Dryer Vent Safety Check List
Dryers are essential in keeping up with daily chores, especially in today’s fast-paced world. But dryers do break down and malfunction sometimes but the good news is that this can be easily avoided.
The top 10 dryer vent issues and how to avoid them:
- Lint Clogged Dryer Vent
A common problem that can cause your dryer to take twice as long to dry a load of laundry, overheating and a potential fire.- Solution: Professional dryer vent cleaning and maintenance to clear the clogged dryer vent
Compressed Dryer Transition Tubing
Dryers are often pushed all the way back against and the wall and this could flatten its transition tubes over time.- Solution:Replace your transition tubes with a semi-rigid metal duct and use elbow connectors.
A Congested Dryer Vent Exhaust
Lint build up is a common problem which can cause overheating of your dryer and is also a fire hazard. Other possible blockages aside from lint could be a bird or rodent’s nest. If the duct is clogged there will be lint inside your dryer, as this can cause the fire you should have someone carry out dryer cleaning too.- Solution: Professional dryer vent cleaning and dryer cleaning / maintenance
- Jammed Dryer Vent Exhaust Flap
Most dryers are equipped with flaps on the vent exhaust which enables hot air to exit from the dryer while preventing cold air from entering. A stuck flap is often caused by lint build up and could make your dryer perform erratically.- Solution: Have your dryer vent professionally and thoroughly cleaned
Clogged screening
If you have a screen in your exhaust that prevents birds and rodents from entering, know that this is another prime spot for lint build.- Solution: Dryer vent cleaning
Corrugated exhaust vent is degrading
Older homes may still be using outdated duct materials such as foil and plastic. These are no longer accepted by city safety codes and can cause leaks and fires.- Solution: Replace older materials with semi-rigid metal ducts
- Bad installation
This could create a myriad of issues for you that may not necessarily be dryer-related. A bad installation could affect the circuitry in the area of your dryer if it is electric, gas leaks if gas powered, as well as the general temperature in your laundry room.- Solution: Call professional installers to correct the installation
- Damaged and/or wobbly ducts
Having damage or loose ducts can cause parts of the vents to fall off completely. If you’re using gas to operate your dryer, having damaged or loose gas ducts is a fire and health hazard and would require immediate attention.- Solution: Replace damaged ducts completely and use clamps to stabilize wobbly ducts
- Too many vent turns
Ideally, your vent should be short and laid out in as straight a line as possible. The more turns your vents have, the more places there are for lint build up and complications.- Solution: Use other routes for your vent
- Vent is too long
The shorter the dryer vent is, the more efficiently the dryer will operate.- Solution: If possible, move your dryer to a more ideal location where it has better access to the exhaust * NOTE your dryer vent should not be longer than 25 feet