Neglect Your Dryer Vents
As homeowners, there are some things that we tend to forget about and often neglect in the long term of homeownership. For example, many of us will tend to forget to vacuum the rug, clean under the couch or wash the windows. But, there is one glaring thing that most of us tend to forget about, the dryer vent. While we think that all is fine when we clean out the lint trap on our dryer, lint can still get sucked past in the metal vent behind the machine. But why is it important to keep your dryer vents clean? Well today, we are going to be talking about it! So down below, you will find some of the benefits that you can gain from cleaning your dryer vents and what could happen if you leave them dirty.
A clogged dryer vent can increase the workload of the dryer, making the dryer work harder to dry your fabrics and expel heat and gases to the exterior of your home. By cleaning out the dryer vent, you are decreasing the amount the machine has to work in order to get these hazards out of your home which in turn will decrease the amount of electricity the machine uses to function, lowering your electricity and/or gas bill, keeping money in your pocket to spend on things that matter more!
If you have been noticing that your clothes or other fabrics are damp when you take them out no matter the time you put them in for, it may be an indication that it may be time to clean your dryer vents. A blockage of lint or other debris will cause the damp, hot air to become trapped in the dryer, making anything placed in the dry take longer to dry. We highly recommend having a contractor take a look inside your vents before considering any costly repairs.
As we have talked about above, clogged vents can make your dryer work overtime to compensate for the blockage. While this can lead to energy consumption, it also means more wear and tear on your dryer in a shorter amount of time. This wear and tear won’t only increase the risk of expensive repairs, it can also mean that your dryer can last longer before the eventual need to be replaced. Just to put it in perspective, the average cost to have your dryer vent cleaned is around 90-450 dollars depending on additional services like mold removal where the average dryer repair will be around 100-400 dollars for the part and up to 200 dollars an hour for the repair itself.
A little known fact about dirty vents is that lint buildup and other debris can reduce airflow in the vent causing the exhaust to back up which will lead to a fire. In order to find out if your home is at risk of a dryer fire, there are 3 things that you can do today. 1, take a look at the inside of the dryer vent from the exterior of your home. 2, check your lint traps inside of the dryer. 2, call a professional to take a look inside the dryer with a camera to spot any blockage.