Did you know that The United States Fire Administration (USFA) reports that there are approximately 2,900 home clothes dryer fires reported every year? These fires have led to approximately 100 injuries, 5 deaths, and nearly 35 million dollars in property loss annually. The most unfortunate part about this statistic is that about one-third of these fires could have easily been avoided by performing an annual dryer ventilation inspection. If your dryer vent is clogged, you could be putting your home at risk of a fire or carbon monoxide poisoning. At Hale’s Chimney & Fireplace Solutions, the safety of your family is our top priority. That’s why we want to discuss some of the basics of dryer ventilation cleaning.
Dryer Ventilation
Your dryer produces a lot of hot air and gases in the process of drying your clothes and this hot air needs a place to vent. The back of your dryer has a four-inch ventilation opening where hot air and gases are vented either outside of the home or to your home’s main ventilation system. This system is in place to protect homeowners from exposure to toxic gases, like carbon monoxide, from building up inside the home. It also keeps your dryer from overheating and starting a fire. Proper ventilation is critical to safe and efficient operation of your dryer.
Clogs
Drying your clothes produces lint and a majority of that lint is captured by your dryer’s lint trap. However, some lint can make it past the trap and settle in your dryer’s ventilation system. One piece of lint doesn’t really effect dryer’s ability to vent, however, it can act as a collection point for more lint. If enough lint builds up in your ventilation, airflow can become restricted, causing lint to build up faster until, eventually, airflow becomes totally restricted. This causes a couple of issues. First, your clothes won’t dry very well because there is no airflow. Second, it can push gases like carbon monoxide into your home through small gaps in the dryer door. Finally, with no way to vent excess heat, your dryer can overheat and catch on fire.
Prevention
The Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) suggests that you have your dryer vent inspected at least once a year. Our ventilation technicians at At Hale’s Chimney & Fireplace Solutions are CSIA certified, meaning they have been trained on how to safely and effectively inspect and clean your dryer vents. During an inspection, our ventilation technicians will make sure that your vents are clean and working properly and make sure the type of ventilation ducts you are using work best for your set up.
Are you overdue for a dryer vent inspection? Don’t want to wait until it’s too late! Have one of our expert ventilation technicians come by for a dryer vent inspection today by calling Hale’s Chimney & Fireplace Solutions at 972-562-6851 or by scheduling an appointment online today.