Clothes dryers are some of those practical home appliances that save us valuable time. But like every other household appliance, dryers can also get damaged, especially when they have a lack of maintenance.
Dryer vents are tubes that connect the dryer to the outside of the building and their main job is to remove the excess moisture and hot air outside the property. But they get clogged over time and that’s where the problems start.
Most of the issues with dryer vents can be successfully avoided by regular check-ups and the right maintenance methods.
Dryer vent clean-up is an essential part of the maintenance of every property. Regular cleaning of the dryer vent’s lint trap can guarantee more safety for you and less damage to your home.
When the dryer vent is clogged with lint or other materials, it cannot function properly. And when its work is compromised it can lead to other problems.
Why More Dryer Vent Fires in the Winter?
Do you know that winter is the season when most dryer vent fires occur? According to the statistics up to 15,000 household fires are caused by dryer malfunction. Clogged dryer vents create a fire hazard. In fact, clogged dryer vents are the reason for around 80% of the total number of fires.
This happens because the temperature inside the dryer vents goes high when the dryer is working. And because lint is highly flammable, the higher the amount of lint inside dryer duct vents, the higher the risk of ignition. So, this is a very good reason to pay attention to your dryer’s system.
What will happen if your clothes dryer is clogged?
Damaged Clothes
The condition of your clothes can suffer when there is an issue with your dryer. As a result of extended drying cycles, your clothes will sooner or later show some changes in their appearance. And in most cases, the main reason for this are clogged ducts.
Bad air quality
The dryer vent malfunction can have a bad influence not only on our clothes but also on the air we are breathing. The existence of clogs inside the ducts of a dryer leads to fumes that are emitted when the dryer is working. Those fumes contain carbon monoxide and gasses that are harmful to our health when breathed and can lead to respiratory problems.
When the dryer ducts are well-cleaned and unclogged they transport these fumes outside of the property. But when they are clogged the only other way for the fumes to be released is inside the property.
Warning signs
When it comes to the use of dryer vents, safety should come first. There are some signs that show you there may be some problem with your dryer vent. So you need to watch out for these, in order to catch on time a potential issue with your clothes dryer and take some measures.
Decreased efficiency
If you notice that the efficiency of your clothes dryer is decreased and it needs more time to complete a drying cycle than before, then this is a sign that there is clogged debris inside the ducts. The reason for this is that the amount of hot air entering the dryer is not enough to dry the clothes properly.
If you find out that your clothes are still wet after a complete drying cycle and you need more than one cycle for each load to get them fully dried, this is a clear sign that the efficiency of the dryer is compromised. The main reason for that is the vent ducts of the dryer are clogged and need cleaning.
Hot surface
Another sign for a clogged clothes dryer is when the exterior of the clothes dryer is too hot to touch.
Burning smell
If you sense an unpleasant burning smell, when you are in the laundry room, then this indicates the dryer vent is clogged and the dryer doesn’t function the way it should.
High energy bill
Clogged dryer vents make the dryer work more and longer than before to complete each drying cycle. This means it will consume more electricity. So, by ensuring the dryer ducts of your dryer are clean, you won’t let your energy bill go up.
Regular repairs
As we have said, the more clogged your dryer vents are, the harder the dryer will work to fully dry the clothes. This double work for the dryer will eventually result in some damage that needs the help of a professional.
Therefore, if you want to prolong the life of your dryer vent and save money from costly repairs, keep its efficiency high and prevent breakdowns, you should follow the cleaning frequency set by the experts and their cleaning tips.
Mold issues
Mold is one of the enemies of the good appearance of any property. It’s not only one of the most stubborn things for removing, but it also creates a high risk for the health of the property’s inhabitants.
As we know, a dryer carries away hot air and moisture outside of the building given that its ducts are lint-free. Sometimes due to this moisture wet spots can be formed inside a vent.
So, if there is a lint build-up inside the vent, the lint will stick to these wet spots and it can lead to the development of mold over time. This not only increases the risk of mold development, but it also makes the dryer vent cleaning process more difficult.
For this reason, keeping lint out of your dryer vent is important, if you want to keep your home mold-free.
What to do to prevent dryer vent damage?
There are some things we all can do to avoid getting our clothes dryer damaged and save ourselves serious property damage and potential health problems.
First of all, regular check-ups of the dryer and its ducts are an important factor in preventing any issue. As we have mentioned, the sooner you find out there is an issue, the less serious the consequences will be.
Generally, it’s recommended to clean your dryer vents twice a year. A good thing to do that experts recommend is to clean the lint trap of your dryer after each laundry load.
