Lambro #289W White Extention Draft Blocker
by Lambro
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List Price: Our Price: $9.83 You Save: $8.16 (45%) Availability: Usually ships in 2-3 business days Category: Tools See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Lambro #289W White Extention Draft Blocker
Customer Review: clothes dryer vent
Summary: 3 Stars
The unit arrived in a timely fashion and was well packed for safe transport. Upon inspection I found that the unit was defective in design and manufacture since the "floating cap" would jam and not "float" and I quickly realized that the unit would not work as intended unless I made some functional modifications. Without making these changes the unit would in fact function far worse than the existing aluminum flap which I was replacing. This unit is designed to "float" or lift an internal vent cap unit by exhaust air pressure when the dryer is turned on. The floating vent cap is designed to be guided by vertical plastic fins which function to center the floating vent cap and to guide the cap to a close over the dryer vent opening when the dryer is turned off. The problem was that plastic guide fins were far too tight against the cap and the cap would not "float". Part of the problem was caused by the vent cap unit itself which should have been round but in fact was mis-shapped and was slightly out of round. The plastic cap unit was manufactured with a thin wall and I suspect that it became mis-shaped during the manufacturing process from being handled before it had completely cooled off and become set in shape. The cap unit should have been manufactured with some reinforement via a return or thickening at it's base to increase it's rigidity and help maintain a round shape but this was not the case. I concluded that getting a replacement unit from the vendor would likely not resolve the issues since these problems were essentially flaws related to the original design and manufacturing process. I resolved both issues myself however by using a dremmel tool to shave about a 0.25" off the thickness of the guide fins thereby increasing the clearance between the gude fins and the vent cap and by inserting a piece of rigid foam insulation inside the base of the cap unit to help the cap stay round and to somewhat increase its weight and assist it in closing. The unit now functions perfectly as intended. The cap no longer jams and it lifts effortlessly with air pressure when the dryer is on and seats itself properly when the dryer is off. I now have a warm dryer, warm laundy room and look forward to energy savings as well. I would say that this unit did not function as advertised out of the box. It's an excellent idea however and with the above modifications completed, the unit works very well indeed!Customer Review: Good product but still not perfect...
Summary: 3 Stars
I would not hesitate to buy this one again but may try Heartland next time to see what the difference is. Being energy savvy and seeing the future of energy efficient homes, I test out products on my own home "within reason" before designing it into a client's home. This is the best dryer vent concept available that I have found in the USA and performs very well but is made of Polystyrene a form of plastic also used in making scale models. The plastic is not protected against UV rays and will eventually degrade unless it is painted which will still only add a little more life to the product. There are much better versions available in Canada that cannot be shipped across the border for use in the USA for some odd reason. Canada has better products for cold air issues due to its extreme winter conditions and hopefully these items can be seen in the USA as global warming is really not an issue here in MD...thus prompting me to install this item to keep my laundry from being in the upper 30's due to poorly designed exhaust vents. Hopefully codes will change and enforce better use and better products to help energy efficiency in the near future. It only took 20 minutes to install because I planned ahead but keep in mind that the plastic is brittle so blocking or a plate (like a light mounting plate)of some sort may be necessary for vinyl siding. For those of you whom are concerned with lint issues, you need to clean the dryer exhaust line periodically to prevent issues and blockage PERIOD so do not ever expect a maintenence free product and at that a maintenence free home...it just does not exist unless you are the Jetsons. If they could have an option made of abs plastic or even aluminum (how awesome would that be?)with an integrated J-channel for vinyl siding, they could have a much better niche in the market with a good quality product. It is well worth the investment as it stands but seriously "plan ahead" this product is good and I only gave it 3 stars because of the type of plastic it is made of.Customer Review: Quite possibly the best design for a dryer vent
Summary: 5 Stars
My previous dryer vent became useless after many years of use and the springs just gave up. So I ordered this with the hope that a simpler design would mean a better implementation.
PROS
- Simple design
- Easy to clean
CONS
- Could be hard to install
- No mounting hardware included (!)
The biggest issue with this product is that it can be hard to install especially if you're replacing another vent. In my case, I was concerned that the screw holes from the previous vent could interfere and prevent this vent from being secure on the house. I got lucky but if things were shifted just 1/2 inch, I would have been in trouble.
On the installation, I'd recommend having some Good Stuff spray insulation and outdoor silicone caulk on hand. When you take off the old dryer vent you will inevitable find that the original person who installed that vent did a poor job and there are large openings between the pipe and the house. Make sure you fill in those voids since that can cause air leakage or allow insects to enter the house.
When you line up the product to install it, use a generous amount of caulk the surfaces mating with the house. That will help make sure no water migrates into the house or the dryer pipe. Also, make sure you have some mounting screws because inexplicably there are none included with the product (!).
The vent operates when air is being pushed out by the dryer. When that happens, the plastic cover floats up and air is pushed out of the bottom of the vent. Although I haven't used this long enough to clean it, it's pretty clear that this will be a cinch to clean. There is a latch on the top that you have to unsnap and then the whole this is open to inspect and clean.
This one is a clear winner even if the installation is a little challenging. But I'm sure other dryer vents would be a challenge to install as well.
Customer Review: Possibly worth the trouble
Summary: 4 Stars
I have been looking for these vents for a while. I bought two, one for the bathroom exhaust and one for the clothes dryer exhaust.
Installation:
Basic tools and talent are needed for replacing an exsisting vent. Installing a new vent requires access to some more advanced tools and you will need some problem solving skills. We have beveled siding on our house, this required some cutting and chiseling to get the vent to fit the house fairly flat. You install the bottom part on the house first, useing the pipe from the old 4" vent (if you have an old vent). No 4" vent is supplied with the product. I used aluminum vent tape inside the vent to connect the pipe to the vent. On one of the installs I had to chisel a pocket in the siding for the mounting bracket of the top part (looks like a pot with a lid).
Pros:
Must be more energy efficient and bug resistant than the standard three flap vent.
Looks good when installed properly.
Cons:
Only the basic instructions. Most people could use some help installing this product.
Product quality control could be a little better.
No screws or vent pipe come with the vent.
No good way to lock the vent pipe into the vent, this is where I used the aluminum tape.
Bottom Line:
The vent is not everything it should be, but it beats the alternative.
Customer Review: Deceptive Ad
Summary: 3 Stars
Deceptive advertisement and pricing by Amazon.com and Battic Door. Under the website section "What Do customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?" - first item listed is the Super-efficient dryer vent for $18.98, with 44% buying this item. The second item is the Lambro #289W vent listed at $16.45 with 16% buying this item.
We ordered the first item but received the second item, the Lambro vent. We contacted the seller, Battic Door, through Amazon.com. Battic Door's response was "These are the same item. You received the item you ordered. It is now packaged in a new carton so the box is slightly different than shown but it is the same item. We will refund you the $2.50 difference."
Two different items listed, different pricing, 44% buy one item, 16% buy the other item, but yet they are the same? Somebody needs to clean up their act.
Comments on the vent - I have not yet installed the vent. Compared to local hardware store vents similar in design - I like the latch for the top door. Some do not have a latch and appears that the top cover could come off easily. But the Lambro bottom elbow system is made in two parts and assembled with a few gaps between the parts. Local store items viewed had a one-piece lower elbow system without gaps.