The average American home has many appliances that serve purposes of cleaning, heating, and cooling. Even the basic appliance comes with it’s share of maintenance, no matter how it may boast of “low maintenance.” Many homeowners assume that just because an appliance CAN be installed without a professional, that it should be. This is a mistake. The only way to insure your large appliances, like your clothes dryer, are installed correctly is to hire a professional to do so. An incorrect dryer installation can lead to frequent buildups in the vent system, fire hazards, and more.
The Dangers of a Dirty Dryer Vent
According to the U.S. Fire Administration there are 2,900 home fires reported each year caused specifically from clothes dryers. These fires account for an estimated 5 deaths, 100 injuries, and $35 million in property loss. The leading cause of home clothes dryer fires is failure to clean them. These fires are 100 percent preventable!
Benefits of a Clean Dryer Vent
- Increased Efficiency
When your dryer vent is dirty or near-clogged, your dryer will work less efficiently, sometimes requiring two or three cycles to dry a load of laundry. This not only costs you more in utilities (both electricity and water), but can also overwork your hot water heater, water pump, and septic system. - Increased Life of Your Dryer
If it takes two or three cycles to dry a load of clothes when it should take one, it is shortening your dryer’s life by two or three times. A new clothes dryer should last ten years according to experts. Poor maintenance can mean replacing your appliance in just three to five years. - Decreased Fire Risk
When you continue to use a dirty dryer vent, you risk that flammable lint igniting. The dryer produces extreme temperatures that are vented along with the lint. If the lint creates a blockage due to neglect, the air slows, and those high temperatures can easily ignite the lint in the hose.
Schedule a Cleaning Today
A dryer vent cleaning is important for your home safety. Even if you clean your lint trap daily, or even after each load of laundry, there is a substantial amount of lint that passes through the lint trap and out the dryer vent. This lint travels with the air moving through the hose, and coats it slowly. If you’re not convinced that there is dangerous, flammable lint in your dryer vent, check your lint trap again. If there is lint there, then there is also lint in your dryer vent.
What to Expect
When you schedule a dryer vent cleaning, a technician will come into your home, move your appliance away from the wall, and block the opening. From the other opening, tools such as brushes clean the lint and debris from the vent walls. Additionally, a high-powered vacuum system removes it completely, leaving your system clean and ready for use after the appliances are replaced.
Chesapeake Chimney’s dryer technicians are experienced in every type of dryer vent system. We’ve been operating in Southern Maryland for over twenty years and we know and adhere to local safety codes. We can make sure your system is not only clean but up to code. Schedule your dryer vent cleaning today!
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