Clothes dryers are the simplest of appliances to use; so simple, we allow our children to operate them! They are a wonderful convenience, and they are often taken for granted. Throw in a load of wet clothes, turn it on, go shopping and return to take out dry clothes to be folded and put away. Sound good? Think again!
What is your clothes dryer really doing? It is removing about 1/2 gallon of water, hot air and lint from each load of laundry you do. Where do the heat, lint and water go? Most of the lint is caught in the lint screen which should be checked before each load and cleaned after each load. When you remove the lint screen, most of the trapped lint stays on it; some falls off in the chute and ends up in the dryer ducts. Most of this lint is blown out through the vent outside.
If your dryer is ideally located on an outside wall on the first floor of your home, the duct is short and straight, so most of the lint will make its way outside and not cause a problem. But if your dryer is located on an interior wall, the duct system could be 15 or 20 feet long with 90 degree turns. In this case, it is more likely that lint will become trapped in the duct work.
The Hidden Danger Lurking in the Dryer Vent System
As your dryer vent system is removing heat, moisture and lint from your clothing, the moist lint can stick to the sides of the dryer ducts. The hot air dries this to a hard crust which more moist lint can stick to. As this builds up, it restricts air flow and causes your dryer to work harder to perform its job. This causes overheating and eventually, a devastating fire. Lint is combustible and can ignite quickly. The trapped heat will cause a fire to spread quickly. Therefore, you should never leave your house or go to sleep with the dryer running.
Maintenance is the Solution
Dryer vent cleaning and proper maintenance is the solution to this potential danger. A professional dryer vent cleaning specialist has the tools to make this job easier, especially if your duct system is very long, or makes turns through walls before ending at the outside vent. Proper dryer vent maintenance helps your clothes dryer to operate more efficiently, saving you money on your utility bills and promoting fire safety. The cost of a service call is far less that the cost of the damage that caused by a fire.
This article was written by Carl Hein, owner of Dryer Vent Wizard of St. Paul, Minnesota. DVW specializes in dryer vent cleaning, repair, installation and alterations, while educating consumers on dryer vent maintenance and fire safety. Carl services the Twin City Area of Minnesota. For more tips on dryer fire prevention or to order dryer vent cleaning service or inspection, go to http://www.dryerventwizard.com
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