Dryer Vent Cleaning

Many people are unaware that a dirty or clogged dryer vent is a potential fire hazard in your home. Dryer vent fires are often more prevalent than chimney fires.

The warning signs are as follows:

• Your clothes dryer starts to take a long time to dry loads of clothes and towels.
• The room that your dryer is in tends to get very humid while you are drying your clothes.
• The dryer itself gets VERY HOT while you are trying to dry your clothing.

Any of these conditions warrant having your dryer vent checked for obstructions, clogs or excessive clothes lint. Even if you clean your lint trap, lint can still get past the screen and into the dryer vent itself.

It is important to recognize these signs immediately BEFORE you have a fire in dryer or vent. Lint itself is light and fluffy and is highly flammable. Fires in your dryer can occur when heat is continuing to build up in the dryer and has nowhere to be exhausted. We have also seen fires result of the exhaust fan of the dryer working so hard to exhaust the hot air and moisture, that it literally burns itself out.

In addition to the heat factor, moisture that the dryer is pulling out of the clothes also has nowhere to go and often times builds up in the vent. We have seen POOLS of water inside dryer vents. That water can then freeze during the colder months, causing an ice blockage, or if the water has nowhere else to go, we have seen it leaking into walls and ceilings causing water damage and mold situations to develop.

According to the U.S Fire Administration, an estimated 2,900 clothes dryer fires in residential buildings are reported to U.S. fire departments each year and cause an estimated 5 deaths, 100 injuries, and $35 million in property loss.