Many homeowners in the United States hardly think about their dryer vents. But if you don’t take good care of your dryer vent, it can put you, your family, and your home in serious problems. The question is: How do you maintain your dryer vent? This article gives you useful tips on how to maintain your dryer vent.
Why Does Your Dryer Vent Need Proper Maintenance?
Without proper maintenance, your dryer vent can be a serious fire hazard and expose you and your family to serious health risks. Over 15,000 dryer fires happen annually in the U.S., causing approximately $35 million in property loss, life-long injuries, and even deaths. Most of these fires are caused by clogged dryer vents. Additionally, a clogged dryer vent prevents poisonous gases like carbon monoxide from flowing out of the house, putting you and your loved ones at risk of gas poisoning.
Furthermore, a clogged dryer vent will force the unit to use extra energy to dry your laundry, causing your monthly utility bills to go up. Therefore, you have to check your dryer vent regularly to ensure that it’s not clogged. So, the most important maintenance task you will have to perform is cleaning your dryer vent routinely.
Cleaning Your Dryer Vent
Although you can clean your dryer vent yourself, it’s always good to hire a professional dryer technician to clean it for you, especially since they have the needed tools and expertise to clean the vent thoroughly and safely. Sometimes the buildup of dirt and lint occurs in hidden areas of the vent where you can’t reach with your bare hands. But since a professional dryer technician has all the necessary tools and experience, they will clear out all the buildup, restoring your dryer’s efficiency.
Signs Your Dryer Vent Needs Cleaning
It’s very easy to know when your dryer vent needs to be unclogged. Look out for the following signs of clogging so you can hire a professional dryer vent maintenance expert in good time for a thorough cleaning and prevent serious problems later.
- Your laundry takes more than one cycle to dry
- Your laundry smells musty after each load
- Your house feels hot when the dryer is running
- Visible debris inside the dryer vent
- Excess lint in the lint trap
- Your laundry feels oddly hot at the end of the cycle
- Strong odor from used dryer sheets
Talk to Dryer Vent Wizard today for more information about dryer vent maintenance.