Tag Archives: appliance maintenance

Dryer Vent Cleaning to Save on Energy Bills

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by Gina Fazil

Most people do their part to keep their house, and all their appliances, in working order. Most people schedule a regular professional furnace cleaning, but few think to do so for their clothes dryer.

When it comes to dryer maintenance, the first thing most people think of is the lint trap. Most people know that it is necessary to clean the lint trap between loads; some even go a little further and clean out the area where the lint screen goes too. This is all very good, but it is not enough. Lint is a very messy substance that can spread throughout the dryer and vent system, creating blockages that restrict air flow and cause fire hazards.

A dryer vent cleaning professional has special tools for getting to the difficult areas. An annual cleaning and inspection will ensure that there is proper air flow for the dryer to work efficiently and safely.

Inside the Dryer: A lot of the lint that gets past the lint trap can get caught up in a number of places throughout the dryer. You may be amazed to see how much lint has slipped past the trap and is now trapped in various portions of your dryer frame. This is not only messy but its a fire hazard as any spark inside the machine could set the lint aflame.

The Chute: The chute that takes the hot air and lint out of your dryer and to the outside of your house is another area of the dryer that lint will get stuck in. Some of the lint that made it past the trap and into the ducts out of the dryer and towards the outside wont complete the trip. Instead, it will get stuck on the textured walls inside the chute. Too much of this piling up can be a fire hazard with any sparks as well as a costly problem since the more there is clogging up the chutes, the harder the dryer has to work to blow air through the system.

The Dryer Vent: The final place that needs to be cleaned is the vent outside your house. This is the final destination of all that hot air. The vent needs to be checked for two reasons to make sure its not clogged with lint and to make sure it’s intact, as any holes or tears could invite bugs and rodents into your house.

To keep your clothes dryer working, efficiently and safely, have a professional inspection and cleaning at least once a year. If you have a large family and use your dryer almost daily, you may want to double that service schedule. Proper dryer vent cleaning will save money on utility bills while preventing a clothes dryer fire.

About the Author:
This information was provided by by Gina Fazil, owner of Dryer Vent Wizard in the Sacramento area including , California. DVW specializes in dryer vent cleaning, repairs & alterations, as they educate consumers on dryer vent maintenance and fire prevention. Gina serves the Sacramento area including , El Dorado, Solano, Yolo, Folsom, Vallejo, Vacaville, Roseville and neighboring communities.

Do You Have the Best Dryer Exhaust System?

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by Horatio Chiorean

If you are pretty good about the maintenance of your household appliances, you are quite a bit ahead of many other people. But there are some things you may not know to check for that can still crop up and cause you problems in your clothes dryer. One of these things is making sure you have the best dryer exhaust system for your dryer.

Underwriters Laboratories

Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is the trusted source across the US for product compliance. The UL rating will be printed somewhere on all your appliances or in the owner’s manual. If your appliance is a newer model, it will most likely be UL approved, but that doesn’t mean the dryer vent system meets their approval. Most people do not think to install new dryer ducts when the get a new dryer. An old dryer exhaust system may not be UL compliant today.

Length

If your dryer is located on an upper floor or in the basement, the dryer duct will be longer as it leads to the vent outside. The dryer duct is the exhaust system that carries hot air, moisture and lint from the dryer drum to the outdoors. A longer exhaust system means your dryer will work harder to do its job. When the moist lint builds up on the sides of the vent tube, it reduces air flow and causes overheating, eventually leading to a fire. This also causes the dryer to work harder, thus, increasing your energy bills.

Twists and Turns

What does the route of your dryer vent tube look like? Does it make several turns before getting to the vent outside? These turns also restrict air flow and increase the chance of lint being caught up within the exhaust system. This reduces the performance of your clothes dryer, increases drying time, uses more energy and can be a fire hazard.

Smooth Material

What does your vent pipe feel like inside? While you may not think it matters, it does. You want the inside to be smooth and free from obstruction, like screws and fasteners, for lint to get caught on and accumulate.

No matter how energy efficient your new clothes dryer is, it will not be efficient with an older dryer vent and duct system. The parts that make up the system, the length and the path, all contribute to the overall performance of your dryer. If you are in doubt or have never had a professional inspect your dryer vent system, now is the time to call a specialist and add your clothes dryer to your annual appliance maintenance schedule.

About the Author:
This article was written while Horatio Chiorean, owner of Dryer Vent Wizard of Palm Beach, Florida. dryer vent wizard is committed to preventing clothes dryer fires while educating their customers about dryer vent maintenance. dryer vent wizard inspects, cleans, repairs and installs dryer exhaust systemsaccording to UL standards and building codes.