Dryer Vent Dangers

5/31/2022 (Permalink)

Dryer vent maintenance can keep you safe from an unsuspected fire.

Did you know that a dirty dryer vent is one of the biggest fire hazards in your home?

The removable lint filter traps a lot of the lint produced while drying your clothes but does not get all of it. This lint that slips through your filter or lint trap gets trapped in nooks and crannies deep inside the dryer ductwork that allows hot air from your dryer to escape your home. This build-up of lint can make it harder for your dryer to work and can lead to overheating. This excess heat can ignite the lint and cause house fires.

Other than the fire hazard clogged vents present, congested dryer ducts can introduce other problems. A clogged dryer vent can waste your time, energy, and money by causing your dryer to take longer to dry your clothes. Not only is this bad for your wallet, but they need to run the dryer for longer amounts of time is also bad for the environment.

While there are some maintenance tasks that you can do regularly to keep your dryer vent and ducts clean, much of the work of getting deep into the ducts and vents to deep clean the system can be difficult if you don’t have the proper training and equipment. Read on to find out what maintenance tasks you can perform on your own and what is best left for the pros.

WARNING SIGNS THAT YOUR DRYER VENTS ARE BECOMING UNSAFE

Most laundry-doers dutifully clean their dryer’s lint screen before each new load of clothes. No matter how diligent you are with your lint cleaning, lint will still be able to get past the lint screen, building up to dangerous lint clogs in the hoses or ductwork that carries hot air outside your home.

There are several warning signs to look for that may indicate that your dryer vents are clogged and should be taken care of immediately to avoid any accidental fires in your home. If you notice that your clothes are taking longer to dry, are still damp at the end of a full cycle, or if you notice that your clothes are hot to the touch when the cycle is over, it may be time to call in the pros. Other signs that your vents need to be cleaned include the dryer itself running hotter than usual or your dedicated laundry room (or the air surrounding the dryer itself) being humid or damp.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO MAINTAIN YOUR DRYER VENTS

The first step of cleaning any appliance is to unplug the dryer from the wall. If your dryer is powered by natural gas, this process is a bit more complicated and should be left to professional dryer vent cleaners like SERVPRO of Lufkin/S. Nacogdoches County. 

Call us at 936-637-0404 and schedule a cleaning appointment today!