Over 17,000 houses fires occur in the US annually because of clogged dryer vents. Be safe, get your dryer vent cleaned annually.
Most homeowners do not realize that dryer vents need to be cleaned. Lint build-up in dryer vents is an extreme fire hazard!
As you may already know from cleaning out you lint trap, dryers produce very large quantities of lint. Most home owners assume the lint trap catches all the lint, and all we need to do is clean it out after each load. Not true.. It is recommended that dryer vents be professionally cleaned at least once a year.
Traditionally, most clothes dryers were located in the basement of a home. Today many newer homes tend to have dryers located on the 2nd floor in a bedroom, hall, closet or kitchen. Because of the newer locations, dryers tend to be vented longer distances. Longer vents are generally installed with sharp turns and bends to accommodate the structure of the home. As a result, dryer vents are harder to clean and have more places for lint to gather.
A full load of wet clothes placed in a dryer contains about one-half gallon of water. As water is removed, lint is created from the clothes. Each time you use your dryer lint builds up more and more.
When the lint build-up is too much, it causes the dryer to work harder resulting in higher operating costs and increased repair bills.
Did you know one-half inch of lint build up in a 4” diameter duct reduces its efficiency by 44%?
A dryer is the most expensive appliance in your home to operate, you don’t want to make it more costly than it already is.
Vent Pros Hawaii uses the RoVac system which is the most advanced equipment of its type.
Using a combination of suction from a high powered vacuum and rotating brushes, the lint build-up is removed safely and effectively. Our system also contains the specialty tools needed to remove blockages such as bird nests.
Most of our customers call when they no longer have airflow and the dryer is taking much longer to dry a load of clothes. Dryer vent cleaning should be performed yearly and if you use your dryer daily you should consider a seasonal cleaning.
Vent Pros Hawaii urges you to get a professional dryer vent cleaning if:
- If your dryer vent has not been inspected or cleaned in over a year
- If you have a large family and use your dryer daily
- If you have white vinyl plastic coated flexible venting. This is no longer code-approved as burning lint can ignite in less that 12 seconds.
- If your dryer vent has thin metal coated foil flex venting. If crushed or left curled behind your dryer this is will stop the airflow.
- If your dryer is still heating but is taking longer to dry clothes (longer than 45-55 minutes to dry)
- If clothes are still damp or hotter than usual at the end of the drying cycle.
- If clothes have a moldy smell after a dry cycle
- If the door flapper on the hood vent does not open and close when the dryer is on
Vent Pros Hawaii offers dryer vent cleaning, bird nest removal, and dryer vent repairs on residential homes, apartments, townhouses, condos, duplex’s, hotels and laundromats.
Safety Recommendations
Many insurance companies are now mandating that dryer vents in condominium complexes, townhouses and other facilities are cleaned, and repaired if necessary, to reduce any risk of fire. In many cases this includes the replacement of white vinyl plastic coated flexible venting with metal ductwork.
While most building codes require metal ducts we recommend that you avoid using the metal foil covered flex types as well. Metal foil-covered flex is a little easier to install but can reduce airflow due to it’s corrugated designed and will contribute to lint buildup in the ducting over a period of time. Even worse, flex ducts can become crushed or curled up on the floor behind your dryer which blocks the airflow and causes your dryer to overheat which can cause a dryer vent fire. The more it bends in your venting the greater the reduction in the airflow and more areas where the lint can accumulate.
Some homeowners think it is acceptable to vent the dryer indoors if it has a large open room. There are several reasons this is not a good idea. In the first place, most building codes prohibit this type of venting. This extra humidity released from your dryer is exactly the tropical climate that mildew thrives upon and will eventually condense on installation, timbers and metal, causing them to deteriorate, rot or rust. Never leave your house or go to bed with your dryer running!
Commercial Dry Vent Cleaning
At Vent pros Hawaii, we are equipped for thorough vent and duct cleaning that will restore your residential and commercial facility’s air ducts. No matter what you operate, we are ready to take on your vent and duct cleaning project and complete it in a timely, professional manner.
We provide service for commercial properties, including:
- Laundromats
- Commercial Cleaners
- Hotel/Motel
- Apartment Complexes
- Hair Salons/Spas
- Care facilities and other businesses that do high volumes of laundry.
In a commercial setting, The dryer often runs continuously, leading to even more build-up, so the chances of a fire even greater than a home dryer vent.