Dryer vent fires are now the number 1 cause of all house fires in the US, outpacing chimney fires. Dryer vents are a type of out of sight, out of mind things that you can’t afford to ignore. Once 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 appropriate conditions can cause a dryer fire, typically spreading by way of the vent system which in turn spreads the fire rapidly all through your home. As a dryer does it’s job, about half of a pound of water is removed, lint is trapped by your lint trap, and air is forced by means 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 excess lint buildup, your dryer is now a ripe candidate for a dryer fire.

Dryer Safety and Inspection Suggestions

1. Make positive your lint trap has no rips and also you clean it before each drying cycle. If the lint is wet in your lint trap, it could mean that it is time to clean your dryer vents. Also, the lint screen must be lightly scrubbed every week and washed with light dish washing soap.

2. Visually inspect your exterior vent hood on the side of your house when the dryer is operating. Are the flaps moving, can you’re feeling any airflow? If not, it is time to get your dryer exhaust system cleaned and your dryer inspected.

3. Inspect around 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 might be a sign that your dryer exhaust system must be cleaned right away.

5. By no means dry any garments or rags which have been soaked with any flammables. It might probably cause an explosive situation in your dryer.

Dryer Vent Cleaning Recommendations

There are some on-line products available that you need to use to clean your vents reminiscent of brushes with rods that can be attached to a high powered drill. Most of those products are inferior and do a less than satisfactory job for dryer vent runs over 10′. It is crucial for you to 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 improper vent types, loose or disconnected vents, or vents with too many angles and bends. A dryer vent cleaning professional often has different types of cleaning equipment depending on the situation. It is crucial for you to ask the dryer vent professional if they will do on site repairs or upgrades as approximately 50% of the jobs encountered will need something of this nature.

Dryer Vent Repairs

Some of the repairs that may be needed might 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 area to do repairs, cleaning from the top of the roof starting from the place the duct exits towards the dryer, and even tearing into the wall or ceiling to repair a vent that has come loose. In the event you aren’t a handy particular person that can do all of the earlier than mentioned repair items, go away it to a dryer vent professional.

Remember, to prevent dryer vent fires in your home, get your dryer exhaust system cleaned once a year. When you live in a condominium complex make certain your property manager knows the significance of dryer vent maintenance. Apartment owners should also make dryer vent cleaning of their units a priority.

If you cherished this article and you would like to be given more info regarding trash bin cleaning nicely visit our own website.