Pages

Dryer Vent Cleaning - The Anatomy of a Dryer Fire

 Minimize a fire hazard with regular dryer vent cleaning and dryer maintenance service


Most individuals are heedful about getting their heating system cleaned, yet, very few consumers contemplate the dryer relative to fire protection. Numerous dryer fires happen annually, triggering deaths, personal injuries, building destruction and home loss. In addition to being a fire hazard, incorrect dryer venting also causes a carbon monoxide possibility. These calamities can be avoided with properly installed and maintained dryer vents.

A dryer fire arises when lint increases constricting airflow which then triggers overheating. The heat and the combustible lint are the principal active ingredients for a dryer fire. Tumble dryers create a good deal of lint and only cleaning the lint filter is insufficient. The lint screen catches a lot of lint while some travels into the inside of the dryer cabinet, dangerously near the heating element. The most effective action to be sure your dryer vent device is risk-free is to have it professionally inspected and cleaned about once a year.

One other issue is the length of the venting; the shorter, the more suitable. At one time most washers and dryers were in the basement, on an exterior wall, with a rather short, straight vent to the outdoors. Presently many newer home or apartments can have their laundry area placed far from an outside wall, with some located on the second floor. This means dryer vent lines are much longer and contain some turns where lint can collect. They're also harder to access hence harder to keep cleaned. The appropriate dryer vent system is short and straight. The sections need to also be joined together to make the interior smooth and without screws or rivets that lint could catch on.

It is essential that the venting be made of stiff material, not the flexible, foil type tubing that breaks quite easily, limiting ventilation. Give adequate open space between the clothes dryer and the wall. A mistake people often make is forcing the dryer too close to the wall, squeezing the vent and generating an air flow complication right off the bat.

Here is one last idea that few people understand. The dryer vent filter should be washed completely with hot soapy water every few months to remove residue build up triggered by dryer sheets. It is literally plausible for the lint filter to have so much build-up on it that it will hold water! This most definitely restricts air flow and causes the dryer to take more than one cycle to successfully dry a load of clothes.

To improve dryer efficiency and prevent a dryer fire call the Dryer Vent Cleaning Pro at 631-430-4524