FROM: Tina Vaughn, Director, Department of Housing
SUBJECT: Follow-Up Report on Venting of Clothes Dryers
DATE: April 2, 2003
This memorandum provides a follow-up report on a concern raised by a Council member during the February 12th budget work session with the Housing and Community Development Advisory Board.
On February 18th, I talked with Ms. Stephanie Willis, Ephesus School Nurse, regarding her concerns about indoor venting of clothes dryers.
Ms. Willis said that about a year and a half ago, the Orange County Asthma Coalition received a grant to conduct an in-home air quality assessment of the homes of children who were not doing well in school and had asthma. Two children in the South Estes Drive public housing neighborhood were included in the in-home air quality assessment. Ms. Willis said that during the home visits, it was noticed that the apartments had window air conditioners and indoor venting of clothes dryers (with ventilation kits).
Ms. Willis said the assessment of the Asthma Coalition concluded that the use of window air conditioners and indoor venting of clothes dryers exacerbated asthma symptoms. She stated that the Orange County Asthma Coalition sent a letter to the Town about a year ago regarding the effect indoor venting of clothes dryers and window air conditioners has on asthma symptoms. The letter referred to by Ms. Willis stated that while indoor venting of clothes dryers is not a violation, they recommended that public housing units have enough space that would allow for external ventilation on clothes dryers and that the Town consider providing central air conditioning.
We have no record or recollection of having received a letter from the Orange County Asthma Coalition and believe that we did not receive the referenced letter from them.
During a recent inspection, we determined that 21 of the 336 public housing apartments have clothes dryers that are equipped with ventilation kits (lease see Attachment 1). These clothes dryers cannot be vented to the outside because of the lack of access to an outside wall. In these apartments, the kitchen cabinets and stoves are located along the outside wall. Dryer hook-ups with outside venting could be made possible in these apartments during comprehensive renovation work.
The clothes dryers that cannot be vented to the outside are equipped with ventilation kits that are installed by the Housing staff. The US Department of Housing and Urban Development has approved the use of ventilation kits on clothes dryers. Ventilation kits are used to filter lint and other particles from the air that is dispersed from clothes dryers.
The clothes dryers with ventilation kits are inspected every three months during safety inspections to make sure the kits are in place. Also, during safety inspections, window air conditioners are inspected and the filters are changed.
The Town Council has authorized us to install central air conditioning as we renovate public housing units. Since adoption of the Council’s policy, we have renovated 9 units at Lindsay Street and 6 units at Pritchard Park and central air conditioning has been installed. We also re-arranged dryer ventilation as necessary during renovation work so that dryers are vented to the outside.
ATTACHMENTS
NUMBER OF CLOTHES DRYERS WITH VENTILATION KITS
Public Housing Neighborhoods # of Dryers with Ventilation Kits
|
Craig-Gomains |
0 |
|
Lindsay Street |
0 |
|
North Columbia Street |
1 |
|
Trinity Court |
2 |
|
South Estes Drive |
10 |
|
Airport Gardens |
2 |
|
South Roberson Street |
0 |
|
Pritchard Park |
0 |
|
Colony Woods West |
0 |
|
Eastwood |
6 |
|
Church / Caldwell Street |
0 |
|
Oakwood |
0 |
|
Rainbow Heights |
0 |
Total 21