Anything that is extremely dry and then exposed to heat has a chance to ignite. That’s the problem with dryer lint that can bunch up and clog a dryer vent, ultimately turning into a home fire risk.
Why Dryer Vents Clog
A home dryer uses natural gas, air and a tumbling effect to dry laundry clothes. As the clothes, first wet, are tumbled by the machine, the movement and the circulation of air causes the moisture to start to evaporate. This is enhanced and sped up by the dryer blowing hot air into the same chamber. As the moisture evaporates, it needs someplace to go, otherwise the clothes just stay wet. This is the problem people have when perspiring in a high humidity location in the tropics. So, the machine has a venting process that extracts the moisture and ejects it out of the machine with the used hot air. The blowing effect leaves the clothes dry, the moisture is removed to the outside of the home and the machine cools down.
However, clothes give off microfibers, and they also let go of dust and grit when they dry out. All of that material is supposed to be caught by the internal dryer filter, but it’s not fine enough to catch micro-particles. Those end up in the dryer vent channel in the form of lint and dust. The channel is attached to the exit of the machine, runs as an aluminum or duct to the outside wall vent box and outside. The air pressure normally pushes everything along, but as lint builds up, it can coagulate and even start to block the exit vent. When that happens, fuzzy thick dry stuff builds up and becomes a fire risk.
Solving the Problem Proactively
Because a dryer vent and channel are usually located on the back of a dryer, they are easy to forget about. Out of sight, out of mind tends to be the issue. However, with a dryer vent cleaning service, scheduled help can take care of maintenance on a regular basis every few months, keeping a home fire-risk free when it comes to the dryer operation.
The service will access the back of the dryer and channel, disconnect it, inspect the condition and photograph, and then apply the cleaning treatment. That includes the removal of all lint from the machine exit, the channel and the end of the channel with the outside vent box. In doing so, the dryer vent will operate cleanly and with no resistance again.
Common benefits people realize with a vent cleaning service include:
- Clothes dry faster and more thoroughly as moisture escapes properly again
- The clothes are not as hot when they are removed, being easier to handle
- The risk of a home fire from the vent is eliminated
- Access to the vent is no longer a challenge, especially for those with limited mobility
- A visual inspection on the operation of the dryer which can spot bigger concerns early before they become a headache
- A laundry room won’t be as damp
- Clothes won’t have a moldy or mildew smell if left in the dryer after drying
Common Sense Favors Vent Cleaning
While there are lots of other causes of home fires, dryer vent fires are both unfortunate and preventable. They account for a high number of instances, especially in places where there is a high density of residents, like apartments or dormitories. For a home, a simple arrangement that keeps a vent clean provides a treasure trove of prevention protection and avoiding a potential personal disaster. It just makes common sense to clean the dryer vent when considering what otherwise could happen.
