The dryer vent plays many important roles. The most important role is to transfer the heat from the dryer out of the house.
The dryer vent acts as a chimney and helps to exhaust the hot air from the dryer out of the house. Without this duct, your dryer will likely spread heat, lint and debris throughout the room it is in.
Why do dryer vent cleaning?
Fewer repairs
Clogged dryer vents lead to significant wear and tear on the appliance and an increased risk of failure. Because dryers are not cheap, most residents end up calling a repairman to fix the problem. Over time, these repairs add up and cost more than a professional duct cleaning or even a new dryer.
If you need to call a dryer repairman a second time, ask your HVAC specialist to perform a dryer duct cleaning.
Keep your clothes in good condition longer
Every time your clothes are tossed in the dryer, they lose a small fraction of their quality. This is because the heat breaks down the small fibers in the garment, causing them to stretch and wear out. There’s not much you can do to prevent this, but there is something you can do to slow the process down. One thing you can do is perform a duct cleaning on your dryer.
As we saw above, a dirty vent makes the dryer inefficient. An inefficient dryer must run longer than an efficient dryer. So, when clothes are thrown into an inefficient dryer, they are subject to more wear and tear per drying session.
In other words, they die prematurely. The solution is simple. Just have your dryer vent cleaned. Your local handyman can help you with this task.
Preventing Carbon Dioxide Circulation
When the vent releases warm air to the outside, it also removes harmful gases like carbon dioxide. A blocked duct cannot vent these gases, and they tend to accumulate in the room. Carbon dioxide is dangerous and, when inhaled, can cause death. Dryer vent cleaning allows carbon dioxide and other harmful gases to escape the room.
In this way, you will be following modern trends where people are more environmentally conscious. It is also worth mentioning the main risk of using a gas dryer, which is the increase of carbon monoxide levels, which is dangerous. If the levels are too high, it can lead to serious health problems.
Long life for your dryer
We’ve already pointed out that a clogged vent means a less efficient drying cycle. If your dryer is running longer than normal or more than one cycle per load, you are slowly shortening the life of your dryer.
In fact, it works twice as long! A dryer that is overloaded will add considerable wear and tear to your machine. This can lead to malfunctions and necessary repairs. If you let your dryer run this way, you also risk destroying it completely over time.
Reducing the risk of dryer fires
The main reason to do a dryer vent cleaning is to reduce the risk of fire. In fact, the leading cause of dryer fires is not cleaning this appliance regularly, which accounts for 34% of cases.
To stay safe, clean the lint filter before each load, clean the lint from the exhaust hose every three months and have the dryer inspected regularly.
Eliminate the risk of mold growth
In extreme cases, your dryer’s vent can become severely blocked, restricting airflow to more than 90% and virtually suffocating your dryer. When your dryer can’t properly exhaust the hot, humid air during operation, the air condenses (turns to water).
In some cases, we have seen gallons of water accumulate in the dryer vent. This poses a serious risk of mold growth if the problem is not addressed. If you have the lint removed from your dryer vent system every year, it is virtually impossible for this to happen.
Reduced energy costs
Lint buildup in your dryer’s vent means your dryer will take longer to dry your clothes. And that means you’ll have to run your dryer more often, resulting in higher electricity bills. After doing a dryer vent cleaning, your dryer will run more efficiently and save you money.
Call the dryer vent cleaning professionals
If your dryer is located directly next to an exterior wall with a short, straight exhaust path, you can probably clean your exhaust duct yourself. All you have to do is open the vent cover on the outside of your home, reach in and remove any lint.
However, if your dryer’s vent path is long, you’ll need professional duct cleaning help to get all the lint out. Imperial Cleaning is happy to provide this service for you!
If you have an older dryer, or if you frequently dry clothes that produce a lot of lint, some lint will escape from the lint trap and you may also need to have the lint removed from inside the dryer periodically.
This is a job that should be done by a professional familiar with dryer maintenance, as the appliance must be partially disassembled in order to be thoroughly cleaned.