The dryer should dry your clothes in about 40-45 minutes. An extended length of time means one of two things; the dryer is going out or the hose and vent are clogged with lint. One is much easier to deal with financially than the other unless you don’t really worry about money. You could replace the dryer, which will cost a lot more than the second option, which is to have the hose and vent cleaned. You can clean it yourself, but keep in mind that it does take time, it is very (very) messy, and it is potentially dangerous.
Why is Cleaning the Dryer Vent Dangerous?
Dryers have a very difficult job. They turn wet clothing into dry clothing in roughly 45 minutes. They produce lint in the capture screen, but only about 70% of the lint produced is stopped by the screen that you clean after every load. The rest goes through the exhaust hose and to the vent. The lint produced by the dryer is very flammable. One spark and the entire hose could erupt, shooting flames in both directions. The resulting fire could cause serious injury or damage to the home. Our dryer vent technicians are C-DET Certified (Certified Dryer Exhaust Technicians) and have successfully attended and passed testing specific to the industry.
Why Hire C-DET Certified Technicians?
The CSIA (Chimney Safety Institute of America) offers the C-DET program for people who want to further their education in the field. Both of the technicians here at Lou Curley’s Chimney Service are CSIA Certified Chimney Sweeps and C-DET Certified Dryer Exhaust Technicians. We are fully certified to examine, inspect, and clean your fireplace, wood burning stove, chimney, flue, and dryer vent and hose.
Dryer Vent Cleaning for Apartments
Landlords often call us to clean the dryer vents in vacant apartments between tenants. We’ve heard stories that included tenants leaving laundry in the dryer for two hours because the dryer wasn’t effectively drying things. This is far too long to wait. The problem is wasting money for everyone by that point because the tenant has to pay higher power bills and the landlord often replaces defective dryers instead of having the hose and vent cleaned.
Save Money
Don’t replace your dryer simply because it is taking longer than normal to dry your clothes or it feels like it is overheating. Call us at 610-626-2439 for an inspection and cleaning instead and we’ll take care of the cleaning process for you. You’ll see the efficiency of the dryer increase and your electric bill decrease. You’ll also enjoy the fact that each load of clothes only takes about 40-45 minutes to dry instead of an hour or more.