A couple of weeks ago my husband replaced our old metal dryer exhaust vent with a new plastic exhaust vent that has a plastic grid under the flaps. Up until then the dryer had worked perfectly with no problems what so ever. Two days after he replaced the vent my dryer stopped heating correctly. I took the hose off the back of the dryer and it ran perfectly. Upon removing the hose from the exhaust I found that it was totally blocked. I cleaned it and put a new hose on the dryer. Now I am constantly having to go outside and clean the debris out of the vent in order for the dryer to dry correctly and have good air flow. He is dead set on leaving the grid in the vent to prevent unwanted pest from entering the house. The dryer works, but somtimes the timer sticks and it doesn't heat up. Could something have been messed up or burned up due to the hose being blocked before? Should I remove the grid under the flaps to keep the vent from clogging?
The flaps are there to keep out rats and snakes, but if you add a mesh or common screen it can and does, cloog and you could cause a fire. Don't run the dryer with a
with a screen!!!
Let me ask you a few questions. When your husband pushed the dryer back in its place, did it kink the vent hose?. Take a look at it. I have a mesh plastic cover on my dryer also. It works fine. Every once in awile, I go out side and clean it. If you have more questions I could be reached at T. PAONE's APPLIANCE SALES & SERVICE GUIDE Thanks Tom
Dryer Vent Blockage Causing More Problems 
The dryer works, but somtimes the timer sticks and it doesn't heat up. Could something have been messed up or burned up due to the hose being blocked before? Should I remove the grid under the flaps to keep the vent from clogging?
