you installed was the metal hood type with a single flap. This is the only one that will last. May times when I install one, I will leave the cover off until dryer is slide back enough to reach inside the vent hole in wall and pull the hose out. I then attach the vent cover assembly to the hose and secure it to the outside wall. It makes the job much easier.

Wayne M · 09-27-2009, 07:06 AM

DriVer,
I feel your pain. I was fortunate that mine was under warranty when the drain decided to come out of the down-flow. A long story, but I was there every minute and even assisted the tech in installing it correctly. It is a rats nest back there to be sure.

You even told the story without one @#$!!

DriVer · 09-27-2009, 08:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RV Wizard

It makes the job much easier.

I would have certainly been open to that option but the guy that installed the vent kit back in 2003 must have used an entire tube of RTV because there isn't any way that the end of the tube toward the vent is going to be removed short of blasting. It would have been great if the guy could have just cut the hole just a little bit better and used a screw on clamp on the collar to the vent. i would have allowed a bit of expanding foam to fill in the small void around the pipe but not all the caulking that he used.

I'll have to trudge through this 2nd vent cover and see if it'll hold up for a couple of years. By the way what does the metal vent cover look like? The new vent cover appears to be translucent whereas the last one was completely opaque. I would also state that the plastics appear to be of a different composition.

RV Wizard · 09-27-2009, 06:56 PM

I have seen chrome and stainless steel vent hoods. The hood is slopped from the top outward and down, with an opening in the bottom that sticks off the coach about 2 inches.

DriVer · 09-27-2009, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RV Wizard

I have seen chrome and stainless steel vent hoods..

Those would hold up a whole lot better than plastic. Let me know if you know where you can source a chrome one.

Harry B · 09-27-2009, 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DriVer

Let me know if you know where you can source a chrome one.

Driver ..... You should be able to get this part from Winnebago. I have one on my 05 Itasca Horizon standard from the factory. Mine is not chrome colored but painted the same as the body color.

Some chrome spray paint should fix that problem.

RV Wizard · 09-28-2009, 04:13 AM

Also available from Camping World.

DriVer · 10-06-2009, 09:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RV Wizard

Also available from Camping World.

They never provided me with that option and only gave me the white vent louver replacement part. The parts were branded Splendid.

RV Wizard · 10-08-2009, 03:15 AM

What can I say?

Mandys Man · 10-08-2009, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DriVer

Those would hold up a whole lot better than plastic. Let me know if you know where you can source a chrome one.

Here's one

wagonmaster2 · 10-12-2009, 10:39 PM

I need to remove my vent hose to vaccum out the lint and it looks like the easiest end would be at the back of the dryer. Does the hose actually have to be rotated to unscrew it from the collar on the back of the dryer or will the collar turn? The end of the hose at the outside vent looks like its held there with a screw type clamp or collar and unreachable without pulling out the W/D or removing the outside vent cover.

Wagonmaster2
2004 Meridian 36G

RV Wizard · 10-13-2009, 04:18 AM

Usually a large hose clamp is used to hold the dryer vent hose onto the dryer outlet. Depending on how tight it is, it may rotate or not. I would think cleaning from the outside would be the easier; but I am not there to see your venting. Good luck and keep us posted.