How Often Should You Clean Your Dryer Vent?
A common actions we take each day is do the laundry. Despite the fact that most individuals detest washing laundry, some individual do find it to be somewhat therapeutic. They take pleasure in the clean detergent scent and the revitalizing feeling of freshly laundered garments. No of how you feel about laundry, you should make cleaning your dryer vent a priority. This should be done at least once every year.
The average number of house building fires using clothes dryers or washing machines was 15,970, according to the National Fire Protection Agency, or NFPA. Dust and lint contributed to 27% of clothes dryer fires from 2010 to 2014, which may have been prevented if the dryer vents had been cleaned correctly by a dryer vent cleaning expert. Another 26% of these fires related to clothes dryers were caused by the clothing itself catching fire. Having said that, it is essential for homeowners to make it a point to get their dryer and dryer vent completely cleaned at least once a year.
Why should you clean the dryer vent?
One of the many things that we frequently take for granted is a dryer. This usually happens when we have a large load of drenched towels that need to be dried right away. But a little annual upkeep can go a long way in keeping your dryer in good shape and prolonging its life. When a dryer is clogged, it has to work harder, which shortens its lifespan.
For the sake of your family’s safety as well as your own, you should also clean the dryer vent. Highly flammable lint build up is produced and accumulated by dryers. The main cause of dryer fires is neglecting to periodically clear the lint out of the machine.
What Causes a Clothes Dryer Fire?
The greatest spot to start a fire is, regrettably, in a clothes dryer. Under the drum, there is a lot of fire that heats up quite quickly. The subsequent dry cycle has a tendency to exhaust the fresh elements to wherever they are when such dryer vent pipe is overloaded with lint and debris. This covers any location where air could be blasted, such the closest heating source. A spark and some oxygen are all that are required to start a fire. The clothes in the dryer will then be used as fuel for the fire once it has started. What other combustible items might be lying around the laundry area is anyone’s guess. A smoke detector that can serve as an early warning system for a potential fire must be installed in or close to your laundry room.
What Causes Lint To Enter The Dryer Vent?
Although there is a lint trap, it frequently allows some of the elements to flow through and exhaust out of the house through the vent pipe. It’s likely that the dryer vent cap will be covered in lint, threads, and dirt if you go outside and look at it. This one is especially true if the container has a gridded lid to keep animals or birds out. Instead, parts are dispersed throughout the vent cap’s circumference, causing the lint to collect in a cakey consistency on the bird guard’s exterior. Sometimes the vent cap has a screen on the inside, which can also cause lint and debris to accumulate. The difficulty in this situation is that you don’t want to let animals or birds inside your dryer vent line. The designers of these dryer vent caps therefore produced screens or guards. However, as a homeowner, it is your responsibility to monitor lint accumulation and clean as needed. Check the dryer vent cap while you are in the yard to determine if it needs to be cleaned. The dryer vent probably has to be cleared out as well if it does need cleaning.
There will be less space for the particles to escape when the dryer does not exhaust properly, which makes it simpler for lint to accumulate inside the dryer vent. Simply put, it has nowhere to go and will either stay in the housing or spread out again into the dryer. To ensure safe and effective heat exhaust, the dryer vent must be completely clear.
Indications of a blocked dryer vent
Always check to see that the dryer vent is receiving adequate airflow. The fact that the garments are still slightly damp after the drying cycle is finished is one indication of limited airflow and a probable clog. If the lint trap is wet after the dry cycle, take note of that as well. These are indications that the dryer is not adequately exhausting heat, which could impair the appliance’s function or, worse yet, cause a fire. It’s also crucial to remember that if there are too many towels in the dryer, even in the absence of poor airflow, the towels may not dry entirely. You likely have damp bath towels since the drying capacity has been exceeded. Because of this, many service technicians strongly advise doing smaller loads of towels. Never fill the dryer drum more than 75% full to ensure that there is enough space for the goods inside to tumble and dry effectively.
How Frequently Should You Clean Your Dryer Vents?
As a general rule, you should clean the dryer vent once a year to get rid of any lint accumulation. However, if you use the dryer frequently and your dryer duct is particularly lengthy and has several turns, you might wish to clean the vent every six months.
You might only need to clean your dryer duct every few years if you don’t use it much and it doesn’t extend very far outside.
Turning on the dryer and checking the air flow in the outer vent hood is the simplest way to determine whether your dryer vent needs to be cleaned. You should clean the dryer vent if the air movement is sluggish or slow.
The recommended indications that you should clean your dryer vent are listed below.
Signs That the Vent in Your Dryer Needs Cleaning
Drying Period
The fact that it takes your garments a long time to dry or don’t dry at all is likely the biggest indication that your dryer vent needs to be cleaned.
Your dryer’s efficiency will decline when lint blocks the air flow in the dryer duct, and eventually it won’t dry your clothing at all.
Air Flow Is Slow
Homeowners should make it a practice to monitor the air flow on a regular basis. Simply turn on the dryer, then check the airflow at the cover of the outer vent. Of course, you might not be able to repair it yourself if your dryer vent runs to the roof.
However, if the air movement is poor or nonexistent, you know that your dryer vent needs to be cleaned.
Additionally, if you are aware of the ideal air flow (for instance, following dryer vent cleaning), you can compare the weaker air flow to the ideal one.
If cleaning doesn’t improve the air flow, the duct may be clogged by a hard-to-remove obstruction, a bird’s nest, or it may even be severed inside the wall.
Dryer Heats up quickly
The dryer and the drum can occasionally get hot to the touch if the dryer vent is filthy.
This is because there is so much lint in the dryer duct that it restricts air movement and makes it harder for heat from the dryer to escape to the outside.
Smell of Fire
Turn off your dryer right away if you ever notice any strange smells coming from it, such as a burnt scent, and make an appointment for a professional cleaning. My comprehensive article about dryer burning smells is available here.
A lint clog that has been smoldering inside the duct is typically the cause of a burning smell.
Due to lint’s great flammability, if it clogs a dryer vent, the heat from the dryer can set it ablaze. I’ve been in homes where dryer duct fires occurred, and dryer vent obstructions are a common cause of fires in the US.
The Procedure for Cleaning Dryer Vents
Professional dryer vent cleaning businesses typically clean dryer vents using one of two methods.
Utilizing tools with compressed air is the first way. In essence, they require a substantial air compressor and a long air hose. A gadget attached to the end of the air hose rotates around the dryer duct, releasing compressed air to release the lint before it is blasted out.
Long metal wires with a brush attachment at the end are the other primary method of cleaning dryer vents. The lint that is adhered to the dryer duct is loosened by the brush when it enters, and it is then blasted out.
You may also purchase tools for DIY dryer vent cleaning at home if you want to spend money.
It is advised for the majority of homeowners to hire a company to clean the dryer vent.
Benefits Of Cleaning The Dryer Vent
Lower the Risk of Fire
The likelihood of a dryer duct fire being reduced is probably the main advantage.
Because lint is so extremely flammable and ends up obstructing the vent, dryer fires are rather typical both in the United States and around the world. The likelihood of the lint igniting increases as the duct becomes blocked or constrained.
Boost Drying Time
Your ability to dry your clothing fast can be greatly improved by clearing the dryer vent of lint.
I have observed certain dryers reduce the time it takes to dry a single load from roughly two hours to less than 30 minutes.
If it seems like it takes too long for your clothes to dry, your dryer vent needs cleaning.
Prolong the dryer’s life
As you can expect, if the air flow is restricted, your dryer will be subjected to greater wear.
Your dryer’s lifespan will be shortened if it is used more frequently than it was intended to.
When the airflow is restricted, dryers can become very hot, and this extra heat will eventually harm the dryer’s engine and electrical parts.
Final thoughts on how often to clean a dryer vent
Make it a practice to clear the lint from the filter after each usage since your laundry room cleaning might frequently go unnoticed. Additionally, think about the cost of paying a specialist dryer cleaning business to come and clean your dryer vents once a year.
It will lengthen the lifespan of your equipment, lower energy costs, and increase the efficiency of the dryer.
Hire a Professional Maintenance Company now
Is it time to clean your dryer exhaust on a yearly basis? To schedule your dryer exhaust cleaning and inspection, get in touch with the staff at AAA Appliance Repair West Palm Beach today. This will help you with the hassle of cleaning your own dryer vent, and also to save and preserve the long life of your dryer. Call us now at (561) 689-8885.
For more information on how https://theappliancepeople.com/ can help you on your Dryer Vent Cleaning, please contact us at (561) 689-8885, or visit us here:
AAA Appliance Repair West Palm Beach
1273 S Military Trail, West Palm Beach, FL 33415, United States
Dryer Vent Cleaning West Palm Beach
