Categories Dryer Vent Cleaning

Don’t Think You Need Your Dryer Vent Cleaning? Think Again

dryer exhaust cleaningIt is amazing how many of our customers think that their dryer vent cleaning  is not needed.  Possibly due to the fact they clean the lint trap out after each use puts them at ease, thinking all is well. The truth is that just because you clean out the lint trap, it does not mean your dryer is running efficiently. Lint builds up when there is an accumulation in the dryer exhaust system. The vent hood could be blocked because we all forget to check the flaps are flapping about as the dryer runs. You could have a long dryer vent run with several 90 degree bends or even a birds nest or ice lodging in your dryer vent, there are many reasons. But the truth is the dryer and dryer vent should be part of essential home maintenance, the general rule being 1-2 people in the home dryer vent cleaning every 2 years, 2-4 people in the house every year the dryer vent should be cleaned, 6+ then you should be at least once per year in not every 6 months. Then the dryer itself should be inspected and cleaned to remove lint build up.

Dryer Cleaning & Dryer Vent Cleaning in Burlington & Oakville

Yesterday we cleaned a ladies dryer vent in Millcroft area of Burlington. We only cleaned the vent which vented on the roof,  the dryer was under warranty from Samsung. The dryer technician came out for her 1 year old dryer and said she needed to clean her dryer vent. Not knowing here to call she called the local fire department, then a duct cleaning company,  then she found us on Google. When we got there she had the foil dryer hose, which is not recommended by the manufacturer or us they burn and spread the fire into the walls.

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When we finished cleaning her house and the neighbors, we went canvassing to promote our service.  In Millcroft before Christmas there was a dryer fire, well we met a lady who had had a dryer fire and put it out herself using baking soda, determined not to lose her house and the $$$$’s in Reno costs she had just a spent she considers herself lucky and the 10 townhouses she links too! Why are so many people in the dark, and reluctant to address a real issue that is there in their home?

Today we meet a mom of 2 great kids who thinks that it is just a crappy dryer making her clothes take so long to dry. After chatting she agreed to let us show her the real issues.

Why She Needed Her Dryer & Dryer Vent Cleaning

  • Her dryer was taking 2-3 cycles to dry each load
  • Her dryer was really hot to touch
  • Her ducts were cold after a few feet (heat was stuck in her dryer)
  • No air was coming our from the dryer vent hood

When we showed her the issues, she then told us 2 family members had experienced house fires – 1 had lost his home. We cleaned the dryer and the whole dryer vent system, the dryer let out a sigh of relief as we started it it was running quieter, the dryer was no longer red hot to touch, you could feel the whole dryer vent was warm and there was air coming out the dryer vent hood. A really happy customer which really makes our day!

Replacing Your Dryer Please Clean Your Dryer Vent

We see time and time again people buying a new dryer because they think the old one is on it’s last legs. What they do not realize is their dryer vent is clogged! So they install their nice shiny new dryer and find they have the same problem, clothes take a long time to dry.

Last Friday we take a call for a gent who was replacing his dryer and needed the dryer vent cleaning. This guy is smart, so many people buy a new dryer thinking the old one is faulty only to find they still have a problem … they have a clogged dryer vent. We arrive and find the dryer vent is choked, they have lived in the house 6 years just the 2 of them. We removed 1 1/2 vacuum loads of lint. The homeowner wants to know why no  one is educating her and others to the perils inside ones clothes dryer … we are slowly and surely.

Dryer Vent Cleaning Do Not Neglect Your Dryer or Dryer Vent!

If you are a homeowner, hair studio, laundromat, property management company, hotel, residential home, daycare running a dryer that is taking too long to dry a load contact us today. If you are school, daycare or charity organization contact us for our free dryer and free dryer vent cleaning service.

Author VentExpert
Categories Dryer Fire Prevention, Dryer Fire Safety, Dryer Vent Cleaning

Why You Should Not Use Foil or Vinyl Dryer Vent Hoses

dryer warning label
Click to View Large Dryer Warning Label

The fact that some stores still sell those flimsy white vinyl dryer hoses (known as transition hose) is unbelievable, in fact it is almost criminal! Some stores are also using the Thin foil transition hoses when they install a new dryer, totally ignoring what is clearly written on the dryers warning label. The dryer vent should be of 4 inch diameter, however when the thin foil or vinyl is used and compressed it as well as reducing the diameter to 3 inches it has lots of ridges to trap and accumulate lint and reduce air flow.

Do Not Use Plastic Dryer Transition Hose

All dryer manufacturers say that you should not use plastic dryer hoses, or thin foil, this means that in the event of a dryer fire if your insurance company were to pick up on this, they would not accept your claim as you failed to follow the recommendations stated by the .

In the states there have been several class action cases against retailers who were installing foil or plastic hoses, this follows insurance companies failing to pay out after a fire based on the wrong transition hose installed.

* The lawsuits state the retailers’ installers attached metal foil or plastic vents to dryers sold to consumers instead of heavy metal ones recommended by manufacturers, creating conditions that could cause fires or death.

Dryer Warning Labels

This dryer warning label which is located on the back of all dryers clearly states you should use a heavy metal vent and “DO NOT USE PLASTIC OR THIN FOIL DUCT”. The reason they say this is because these type of dryer hoses will feed the fire, the vinyl will melt and spread a fire should one occur.

What Sort of Hose is best for Your Dryer?

best dryer hoseThe best dryer hose is semi-rigid or rigid metal duct these are fire proof and are what your dryer manufacturer recommends.

Maintain Your Dryer

Your dryer needs maintenance to ensure it runs efficiently.  It is recommended you clean your dryer vent out and have it inspected annually, and have your dryer cleaned out every couple of years. We offer professional Dryer Cleaning as well as dryer vent cleaning in and around Burlington, Ontario. Call 905 966 0838 today to schedule a visit from the Dryer Vent Cleaner.

 

*source of lawsuit http://fr.reuters.com/article/idUKN2144007020080521

Author VentExpert
Categories Dryer Vent Cleaning

What is Lint?

what is lint
what is lint

Lint

noun

  1. Clingy strands of fiber and fluff; fuzz.
  2. Downy material obtained by scraping linen cloth and used for dressing wounds.
  3. The mass of soft fibers surrounding the seeds of unginned cotton.
  4. Short, fine fibers that separate from the surface of cloth or yarn.

What is Lint in Terms of the Clothes Dryer

Lint is tiny fiber particles that separate from clothes, blankets etc as they tumble about in your dryer.  Hot air is blown through the dryers drum passing through the clothes picking up these tiny particles as it flows through, this air then passes through the lint trap and dryer exhaust, through the transition hose and our through the dryer vent to the outside world. The lint trap, as good as it is cannot catch all lint so it tries to make it’s way through the dryer vent to the hood on the outside.

 

What is Lint Doing Inside my Dryer?

Lint builds up as some lint passes through the lint trap, this then makes it’s journey to where the dryer vent terminates (outside). However there are many reasons why lint builds up we detail them below.

  • If the flaps (louvres) on the dryer vent hood are not opening & closing freely the air will not leave your dryer as efficiently as it should so lint starts to build up all through the dryer vent/duct.
  • Too many 90 degree elbows – code says a dryer vent should not be longer than 25 feet,  each 90 degree bend reduces this length by 5 feet meaning the dryer may struggle to push the lint out over that distance
  • Condensation build up can cause lint to stick to the  transition hose, the dryer vent and on the hood

This is why the dryer manufacturers say you should have the dryer exhaust system and cabinet cleaned out regularly by a professional dryer technician or dryer vent cleaning company

Author VentExpert
Categories Dryer Vent Cleaning

Lint Clogged Clothes Dryer With Signs of a Fire

This is a particularly bad dryer we recently came across, which due to the dryer vent being clogged lead to the whole dryer struggling and also signs of a dryer fire having taken place. This really was one lucky customer, they narrowly avoided becoming a dryer fire statistic. The customer chose to have the dryer cleaned inside the cabinet when they realized how serious the situation was.

Here is the Clothes Dryer

As you can see a normal looking clothes dryer … from the outside lets see whats inside

dryer vent cleaning in Burlington
This looks like a normal dryer wait until we open it up

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clogged Dryer Exhaust

Behind the dryer is the dryer exhaust that the transition hose connects to. Look at how much lint is built up in there.

back of clogged dryer
back of clogged dryer this is inside the dryer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lint Builds Up Under Lint Trap

Lint build up below the lint trap and under the lint trap housing this is tricky to remove but really does need to be removed.

excessive lint in clothes dryer
Look all this lint below the lint trap!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Blower Housing Caked With Lint Build Up

It is easy to see that lint is just going to stick to the existing build up here, this is why it makes sense to carry out dryer vent cleaning on a regular basis. We recommend once a year if there are 4 or more living in the home, single or just a couple then once every 2 years will be enough.

dryer vent cleaning Burlington
dryer cleaning to reduce the risk of fire

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lint Build Up Inside a Dryer Cabinet

If lint cannot exhaust properly then it will start to build up inside the dryer over time which is not good news! With clean dryer vents the lint exits the dryer preventing build up like this.

dryer cleaning Burlington Ontario
Dryer cabinet with lint build up

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Signs of a Dryer Fire

The owner of this dryer said that it was taking sometimes 3 cycles to dry a load of clothes. This was not only costing a lot in electricity costs and also putting more strain on the dryer and the clothes too! Below you will see signs of where lint has already burned, the owners were lucky that they called us when they did. Houses in the area of Burlington are between 4 – 15 years old, the house this dryer is in is 12 years old.

The dark brown bits are burnt lint slowly smouldering away.

dryer heating element with burnt lint
dryer heating element with burnt lint

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Burnt lint removed from clothes dryer just look at how much there is! Have your dryer vent cleaned regularly to prevent this level of lint build up.

burnt lint in the dryer
burnt lint in the dryer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dryer Cleaned Out Lint Free!

Here you see a nice clean cabinet, we greased the mail bearing and checked the drive belt and tension rollers, then went on to clean out the dryer vent and change the transition tube from a vinyl flex hose to a semi rigid one the manufacturers recommend.

dryer cabinet cleaning prevent dryer fires
dryer cabinet cleaning helping prevent dryer fires

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Professional Dryer Vent Cleaning

If you live in Burlington, Ontario and surrounding areas and are having problems with your clothes taking a long time to dry. Is the top of your clothes dryer feeling really hot to touch? Or are you noticing excessive lint on your dry clothes? These are all signs that your dryer vent is clogged with lint and needs cleaning. Contact us today to schedule dryer vent cleaning, the service will pay for itself in time savings, reducing your utility costs and reducing your risk of fire.

 

 

Author VentExpert
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