Dryer vent fires are actually the number 1 cause of all residence fires in the US, outpacing chimney fires. Dryer vents are one of those out of sight, out of mind things which you can’t afford to ignore. If you realize that the lint trap on a dryer (even a new one), only removes or stops 80% of the lint – you can see the importance of cleaning your exhaust system as soon as a year.
Dryer lint is highly flammable and under the best conditions can cause a dryer fire, usually spreading via the vent system which in turn spreads the fire rapidly throughout your home. As a dryer does it’s job, about 1/2 a pound of water is removed, lint is trapped by your lint trap, and air is forced by way of your dryer exhaust system. All through time, this excess lint backs up in your dryer and the exhaust or venting system. Airflow is restricted, your dryer works harder and the motor overheats. With extra lint buildup, your dryer is now a ripe candidate for a dryer fire.
Dryer Safety and Inspection Tips
1. Make certain your lint trap has no rips and you clean it before each drying cycle. If the lint is wet in your lint trap, it may imply that it is time to clean your dryer vents. Also, the lint screen should be lightly scrubbed each week and washed with light dish washing soap.
2. Visually examine your exterior vent hood on the side of your house when the dryer is operating. Are the flaps moving, can you feel any airflow? If not, it is time to get your dryer exhaust system cleaned and your dryer inspected.
3. Examine round your dryer for lint on the floor. This is a warning sign that your dryer exhaust system must be cleaned.
4. In case your clothes are taking more than one cycle to dry, this could possibly be a sign that your dryer exhaust system must be cleaned right away.
5. Never dry any garments or rags which have been soaked with any flammables. It will probably cause an explosive situation in your dryer.
Dryer Vent Cleaning Suggestions
There are some online products available that you should utilize to clean your vents akin to brushes with rods that may be hooked up to a high powered drill. Most of these products are inferior and do a less than satisfactory job for dryer vent runs over 10′. It will be important so that you can call a professional when doing dryer vent cleaning because of the completely different situations that can and will be encountered. A few of these conditions are mistaken vent types, loose or disconnected vents, or vents with too many angles and bends. A dryer vent cleaning professional normally has totally different types of cleaning equipment depending on the situation. It can be crucial for you to ask the dryer vent professional in the event that they will do on site repairs or upgrades as approximately 50% of the roles encountered will need something of this nature.
Dryer Vent Repairs
A few of the repairs which may be wanted would possibly embody: rerunning or altering out the dryer vent exhaust duct work, adding or altering a vent hood that exits the site of the building, going into the attic or crawl house to do repairs, cleaning from the top of the roof starting from where the duct exits towards the dryer, and even tearing into the wall or ceiling to repair a vent that has come loose. Should you aren’t a helpful individual that can do all the before mentioned repair items, go away it to a dryer vent professional.
Bear in mind, to stop dryer vent fires in your home, get your dryer exhaust system cleaned as soon as a year. Should you live in a condominium complex make sure your property manager knows the significance of dryer vent maintenance. Apartment owners also needs to make dryer vent cleaning of their units a priority.
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