Dryer Vent Cleaning
Why Should Homeowners Have a Dryer Vent Cleaning?
Simply stated, cleaning your dryer’s lint screen with each new load of laundry isn’t enough. Over time, fabric particles can build up throughout the dryer’s vent restricting the airflow and leading to potentially dangerous circumstances.
Safety Concerns
Lint is made up of an extremely combustible combination of cotton fibers and petroleum-based polyesters. Along with moisture evaporating from the wet clothing, the exhausting airstream carries these flammable fibers through the dryer’s venting. Lint accumulating in the exhaust duct reduces the dryer’s ability to expel heat and consequently causes the dryer to overheat. Under these circumstances, any mechanical problems such as a faulty thermostatic control, a dirty high-temperature limit switch, a clogged lint screen, or even a kink in the dryer vent hose can cause the lint to ignite and the dryer to catch fire. According to the National Fire Protection Association, between 1999 and 2008 clothes dryer accounted for an estimated 399,800 fires resulting in 2,995 deaths, 14,600 injuries, and $644,500,000 in losses. Failure to perform routine dryer vent cleanings is the number one contributing factor.
Warning Signs
- ✓ Increased drying time, often surpassing 35-40 minutes.
- ✓ Top of the dryer hot to the touch while running.
- ✓ Clothes abnormally hot to the touch after drying.
- ✓ Excess lint left on your clothes.
- ✓ No lint visible on the lint screen
- ✓ Dryer repeatedly shuts off during a drying cycle.
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)
Any restriction in the dryer vent will reduce airflow and the dryers ability to exhaust properly. Gas dryers that become restricted have the potential to allow Carbon Monoxide to back up into the house. Carbon Monoxide poisoning is extremely hazardous and can be life threatening with sustained exposure.
Efficiency & Energy Savings
A clogged dryer vent decreases the air circulation and causes your dryer to run longer and hotter, while significantly reducing the energy efficiency of the dryer. The increased temperature produced by the poor the ventilation can destroy your clothing, increase your home’s energy bills and dramatically reduce the lifespan of the dryer. Simply having regular dryer vent cleanings homeowners can lower their energy consumption, reduce their operating costs and nearly eliminate the possibility of a fire.