Old Smokey's Fireplace & Chimney's Blog

Having an efficient dryer vent

Home appliances make our lives so much easier, but sometimes it’s easy to forget that our appliances need periodic maintenance and, inspections. Annual dryer vent inspections are important for a few reasons. At Old Smokey’s our ventilation experts want to remind you that having a clean dryer vent can make your dryer run more efficiently, saving you time and money. It also has the added benefit of keeping your home safer.

Clogged vents

It takes a lot of hot moving air to dry wet clothing. To avoid overheating, dryers need a place to vent the air it pushes through your clothing. For most models of clothes dryers, there is an opening for ventilation in the back. This opening is usually about four to six inches and is connected to a duct that directs the air into your home’s main ventilation ductwork, or outside of your home. When your dryer is in use, tiny pieces of cloth called lint break loose from your clothing. This lint gets caught up in your dryer’s airflow and is propelled toward your dryer’s vent until it is intercepted by your dryer’s lint trap. A lint trap prevents lint from entering your dryer and home’s ductwork.

Efficiency

Your lint trap doesn’t catch all of the lint pushed towards your ventilation, however. When lint gets past your lint trap, it can settle in your dryer’s ventilation. A build-up of just a little bit of lint can reduce airflow significantly. This reduction in airflow does two things: first, it makes it more likely that lint will get trapped in your ventilation duct; and second, it pushes cooler air back into your dryer making your dryer less efficient by extending drying times. If it gets to the point that there is a significant clog in your ventilation, not only does it drain your efficiency, but it can be a very serious safety hazard. Clogged dryer vents can lead to your dryer overheating, causing it to start on fire, or it can cause dangerous carbon monoxide gas to leak into your home.

Vent Cleaning

The best way to keep your dryer running efficiently and keep your home safe is to make sure your dryer vent is inspected annually by a Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) certified ventilation expert. At Old Smokey’s, our CSIA certified ventilation technicians have had a ton of knowledge and experience inspecting and cleaning dryer ventilation duct. You can be sure that our technicians will have your dryer running efficiently and safely, year after year.

Once lint gets into your dryer ventilation, it will accumulate quickly, so don’t push off cleaning your ventilation for another year. If you live in northern Indiana, northern Ohio, or mid-Michigan and it’s been a while since you’ve had your ventilation inspected, call Old Smokey’s today at 800-876-6539 or 260-587-9691, or schedule an in-home appointment online.

Truth About Dirty or Neglected Dryer Vents

Your dryer saves you a lot of time and effort, and it works hard with each loads of laundry. People don’t often associate their clothes dryer being a potential safety hazard. However, similar to your chimney and fireplace, your dryer ventilation also needs annual inspection to keep your home safe. In Fact, a report done by the United States Fire Administration (USFA) states that there are nearly 3,000 dryer fires every year. They are causing on average about 100 injuries, 5 deaths, and nearly 35 million dollars in property loss.

The most frustrating thing about this statistic is that one-third of these fires could be prevented by taking simple, preventative measures. At Old Smokey’s, we take fire safety seriously. That’s why we offer professional dryer vent cleaning to protect you!

The Dirty Truth

When you use your dryer, warm air is produced to aid in drying your clothing. This warm air is pushed through your clothes and out of the back of your dryer through a ventilation outlet as exhaust. Attached to the ventilation outlet is a duct that guides exhaust outside of your home. Through the drying process, lint is also created. Most of this lint is caught by your dryer’s lint trap. However, some lint can makes it past the lint trap and get caught in your dyer’s ventilation. Over time, the lint accumulate in your ventilation can get clogged. Once your vent is clogged, excess heat and gases can’t escape your dyer, which can cause it to overheat and catch fire. Although clogs formed by lint are common, your ventilation can also get clogs from debris and animal nesting.

A clogged dryer vent can also cause carbon monoxide gas to leak into your home. Carbon monoxide is a toxic gas created by burning natural gas. It can lead to a number of health issues including lethargy, headaches, passing out, and even death. Another, less serious issue caused by clogged dryer vents is decreased efficiency of your dryer. If your clothes aren’t drying as well as they usually do, it is an indicator that you have a ventilation issue that needs to be addressed immediately.

Get your vents checked!

If it’s been a while since you’ve had your dryer vents checked, or your dryer isn’t working as well as it used to, you need to get a dryer vent inspection or cleaning. In fact, the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) suggests getting an annual inspection. Call Old Smokey’s at 260-424-0009 or schedule an appointment online today!