A few things to check...
First, check that the dryer vent is not clogged. You'll have to go outside to check. If you are not sure of a clog, disconnect from inside and have your wife hold a flashlight by the vent, then go outside to see if you can see it. This will also cause laundry to dry slower than it used to (your wife may have a feeling if this is the case).
Second, make sure you don't have negative pressure in the house (large house fans are good for cooling but move too much air out so the dryer cannot vent its exhaust gasses well). You can check by opening an exterior door about an inch and check if it swings open with a gush of wind. Even houses without whole-house fans can do this if you have enough bathroom fans and furnace fans going.
Third, If it is a smell of natural gas, then you should call a service technician because the valve is not opening/closing correctly (or fast enough) if you have a pilot-less starter.
I honestly wouldn't tell anyone to try changing a valve for natural gas. The risk of fire or injury is too high. I would much rather hear a complaint from you saying "Gee, I spent $300 for that?" than hearing you say, "I wish I would have just spent the $300 instead of burning down my home".
Sorry,
-Mark
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Thanks for the suggestions! Dryer vent not clogged, but the wife does complain of laundry drying slower than usual....I figure it's b/c she tries to dry the equivalent of 2 loads at once. She says it seems to happen more after she's ran a few loads through back to back.
As far as negative pressure....the doors will swing open with a gush of wind, but I always just figured it was b/c it's a run of the mill track home with some foundation settling. We have trouble keeping a lot of the inside doors closed too, but others want to swing almost closed. However, none of them move an inch when the central fan kicks on.
It is absolutely the smell of natural gas....and I guess a valve is too much for the average do it yourselfer to tackle?
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