Dryer Vent Cleaning

8/4/2017 (Permalink)

Check your dryer vent on a regular basis.

Excessive lint build up occurs slowly and gradually. You don't realize it is happening. You think that by cleaning out the lint filter after each use you are doing your job and maintaining the dryer. Not quite!

A full load of wet clothes contains about a half gallon of water. Lint is created from the clothes as water is removed during the drying process. This lint will build up in crevices deep down inside the lint filter trap, and all along the dryer vent hose. At the end of the day, your dryer is the number 1 source of fire in the home.

In 1999 the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (USCPSC) developed a report called the “Report on Electric and Gas Clothes Dryers.” In that report, they determined that of the 15,000 fires studied in one year, electric dryers were over 2.5 times more likely to be the cause of the fire than gas dryer. Fires originated most frequently from two places: dryer venting and the lint trap.

What are the warning signs that dangerous lint build-up is occurring in your dryer and venting system? Well, the symptoms may include:

* Clothes take longer and longer to dry

* Clothes don't fully dry

* Clothes are hotter than normal at the end of the drying cycle

* The outside of dryer gets very hot

* The outside exhaust vent flapper does not open very much indicating low exhaust velocity

* Laundry room becomes more humid than it is usually

* Burnt smell is evident in the laundry room

Give us a call at SERVPRO of Palm Desert and we will help you eliminate this fire hazard in your home.