Add “Dryer Vent Cleaning” to your Appliance Maintenance Schedule Says the Wizard of Minneapolis

2010-03-09T07:05:00.000-08:00

Dryer vent cleaning will prolong the life of your clothes dryer and promote maximum performance. Most people are good about scheduling furnace cleaning each year; however, few realize that the clothes dryer also requires regular maintenance. How often should dryer vent cleaning be done? Once a year is usually sufficient; however, if you have a large family and you’re doing more than the average amount of laundry, you might need schedule this more often. Here are some things to consider when deciding how often to have your dryer vent system serviced:

Age of the Dryer:

Older appliances are generally less efficient than newer models. The older your dryer is, the more likely it is that there is lint built up in the ducts. It is also likely that the dryer vent system is constructed of older materials that do not meet code and UL standards today. Older dryers can require more maintenance than today’s newer, more efficient models.

Amount of Use:

Maybe you only need your furnace cleaned once a year (or less), but remember, the size of your family does not have an effect on how often your furnace runs. Your clothes dryer is a different story. If you have a small family, and you are only doing a couple loads a week, once a year is probably sufficient for a professional inspection of the dryer vent system. If you have a large family and are doing 10 -15 (or more) loads per week, you are moving a lot of lint through your dryer duct system. In this case, you will want to schedule a professional dryer vent cleaning at least twice a year to be safe.

Length and Path of Dryer Duct

The best place for your clothes dryer is on an outside wall, on the first floor of your home, so that the dryer duct will be very short and lead straight to the outside of your home. If your dryer is in the basement or an upper level, or located on an inside wall, the dryer duct is much longer and probably has some bends before it reaches the vent outside. As moisture, lint and heat travel through this long path, the chances are great that some will not make it outside. Wet lint will stick to the sides of your dryer ducts, forming a hard crust which will build up and restrict air flow. If your vent tube has many turns, especially 90 degree angles, this increases the chances of lint becoming trapped. If it is not possible to alter the design of your dryer duct system, you will need to schedule professional cleaning more often. A dryer vent cleaning specialist will have the necessary tools to tackle this job more easily than the average homeowner.

Fire Safety and Energy Cost

Dryer vent cleaning and maintenance is vital to your clothes dryer running efficiently and safely. When the duct system is clogged with lint, air flow is limited; the dryer works harder, and costs more to operate. The system can overheat, eventually causing a fire. The cost of a professional cleaning is low compared to the cost of repairing or replacing a damaged dryer or worse, your home and belongings if you should have a fire. Your dryer vent cleaning professional can advise you as to how often your dryer vent system needs to be serviced.

This article was written by Carl Hein, owner of Dryer Vent Wizard of St. Paul, Minnesota. DVW specializes in dryer vent cleaning, repair, installation and alterations, while educating consumers on dryer vent maintenance and fire safety. Carl services the Twin City Area of Minnesota.

Dryer vent cleaning, dryer vent repair, dryer vent installation in the Twin City area of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Golden Valley, St. Louis Park, Hopkins, Crystal, Bloomington, Richfield, Falcon Heights, Edina, Waconia, Victoria, Savage, Brooklyn Center, Oak Grove, Burnsville, Eagan, Prior Lake, Eden Prairie, Shakopee, Shorewood, Minnetonka, Plymouth, Maple Grove, Brooklyn Park, Columbia Heights, New Brighton, Shoreview, Blaine, Arden Hills, St. Anthony, Roseville, Mounds View, Maplewood, Oakdale, Woodbury, Mendota Heights, Stillwater, Hudson, Afton, Prescott, Hastings, St Michael, Long Lake, Wayzata, Orono, and neighboring cities and communities.

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Dryer Vent Installation tips from the Wizard of Minneapolis

2010-03-09T06:54:00.000-08:00

Dryer Vent Installation Minneapolis: Fire Safety, Dryer Performance

Dryer vent installation needs to be done correctly to ensure a safe dryer vent system. An inferior dryer vent system can be a fire hazard; it will also cause your dryer to operate inefficiently, costing up to an additional $300 per year in energy costs.

Dryer Vent Installation Minneapolis – Proper Material for Dryer Vents

What does your dryer duct look like? Look at the back of the clothes dryer. Is there an aluminum pipe leading from the back of the dryer to the vent outside? Or do you have the old plastic, vinyl or flexible foil vent?

All dryer manufacturers now add a statement in the dryer manuals warning against using the flexible foil or vinyl dryer ducts. The plastic or vinyl type will provide additional fuel for a dryer fire; as if lint isn’t enough!

The vinyl or flexible foil type vents also allow more lint to build up in the dryer ducts, restricting air flow and causing your dryer to take longer to dry a load of laundry. Reduced air flow causes the system to overheat and become a fire hazard.

Vinyl or plastic dryer ducts become brittle; as they deteriorate, they crack and cause dryer exhaust to leak into your home. Heat and moisture from the dryer drum will escape into your home and cause mold and mildew damage. If your clothes dryer is gas operated, keep in mind that the dryer vent system is also responsible for removing gas by products, like carbon monoxide, from your home.

Install Dryer Ducts made of Rigid Metal says the Wizard of Minneapolis

You need to replace your dryer vent system if you have the older styles described above. Install a dryer duct of rigid metal and join the pieces with heat tape rather than sheet metal screws that protrude to the inside and catch lint, allowing it a good starting place to build up. Do not use duct tape because it is combustible.

Install Dryer Exhaust Ducts – Short and Straight are the Rules in Minneapolis

Dryer exhaust ducts need to be installed so that the route is as short and straight as possible. The longer dryer duct system with sharp turns will cause your dryer to work harder to expel the hot air. Air will travel faster in a short, straight run and lint will take longer to build up to the point of becoming hazardous.

Dryer Vent Installation in New Homes in Minneapolis

A new home could mean very efficient appliances and modern building technology for an energy efficient home. It also means an updated layout with more conveniences.

Laundry areas used to be located in the basement with the clothes dryer near an outside wall. Many newer homes have been built so that the washer and dryer are located in the center of the home, on the upper floor, where the bedrooms are. Whoever thought of this idea was only thinking about the convenience to the homeowner and not the safety and efficiency of the clothes dryer.

Clothes dryers located in the center of the home require much longer dryer ducts to reach an outside wall. Some are even vented through the roof. They may contain bends and sharp turns where lint has to pass through an exhaust pipe under the floor and through the walls. This type of system has more places that lint can accumulate and cause a blockage. These systems are also much more difficult for the average homeowner to maintain.

Dryer Vent Cleaning is Required for all Dryer Exhaust Systems

All dryer vent systems must be cleaned annually to remove lint build-up, prevent fires and increase the efficiency of your clothes dryer. Even the very best dryer vent system, perfectly installed, using quality materials, short and straight, smooth inside, will need to be cleaned annually. The better dryer vent system you have, the longer it will take for lint to build up, and the more efficiently it will work. There is no such thing as a maintenance free dryer vent system!

Carl Hein, owner of Dryer Vent Wizard, provides dryer vent cleaning, dryer vent repair, dryer vent installation in the Twin City area of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Golden Valley, St. Louis Park, Hopkins, Crystal, Bloomington, Richfield, Falcon Heights, Edina, Waconia, Victoria, Savage, Brooklyn Center, Oak Grove, Burnsville, Eagan, Prior Lake, Eden Prairie, Shakopee, Shorewood, Minnetonka, Plymouth, Maple Grove, Brooklyn Park, Columbia Heights, New Brighton, Shoreview, Blaine, Arden Hills, St. Anthony, Roseville, Mounds View, Maplewood, Oakdale, Woodbury, Mendota Heights, Stillwater, Hudson, Afton, Prescott, Hastings, St Michael, Long Lake, Wayzata, Orono, and neighboring cities and communities.

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Dryer Vent Installation Minneapolis, MN

Add “Dryer Vent Cleaning” to your Appliance Maintenance Schedule Says the Wizard of Minneapolis

Dryer Vent Installation tips from the Wizard of Minneapolis