In these modern times, most of us use clothes dryers rather than drying clothes outside. Problems with the dryer can be easy to overlook, particularly if the culprit is out of sight. Dryer vent cleaning, however, should not be neglected So why is it important?
Physical Condition. A clean dryer vent allows heated air to pass unimpeded from the appliance to the outside world. A dirty dryer vent, conversely, can be lined with the same lint you remove from the dryer filter before every load. That lining can build up on the inner walls of the flexible tubing until the entire vent assembly is operating at a fraction of its unobstructed performance. That’s costly, and it’s dangerous.
Why Dangerous? That thick clot of waste fibers we call “lint” sounds harmless enough. In fact, it’s primarily cotton waste, and cotton is flammable. Many homes in the U.S. catch fire every year when that tinder is unintentionally ignited.
Rewards. A dirty or clogged dryer venting puts your home and family at risk in two ways.
1. Expense. It will inevitably cost you time and money. A free flow of exhaust air from the dryer allows clothes to dry faster, so it’s possible a single cycle will dry clothes that previously took two or more to finish. Shorter drying times obviously use less power, which immediately equates to less money spent on your power bill. There’s another consideration: Equipment that runs for less time has a longer service life. Ensuring the dryer’s vent is unobstructed almost certainly extends its life.
2. Safety. An unobstructed outflow has no fuel inside it to burn, and doesn’t allow heat build-up that can cause dryer vent fires.
Manufacturers recommend that dryer vents be professionally cleaned at least once every three years. Now you know what dryer vent cleaning is all about, please contact us at Donald P. Dick Air Conditioning to schedule an appointment.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in the greater Fresno, California area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about dryer vent cleaning and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Image courtesy of Shutterstock