Do I really need to get my dryer vents cleaned?
Yes. The leading cause of house fires in the USA is the dryer.
An annual average of 12,700 clothes dryer fires occur in homes causing over $88 million in property loss each year.
How often should I have my vent cleaned?
Dryer manufacturers recommend having your vents cleaned at least once a year for normal use dryers.
How do I know if I should have my dryer vents cleaned?
There are usually 3 indicators that you have vents that need to be cleaned and possibly serviced or repaired.
- An increase in your drying time is the best indicator of a clogged vent. If it takes more than one cycle to dry a load of clothes a cleaning of your dryer vent is most likely needed.
- If your dryer gets hot on the outside during a drying cycle it usually means that the air flow is restricted. This can be a broken vent pipe in the wall or ceiling or a clogged dryer vent.
- You may notice that your clean clothes come out of the dryer with lint on them and smelling musty .
- Are the plastic vent extensions safe to use? No. If your dryer overheats and catches on fire plastic will not contain the fire and the fire will spread into the structure of the building. All dryer vent material should be made of metal. All newer dryers have a warning sticker affixed to the back panel warning you to use a heavy metal vent. Please consider having our trained technicians install a proper vent extension.
- My laundry room is on the second floor. Can you still clean the dryer vent?
- Yes.
- My house is only a year old. Do I need the dryer vent cleaned already?
- Dryer manufacturers recommend that you have your dryer vent cleaned once per year. In a years time your dryer vent can become blocked with as little as a half inch of lint. This can decrease the dryers efficiency and increase your chance of a fire.
My dryer doesn’t dry my clothes completely . Does this mean I need a new dryer?
Not necessarily. Clogged dryer vents or improperly installed vents will prevent your dryer from efficiently drying your clothes. Call us before you buy a new dryer. The problem might be the dryer vent and the new dryer still won’t dry your clothes properly if the vent is clogged.
There is water dripping from my dryer vent. Is this normal?
The elimination of moisture recovered during the heating of damp clothing is one of the dryers most important functions. The moisture is held in the warm air produced by the dryer as humidity and is expelled outside through the dryer’s vent. If this air can not be removed you will have poor drying. The moisture can also condense into the dryer vent and eventually leak out and leave pools of water. This is a sign of poor venting which should be addressed immediately.