5 Signs You Need Dryer Vent Cleaning

Paul Meyers @ The Lint King Inc.

The Signs You Need Dryer Vent Cleaning are hot, humid air exiting your clothes moves from inside your dryer through the vent pipe to the outside. Restricting the airflow causes the appliance to overheat, resulting in a fire! Clothes dryers purchased in the past ten years should have a maximum drum temperature of 135 degrees. Read more about clothes dryer operating temperatures.

Over time, lint builds up in the pipe and under the lint trap; without regular dryer vent cleaning, the moisture in your home increases with each use of the clothes dryer. This makes your machine will be less efficient over time. A clogged dryer vent pipe lowers your indoor air quality and can cause a dryer fire. Does the drying time take longer, your clothes get hot, and there’s a burning smell? Have you had it done in the past two years? You should have your dryer vent cleaned soon!

Clothes Drying Takes More Than 1 Hour

Drying a load of clothing shouldn’t take longer than 45 minutes. But, a dryer with a clogged vent could take two or three times as long to dry the clothes. Dryer vents push hot, moist air out of dryers to keep drying clothes effectively. If the dryer vent clogs, moist air from the drying process won’t have anywhere to go, so it’s wasted energy. This will also increase your utility bills and wears out the machine and your clothing.

If your clothes aren’t dry at the end of a typical drying cycle, about 45 minutes, you should have your dryer vent airways and vent checked for clogs. You’ll also notice a smell of mold or mildew growing on wet clothing.

Burning Smell

If you smell something odd when you run your dryer, it’s probably lint or plastics. Dryer lint is very flammable, and the burning smell comes from the motor, internal parts, and trapped lint. Lint is very flammable and can even catch fire. If your clothes dryer smells like it’s burning, turn it off ASAP and have the appliance inspected by a professional.

Hot Dryer

When a dryer vent airflow is slow because of clogged ductwork, your appliance will feel hot, and your laundry room and clothing may also feel hot.

Lint Visible On the Outside Vent Opening

The outside vent interface is where the air from your dryer exits the home. The outside vent opening is 4 inches wide pipe. If you see lint or lawn debris around the opening, you should have your dryer vent airways cleaned. When the outside vent flap doesn’t open when the dryer is running, lint has blocked the airflow, and you should have it cleaned ASAP.

More Than One Year Since the Last Dryer Vent Cleaning

Have your dryer vent transitions and ductwork cleaned and inspected annually to save energy. This will make your dryer more efficient and prevent a fire or carbon monoxide poisoning.

If You See Signs, You Need Dryer Vent Cleaning

Hiring a professional isn’t expensive; on average, it’s only $135 for an experienced technician. At The Lint King Inc., we use a rotary brush with a powerful vacuum to remove debris. Be aware that with some types of home kits and you could damage your ductwork! People accidentally get the tools stuck in the vent pipe behind walls and ceilings.

If you have a large family or your dryer is in the center of your home with a long duct or pipe outside, you may need to clean your dryer vent.

More frequently. If you attempted cleaning your dryer vent system and still have slow drying times, you probably need to repair or replace your vent.

The Lint King Inc. has more than 15 years of laundry room safety and energy efficiency experience. We can help with installations, maintenance, or repair.

Call us anytime at 847-874-4805 for excellent service from our trained technicians.

Schedule a Dryer Vent Cleaning

Clothe Dryer Safety