Commercial dryer vent cleaning is vital for both performance and safety in residential homes and commercial properties.
Between 2010 and 2014 fire departments throughout North America responded to an estimated 16,500 structure fires that involved clothes dryers. These fires resulted in approximately 14 deaths per year, hundreds of injuries, and over $215 million in direct property damages.
What causes a dryer fire? The most common thing that is ignited is dust, fiber or lint and clothing. Typically the reason for the fire in the first place is that the dryer venting was clogged up and reduced airflow created a fire hazard.
What science can you look for to know if your dryer might be at risk?
If your dryer is no longer drying your clothes in one cycle then you might have a problem with a blocked or partially blocked dryer vent system.
Another problem is that homes are typically bigger today in the dryer might be placed in the middle of the house leading to a long dryer ducting run, 20 and 25 feet or more. The longer the ducting distance the harder it is for the dryer to get the lint completely out of the house. Those homes should be cleaned more often.
Here are some signs that it’s time to clean your dryer vent:
- Your clothes do not completely dry after one normal drying cycle.
- The drying time is taking more than 35 to 40 minutes in duration.
- Your clothes are too hot to touch after a completed drying cycle.
- Debris is noticed inside the dryer vent opening.
- The dryer vent hood flap does not open properly or fully when your dryer is running.
- Excessive heat is noticed in the room where the dryer is being operated.
Your dryer system should be cleaned at least once per year, and if you have an especially long run or lots of elbows in the duct run you may have to clean up more frequently. There are do-it-yourself kits available for dryer vent cleaning but they are not as effective as the tools that a professional dryer vent cleaning company will use.
You can use our dryer vent wizard below to see how often you should clean your dryer vent.
Contact Don’s Power Vac at 780-447-1133 – For residential services contact Home Pros Group