Money and Space Saving Tool Eliminates Mess Behind Clothes Dryer (Jupiter, FL - October 2004) Have a washer and dryer at home? Good chance the dryer is five or six inches away from the back wall and the flex exhaust hose resembles a snake. “Tight bends in the flex exhaust hose accelerate lint accumulation and can really impair the efficiency of the dryer and—worse yet—create a fire hazard,” says Rick Harpenau, owner of In-O-Vate Technologies Inc. and inventor of The Dryerbox. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that in 1998, clothes dryers were associated with 15,600 fires, which resulted in 20 deaths and 370 injuries. Fires can occur when lint builds up in the dryer or in the exhaust duct. Lint can block the flow of air, cause excessive heat build-up, and result in a fire in some dryers. The Dryerbox is a simple metal receptacle about the size of a kitty-litter pan, which installs between the studs in new construction behind the dryer and facilitates the collection and housing of the flex exhaust hose. It provides a net gain of one square foot of living area and close to $6 per year in electricity or fuel savings. It also allows the dryer to be positioned without fear of kinking the exhaust hose. The Dryerbox allows the storage and recoiling of the flex transition hose between the dryer and the wall connection to take place inside the wall cavity, eliminating the zig-zag of ductwork most households have tolerated for decades. Model versions include depths for 2"x4" or 2"x6" walls and for an upward direction of exhaust flow and a downward. “It might take five or ten years, but we believe that almost every new home will eventually be built with a receptacle behind the dryer that facilitates the collection and connection of the flex transition hose,” said Rick Harpenau, President of In-O-Vate Technologies Inc. “As builders, architects, inspectors, subcontractors and homeowners see the product for themselves; they are asking why this wasn’t available sooner. It really is a common sense type of product.” Today, there are over 500,000 installed in new homes across the country. Contact Information: Rick Harpenau In-O-Vate Technologies, Inc. 810 Saturn Street, Suite 21 • Jupiter, FL 33477 Phone: (561) 743-8696 • Fax: (561) 745-9723