Dryer Vent Cleaning
If you’re wondering what dryer vent cleaning is and why it’s important, you may be surprised to learn that a dryer vent needs to be cleaned on an annual basis to prevent the buildup of dangerous lint. As you may be aware, lint (as well as other flammable fibers) builds up inside a dryer overtime. The lint acts as an ignitor. Cleaning a dryer vent on an annual basis will not only prevent the buildup of lint, but it will also ensure that your dryer operates like it should – and for longer!
Benefits Of Dryer Vent Cleaning
The benefits of a good dryer hose system are that there is no need for an expensive appliance repair. But the main reason to clean your dryer vents regularly is to prevent fires.
You never know when a spark or overheating can cause a fire in your home and not only that, but it is one of the most deadly things that you can cause to happen as well. A clogged vent can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning and/or other health risks.
Do I Need Dryer Vent Cleaning
Here are some easy ways to identify whether you really need a dryer vent cleaning service: If your dryer seems to be taking much longer than normal to dry one load of clothes, then you may have a dryer vent clog. This type of dryer clog will prevent your dryer from drying clothes properly. In extreme cases, the vent can even cause fires!
- Your dryer is giving a code about airflow or plugged venting system.
- If you haven’t had your dryer vent cleaned ever! (Your dryer vent should be cleaned annually to prevent fire and to ensure your dryer operates properly.
- The fuse in your dryer keeps breaking even when you purchased a new one.
- You have to run your dryer more than once to get your clothes completely dry.
- Very humid laundry room when clothes are drying.
Most loads of laundry contained (1) gallon of water as your dryer vent becomes clogged that water has to go somewhere which can result in water damage inside your walls or on your floor. The other bad thing about this is once the venting becomes wet it tends to collect more lint and becomes even more clogged which results in even more water in your venting.
Get your dryer vent cleaned
Having your dryer vent cleaned will help preserve the life of your dryer, save on electricity, and help prevent dryer fires.
Dryer Vent Fires
Blockage of Vents
While build-up can cause fires in the event you have a gas dryer can also become a danger of carbon monoxide poisoning. While these things are dangerous by no means do we use these as scare tactics but hopefully awareness as many people don’t know you are supposed to clean your dryer vents annually.
Healthier Environment
When your dryer vent becomes clogged you have to run it multiple times for your clothes to get fully dry. Thus using more electricity by keeping them clear and your dryer functioning at full capacity will reduce energy consumption and is better for the environment.
Burned Dryer Heating Elements
Also, clogged dryer vents can cause the heating element in your dryer to burn out and or burn up a fuse as well as other costly appliance damage. It’s much easier to keep the vents clear. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!
Tip: Watch for warning signs of a clogged dryer vent such as laundry taking longer or more than one cycle to dry, clothes dryer becoming hot to touch, and/or a burning smell coming from your laundry room.
How To Dryer Vent Cleaning
Here at Real Mean Duct Cleaning, we use a camera to inspect your dryer vent to ensure we completely clean the vent and not just punch a hole in the lint. We then use a brush to gather and scrape the inside of your venting and when we are done we camera the line one more time to make sure nothing is left behind.
Can’t I Clean My Own Dryer Vent?
While some people choose to clean their own dryer vents one major difference is we use a special brush that cleans much better than the cheap ones the stores and online retailers offer. If you choose to clean your own vents we recommend buying one that attaches to a power drill vs the hand brush even though they aren’t as good as what we use they are far better than the hand brush type.
Tips on cleaning your own dryer vents:
- Use a power drill brush vs a hand brush
- Make sure you have unplugged the dryer when performing a cleaning as they have high voltage and are dangerous.
- Ensure you assemble the venting correctly without any leaks especially in gas dryers as they do vent out carbon monoxide.
- Run the dryer and brush from the outside in to help blow out lint as you clear it.
- Hook up an adapter to the venting so that you can use a large Shopvac to eliminate lint from making a huge mess and blowing lint everywhere.
- Clean your dryer vents once every year to prevent build-up and possibly a house fire.
Reasons Not To Attempt To Perform Your Own Dryer Vent Cleaning:
- High voltage can be dangerous so make sure you unplug it!
- Carbon monoxide poisoning is serious and making sure your vent is properly installed with no leaks is important! We recommend using HVAC tape to seal even around the venting.
- Cheap brushes online and at retailers typically come in sections and can come undone in your venting thus causing damage or becoming stuck inside your dryer vent and costing you more money.
- Don’t use a leaf blower to try to clean your dryer vent as seen online, because we have seen this actually clog the dryer vent more and push everything into a 90 and even our machines have a hard time clearing it.
- Sometimes your dryer vent may come out your roof which can pose a dangerous situation of falling or causing property damage.
Avoid Frequent Dryer Vent Cleaning
To avoid frequent dryer vent cleanings we recommend that you clean your lint trap after each load of laundry. Make sure there aren’t any rips, tears, or damage to your lint trap such as gaps, warped, and cracks to the housing as this will allow lint to enter your dryer vent and become clogged.
Check the fins on the venting frequently outside the home and ensure there isn’t a dryer sheet or other build-up blocking airflow at the fins as this will result in a plugged dryer vent. Keeping your dryer vent clean and free of obstruction will lower energy costs, prolong the life of the dryer, and will help prevent dryer fires due to when they are clogged they get hot, blow fuses, and can even melt wires.
The Best Dryer Vent Cleaning
We only use the top-of-the-line dryer vent cleaning methods and tools. Including a brush system and high-pressure air. In the event, animals have gained access to the vent we also install bird boxes as well as have sanitization tools available.
Don’t take our word for it check out our reviews online! Call around and ask lots of questions and see who is more professional us or our competition and consider us for all your air duct cleaning needs.
