Why is it important to clean your Dryer Vents?
If you’re like most homeowners, you use your clothes dryer on a regular basis and depend on it for fresh, dry clothes. While it’s one of the more convenient appliances in your home, many don’t realize your dryer can also be a dangerous hazard.
As your clothes dry, tiny bits of fabric fibers shed from the edges. These fibers are what create the lint that your dryer collects in the lint trap. However, lint can also collect in your dryer vents and your ductwork, clogging them up and restricting the flow of air. If this happens, the heat from your dryer could ignite the lint and start a fire. In fact, according to the Consumer Products Safety Commission, there are more than 15,500 home fires caused by clothes dryers every year.
Don’t let lint build-up be a threat to your home and your family. At Western Furnace Cleaning, we offer dryer vent cleaning that can clear your system of lint build-up. With a clear vent and ductwork, you won’t have to worry about fire hazards. In addition, if you’ve been having to extend or repeat your drying cycles, a clean vent can maximize your drying efficiency and reduce the time it takes to remove the moisture from your clothes.
Maximize your dryer performance and keep your home and family safe with a dryer vent cleaning from Western Furnace Cleaning. Schedule yours today.
Dryer Vent Cleaning is the process of removing lint, dirt and debris from the dryer system. Much of the venting system is unseen and confined within your walls, but they are just as important as cleaning the lint trap screen. We use specialized tools to remove the lint and debris off the vent. We recommend cleaning the dryer vents once every year depending on the size of the household and dryer usage.
Starting at the outside of your home, we use a special tool to snake through the line outside of your house down to your dryer.
The snake-like tool pulls all of the lint from the dryer outside of your house by backwards suction. This process is repeated multiple times until the vent is completely clean.
After cleaning your dryer from the outside of the home, we will shift focus to the back of your dryer.
We will disconnect your dryer, then use an air tool to thoroughly clean the back of the dryer near the heating element as well as the lint trap.
Using an extension tool, we will clean your dryer vent from the back of your dryer to the termination point on the outside of your house.
We will reconnect your dryer , push it back in place, and wipe it clean.
We will test your dryer to ensure everything is running efficiently and safely.
Dryer is taking longer than usual to dry a load of laundry.
When a dryer vent is clogged or extremely dirty it can take much longer to finish a cycle, or you’ll notice that your clothes are not completely dry at the end of a regular cycle. Dryers operate by pushing the hot moist air through the dryer hose, if there is a blockage the moist air will stay within the dryer preventing your clothes from drying properly. This puts added wear and tear on your machine, increase energy costs and time spent doing a load of laundry.
Outside of dryer or clothes are very hot
If you dryer is hot to the touch this is a warning sign that your vent is not exhausting adequately. Hotter than usual clothes at the end of the cycle is another indication. If there is a clog, there is nowhere for the hot air to go thus increasing the temperature of the dryer and clothes within. This can possibly cause the heating element to burn out faster and causes the dryer’s blower to work harder.
Strong odor or burning smell.
Lint is extremely flammable. Excessive heat will singe the lint and cause a burning smell in the air. If this is noticed immediately stop using the dryer and have it inspected as soon as possible. This can also be a warning that there is already a fire within the dryer system.
Outside dryer exhaust hood flap or opening is dirty.
If you can see lint or other debris around the outside opening of your vent, it means the air flow is already restricted on the inside. If the hood flap doesn’t open this is an indication that there is a clog. Simply placing your hand to see if there is air flow is a good home check as well. Visually inspecting the outside vent is an easy way to prevent costly repairs. Often birds and small animals like to make this vent a home, particularly in winter, so checking frequently is a good idea
It’s been longer than a year since your last cleaning or inspection.
The more time that goes by the more lint that builds up within the system. They should be inspected annually to reduce the risk of fires and carbon monoxide poisoning. Your lint trap should be emptied after each load of laundry cycle. Lint will not build up as quickly if your duct system is accurately designed and installed. We will always let you know if your system is safe.
Clean the lint trap before and after each load. Test your dryer filter by clearing it of lint, then pouring a small amount of water onto the filter screen. if the water pools up instead of flowing through the screen, wash the screen in warm, soapy water using a brush. Rinse, retest and repeat until the water flows through.
The dryer drum usually doesn’t need cleaning unless you’re drying a load of hairy pet items or gritty play clothes. In those cases, try to shake the hair and grit off the articles before tossing them into the dryer.