Reasons why the dryer vent need to be cleaned regularly?
Criteria we highly recommend to inspect your dryer vent.
Is Your Dryer Putting Your Home at Risk? If you meet one or more of the below criteria we highly recommend having your system inspected as soon as possible.
When was your dryer duct work last cleaned or inspected? If your dryer duct has not been inspected and cleaned in over a year, it can become clogged and/or crushed, causing lint to build up.
Is your dryer duct length is greater than 25 feet? This actually slows the airflow. Many newer homes often are designed with the laundry room away from an exterior wall. For example, in a closet of a hallway. While this is a convenient placement for the homeowner it can be a potential hazard. With this setup the vents run greater distances with more turns, which makes your dryer work harder and creates more places for lint to collect. Add five feet for each 90-degree bend when calculating your duct length.
Do you have a large family and use the dryer often?
Does your dryer has flexible plastic or vinyl ducts? It’s inexpensive, but plastic duct work is no longer code-approved.
How often should your dryer duct get cleaned?
The Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recommend annual dryer duct inspections and/or cleanings to ensure safer and often cheaper operation of your appliance. Frequency of duct cleaning will depend on several factors including how often it is used, if there are pets, how long the appliance is run and how many bends are in the ducts.
Here is a general guideline based on how many loads you dry per week:
1 – 3 loads a week, should be cleaned approximately every 2 years.
4 – 7 loads a week, should be cleaned annually.
8+ a week should receive cleanings about every 6 months. But this can change based on the layout of your dryer duct…
Warning signs to get your dryer duct cleaned.
The drying time for your clothing takes longer and longer.
Every clothes dryer duct system is different, but one thing is certain: A clogged dryer duct can increase the amount of time it takes to dry clothing by double or triple the time. What once used to take a thirty minute dry cycle now is taking sometimes up to two hours to dry. Most people don’t quite experience those extreme time differences but in our experience 60-70% of people will notice that after one cycle that their clothes aren’t quite dry yet and will restart the cycle again. Clothing that takes twice as long to dry is not only an energy waster, but also a fire hazard. This also adds much more wear and tear on the machine and cut the life of your dryer in half.
Your clothing and the outside of the dryer are very hot.
Do you notice that the dryer is especially hot to the touch or that the clothing are much hotter at the end of the drying cycle? If the dryer duct becomes clogged it makes it so the heat can’t escape the machine properly. This can cause the heating element or the blower to wear out or overheat. In time this will break the dryer and cause the need for costly repairs or possibly replacement. You should also read our information on the dangers of a clogged dryer duct.
Burning smell.
Do you smell a burning odor when you run your dryer? Lint Is extremely flammable, and if this trapped lint gets too hot, it can catch on fire. If you start to smell a burning odor while running your dryer, stop and get it inspected.
Outside vent hood is clogged or doesn’t open.
The outside vent opening of the dryer duct sometimes has a flap that opens and closes. If this flap isn’t opening while the dryer is running then it is most likely clogged. Dryer ducts are also favored by critters (birds, rodents and reptiles) to hide because it can stay nice and warm for them. If this outlet doesn’t have a flap and it’s just an opening sometimes birds make nests inside this and cause clogs.
It’s been longer than a year since your last inspection.
What does a dryer duct cleaning company do?
As one the top rated Denver dryer duct cleaning and air duct cleaning companies,we start by measuring both the airflow and temperature at an outlet from your dryer, these measurements will be notated for reference. We do this at both the beginning and end of our visit. This gives us the improvements as a result of the cleaning as well as establishes a relationship with your particular system and its day to day to operations and capacity . In our notes, we will begin tacking your system and will have accurate notes to compare your system back to is self to future visits to determine if it needs a cleaning
Our dryer duct cleaning process starts with the visible duct after disconnecting the duct from your dryer. We will thoroughly clean the entire duct as well as the entry and exit points, provided that we are able to access both. After the visible duct, we will work deep within the duct work with special tools to scrub out any lint build up that commonly occurs. It is hidden from sight and thus an unknown danger.
The whole purpose of this cleaning is to clear out any particles or buildup that is preventing the air from properly flowing through the duct work the dryer. These particles can be responsible for excess heat in your dryer that not only damages your clothing but can start dangerous fires. Our Technician will use his experience and expertise to clean out even the hard to reach places with care. He will be cleaning out your dryers duct work that can reach up to 40 feet!