We spend quite a bit of time educating our customers about the need for dryer vent cleaning. The reason we spend so much time on this is because we have seen up close the damage a house fire can do. A fire that starts in the dryer vent is one of the leading causes of house fire in the United States. This is due in large part to the fact that many people simply don’t understand the extreme flammability of lint. However, if you were ever a Boy Scout, you likely are quite familiar with this fact.
As far as figuring out how often a dryer vent should be cleaned, a few factors will need to be considered. For instance, how long is your vent. Longer vents don’t exhaust as well, and thus build up more lint. Vents with a lot of twists and turns also have a tendency to have lint build up more quickly – in fact, each 90 degree elbow effectively adds 5 feet of distance to the venting system. On the other hand, a very short vent will often need very little cleaning. Also, older dryers tend to dry less efficiently, so you will want their vents checked more often.
The U.S. Consumer Protection Agency has laid out several guidelines regarding dryer vent cleaning. One of their biggest recommendations is cleaning the lint tray after each use. Besides drying your clothes faster, it will reduce the buildup of lint at the source of the heat. They also strongly suggest replacing older duct material that is flexible with the newer types of rigid or semi-rigid duct. The older duct material’s flexibility is more prone to kinks, which leads to restricted airflow and lint buildup and vinyl is not an approved material for dryer exhaust components.
Just remember: you don’t have to worry about all of this yourself. We are here to help. Contact us today, and schedule an appointment with us today. We make sure your dryer vent clean is clean and safe!
