Most homeowners clean or replace their air conditioning filters every few months. Having clean air vents results in better air quality throughout the home as well as air conditioner efficiency. If you’re replacing your air conditioning filters and still feel as though your home’s air quality is poor or your electricity bill is too high, it may be because you’re passing over your dryer vent. Your dryer vent is more important to your home’s air than you may think.
A dryer dries your clothing by evaporating the moisture with the use of heat. It spins your clothes and while doing so uses a fan to push that moisture out of the dryer. This moist air is carried from your dryer, through your house, to a vent leading to the outside environment. Lint and debris can often get caught in the duct or vent and cause a plethora of issues. We’re here to tell you all about the risks of not cleaning your dryer vent, what you gain from doing so, and some warning signs to look out for.
Risks
If you’re not cleaning your dryer vent, a lot of things could go wrong. A dirty dryer vent can really affect your quality of life. Some serious problems are likely to occur when a dryer vent is clogged.1. Bad Air Quality
Your dryer vent can easily build up with lint and debris that your lint trap does not catch. If your dryer vent is clogged, air cannot properly escape and can result in carbon dioxide build-up. Carbon dioxide is odorless, colorless, and can be harmful when breathed in. If your home is filled with carbon dioxide, it can result in sickness, headache, and in extreme cases, death. Moisture can also build up in your duct or vent if one is clogged. This moisture creates the perfect living conditions for mold and mildew. This mold can be an extreme risk to your health. Exposure to mold can lead to wheezing, itchy eyes, fever, cough, and shortness of breath.
2. Fire
Dryer vents filled with lint and debris are responsible for around 3,000 house fires per year. If you’re not cleaning your dryer vent, the build-up of lint traps the heat from the dryer and doesn’t allow it to properly escape. With lint being very flammable, high heat can easily ignite the debris. Once your dryer catches fire, the fire can quickly spread throughout your entire house.
What You’ll Gain
After you clean your vent, you’ll gain more than just a sense of security. Here are a few things to look forward to enjoying after your dryer vent is clean:
1. Clean Air
When you start cleaning your dryer vent, lint and debris will not be able to build up. This will prevent carbon dioxide build-up and mold. Both of which are things you do not want in your house. If you want your home to have an even higher quality of air, switch to detergents without fragrance. Many people are sensitive to fragrance without even realizing it.
2. More Efficient Dryer
A clogged dryer is a less efficient dryer. If you let your vent go uncleaned for too long, it could result in part of your dryer, or the entire machine, breaking. However, once you continuously clean your vents, you’ll have fewer duct and vent-related replacements. Your dryer will have more longevity and you’ll even see improvements in its dryer capabilities.
3. Lower Electricity Bill
With your dryer performing more efficiently, your electricity bill should decrease. A dryer with a clogged duct or vent will have to work harder to do the same job. If your dryer is having to overwork in order to dry a small load of clothes, it’s not at its peak performance rate. Once your dryer vent is cleaned, efficiency will go up and your electricity bill will go down.
Warning Signs
It may be hard to tell if it’s time to clean your dryer vent. You should be cleaning your vent at least once a year, but you may need to clean it more often. There are a few things to look out for that will tell you if your dryer vent needs to be cleaned immediately.
1. Burning Smell
If you smell burning when your dryer is running, it’s a sign that there is lint and debris in your duct or vent. As you now know, this lint is very flammable and the heat from your dryer could start a fire.
2. Lint
If you can physically see lint coming out of your dryer vent, it’s very likely that there is also lint stuck inside the vent or duct. If your vent is clean from the outside, that does not exactly mean that it doesn’t need to be cleaned. Ask a professional to inspect if you’re not sure.
3. Damp Clothing
When your dryer vent starts affecting your dryer’s efficiency, your clothes may take longer to dry than usual. This is because if your dryer vent is clogged, then your dryer can’t push the moisture out as easily making it harder for your clothes to dry.
How We Can Help
At Watson Brothers Chimney and Vent, your safety is our top priority. We want to serve you as a reliable and professional chimney and vent service provider so you can have the best air quality and dryer efficiency. Our certifications and training allow us to give you high-quality repairs. We specialize in vent cleaning, inspections, and repairs. Contact us today to learn more about how we can improve your safety, air quality, and dryer efficiency.