Does your Drying Vent Need Cleaning?

5/11/2016 (Permalink)

Before and After Picture of a Dry Vent that was clogged then cleaned.

• When was the last time that you had your dryer vent cleaned?  Have you ever had it cleaned?  Did you know that overheated or clogged dryers cause 17% of all home fires in the US
• According to the US Fire Administration, between 2002 and 2004 clothes dryers counted for about 15,600 reported structure fires, 15 deaths and 400 injuries annually. “Failure to clean” is the leading factor contributing to clothes dryer fires in residential buildings.
• Lint and debris can build up in your clothes dryer duct causing your dryer to exhaust at less than optimum efficiency. This creates potentially hazardous conditions including carbon monoxide intrusion and the possibility for fires. If a gas clothes dryer is improperly vented or the exhaust duct itself is blocked by lint or debris, carbon monoxide can be forced back into your living space.
• A clean exhaust duct prevents heat, moisture and, in the case of gas clothes dryers, carbon monoxide from being trapped in your home. When this type of spillage occurs, energy, natural resources and time are all wasted because your appliance works too hard and runs longer than necessary. Moisture can also cause damage to drywall, wallpaper, ceilings and other building materials.