Dryers are integral to many homes because they enable us to dry our clothes instantly without relying on sunlight. But like any other home appliance, dryers require regular maintenance to keep them working safely and effectively. One of the most important dryer maintenance tasks is checking its vent to ensure it’s not clogged.
A clogged dryer vent poses a severe risk to your entire home. This article talks about the warning signs that your dryer vent is dangerous to your home.
Longer Drying Time
When your dryer’s vent is clogged, you’ll notice a change in the time it takes to dry clothes. Since the choke hinders the hot, moist air from your dryer, the unit takes longer to dry clothes. You’ll notice patches of wetness at the end of each drying cycle. The worst will happen if you don’t clear out the clog.
Burning Smell
You aren’t supposed to notice any burning smell from your dryer. So, if you do, it means there’s something wrong with your unit, and it needs to be fixed immediately before it ignites a fire in your house. Therefore, if your dryer produces a burning smell, shut it off immediately and contact your technician.
The burning smell mostly comes from lint clogging the dryer vent. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take too much heat and lint in the vent to ignite a fire. So, the best solution is to have the entire system checked by an experienced technician.
Overheating Shutdown Issues
Most of the latest dryers come with a built-in shutdown switch that automatically switches off the motor when the system is overheated. This is a warning sign that your dryer vent needs to be unclogged.
Absence of Lint in the Trap
Every dryer should have a trap to gather lint from your clothes after every drying cycle. If you hardly find any lint in the trap, there’s an obstruction in your machine preventing lint from getting to the trap. This obstruction can easily ignite a fire, so it should be checked immediately.