Nearly 15,000 home fires could be avoided per year. That’s the magic number where dryer vent fires are concerned. Many homeowners don’t realize the importance of keeping the dryer vent clean and as free of lint as possible. The CSIA (Chimney Safety Institute of America) recommends that the dryer vent be cleaned at least once per year, just like your chimney. So here are four reasons that your dryer vent should be added to your spring cleaning checklist.
- To Prevent a House Fire – The number-one reason to have the dryer vent cleaned is as preventative maintenance. Overheating causes problems with the dryer itself and can start a house fire as the temperatures around the dryer’s heating element reach nearly 300 degrees and dryer lint is very flammable.
- The Laundry Takes More than One Cycle to Dry – The dryer can’t effectively cycle moistened air to the outside if the dryer vent or hose are blocked. This means most of the humidity remains inside the dryer and keeps the laundry damp. Don’t remove the dryer hose to speed up the process, because that much moisture can be detrimental to your entire laundry room.
- The Dryer Gets Too Hot – An overheating dryer makes your clothing very hot. The dryer does heat up your laundry of course, but it should never burn you when you gather the clothing to get it out of the dryer.
- To Save Money – A clean dryer vent and hose allow the dryer to work more efficiently. A single load time of roughly 45 minutes probably won’t break the bank, but when you have to restart the dryer time and time again to dry your laundry; it becomes a problem. Your dryer won’t wear out as quickly if it is properly maintained as well.
You can do a little troubleshooting on your own if you feel that the dryer isn’t drying as efficiently as it once did. Take a quick look at the exterior vent and make sure the dryer is able to effectively push the vent cover open to expel the heated air. If the vent is blocked with lint, you absolutely need to clean the hose and vent or give us a call to do it for you.
We fully understand that not all homeowners are familiar with DIY home improvement projects or comfortable with the idea of cleaning the vent hose on their own. That’s perfectly okay, and we respect the decision to hire a professional C-DET technician for the job. Give us a call at 610-626-2439 if you would like to schedule an appointment for a dryer vent cleaning with one of our C-DET technicians. Each of the chimney sweeps here at Lou Curley’s Chimney Service is CSIA Certified and C-DET certified.