Regularly maintaining the line that vents your clothes dryer out of your home is one of the most important things you can do to keep your home safe. It also helps prolong the life of your dryer. Cleaning the vent on our clothes dryer is often the furthest thing from our minds. After all, we clean the lint trap after nearly every load of laundry, so how dirty could the actual line to the exterior house vent be?
What Causes Dryer Vent Clogs
Several factors can play into lint build-up in the clothes dryer exhaust duct.
- vent length: should not be longer than 35 feet according to the International Residential Code (IRC) SECTION M1502 CLOTHES DRYER EXHAUST guidelines
- vent line elevation: if the vent runs vertically lint may fall back down and pose a fire hazard
- temperature and condensation: electric and gas dryers work by heating the water out of
- frequency of cleaning the lint trap: The lint trap should be cleaned after every use
- how well the exterior vent cover is working: is the vent on the outside of the house free and clear of lint? Free of leaves weeds and other exterior debris
- size of laundry loads: do not overload the clothes washer or dryer check the owner manual of the machines for proper use
Why Dryer Vent Cleaning is Important
Nearly 3,000 home fires are caused each year by clothes dryers. The U.S. Fire Administration predicts that about 31% are caused by a lack of regular vent maintenance. Scheduling an annual cleaning, along with cleaning the lint trap regularly would help reduce this number significantly.
Make Your Clothes Drying Machine Last Longer
Regular dryer vent cleaning will also help keep the machine in good working order and prevent damage to parts. The thermal fuse is one of the most frequent parts to fail due to a clogged vent line. Thermal fuses are generally rather cheap to replace but can be rather a headache to change out and find a replacement.
Dryers are not cheap, and for most of us, our daily routines depend on them. New parts are often hard to find. In addition to the downtime while they are being ordered and shipped. See the NFPA’s dryer safety tip sheet for more details and tips about clothes dryer safety.
How Often Should A Dryer Vent Be Cleaned?
It is important to have dryer vent cleaning done regularly for home safety. 2 J’s & Sons recommends having your dryer vent and chimney serviced at the same time at least once a year. In some situations, we may recommend more frequent cleaning. In cases where the dryer vent is very long or the vent goes up above the dryer. The NFPA recommends every six months. General maintenance helps promote health and fire safety, a service call is much cheaper than the alternative.
Dryer Vent Cleaning Service Near Me
2 J’s & Sons has offered dryer vent cleaning since 2015. If you need dryer vent cleaning service near McDonald County Missouri or Benton County Arkansas give 2 J’s & Sons a call (417)772-4181.
- Pineville, MO
- Anderson, Mo
- Lanagan, MO
- Noel, MO
- Southwest City, MO
- Neosho, MO
- Bentonville, AR
- Bella Vista, AR
- Gravette, AR