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Make Laundry Easier, Safer & More Efficient With CDET Dryer Vent Sweeping & Repair

Dryer vent buildup and blockages can cause a lot of problems and can lead to excess energy consumption, fire hazards, and wasted time and money. But many dryer vents are neglected, year after year — which is why every year, preventable dryer vent fires occur all throughout the United States, causing millions in damage.

Lint is highly flammable and buildup is often to blame for these fires, but lint and blockages don’t just cause fires; they can also block the exit of carbon monoxide (produced by a gas dryer), causing this potentially fatal gas to enter the home. Likewise, a blocked or dirty dryer vent will reduce air flow and dryer efficiency.

Whether you’re a homeowner, a landlord, or a business owner, regularly scheduling dryer vent cleanings for your property just makes sense (and cents).

The Warning Signs: How Do You Know If Your Dryer Vents Should Be Cleaned?

The truth is, most people don’t know their dryer vent needs to be cleaned. They figure if they clean out the lint trap before or after every load of laundry, then they’ve effectively captured and removed any lint in the system. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.

So how do you know if your dryer vent needs to be cleaned?

It’s not always easy to tell when your dryer vents are blocked or filled with lint — especially if your dryer vent travels a long ways to the outside. But there are some common signs and symptoms that pop up when dryer vents need to be cleaned.

Look out for these signs:

• Burning odors or other strange smells on clothes or in the laundry area when the dryer is in use
• Lint debris around the dryer
• Extremely hot clothes after a dry cycle

Of course, if you need to run the dryer multiple times in order to dry laundry, that’s another sign of a venting blockage or issue. If a normal load of laundry takes more than a single cycle to dry, air flow is probably restricted, which is why your dryer is working harder and running hotter and longer to get the job done. So before you start shopping for another dryer, schedule an inspection with a Certified Dryer Exhaust Technician (CDET). It may just be time to have those vents swept.

Note: Here’s a simple check you can do to test the airflow. Turn your dryer on and head outside to the vent hood or flapper. If the vent hood or flapper where the dryer vent exits the building isn’t open or is only opening a little while the dryer’s running, there’s a good chance lint buildup is causing that airflow restriction.

What’s Involved In A Standard Dryer Vent Sweeping/Cleaning?

When performing a dryer vent inspection and sweeping, my techs will arrive on time, remove their shoes, and explain exactly what they are doing. Every last bit of lint will be contained and removed from the property, so you don’t have to worry about a mess. I guarantee a thorough job, and when I am done, you’ll have peace of mind and a better performing, safer system.

During a cleaning, I’ll:

• unhook the dryer
• clean the vent duct with specialized tools and a powerful HEPA RoVac vacuum system
• check connections

My team of Certified Dryer Exhaust Technicians (CDET) has the skill, understanding, and tools to service all venting situations, including today’s extremely long vent ducts — which are especially susceptible to lint buildup. No matter what type of property you have or where your the dryer is installed, I am the one for the job.

How Often Should You Clean Your Dryer Vents?

The answer to this question is “it depends.” If you have an apartment or condominium complex with shared dryers, your dryers will probably accumulate lint faster and need to be cleaned more frequently. If you’re a homeowner in your golden years and you (finally) only have to worry about you and your spouse’s laundry, you may only need to schedule a dryer vent cleaning every one or two years.

It also depends on the journey your dryer vent travels through the building. If your dryer is situated right against an exterior wall and the vent is straight and short, there will be fewer areas for lint to settle, and air flow should be sufficient to pull that excess lint out of the vent and out of the home. But if your dryer is against an interior wall — say in a master bedroom or closet — the vent travels further and will likely have more issues with lint buildup and blockages.

Keep an eye out for the warning signs above and be sure to schedule a dryer vent inspection every year. That way, you’ll know just when it’s time.

Dryer Safety: Common Causes Of Dryer Fires & Why You Should Have Your Aluminum Or Plastic Flex Hose Replaced

The most common cause of dryer fires is failure to clean dryers, lint traps, and venting systems. So keep emptying out that lint trap with every load of laundry and be sure to schedule regular dryer vent sweepings and inspections. What else do you need to know about reducing dryer-related fire risk?

Another leading cause of dryer fires is improper venting material. Plastic dryer vents can melt when exposed to extremely high heat, and these venting systems are incapable of containing a lint dryer fire should one occur. Aluminum-foil exhaust ducting can also be dangerous because they have ribbed surfaces, which creates air resistance and encourages lint buildup. 

If you have an aluminum-foil or plastic flex hose, you should have it replaced with a rigid stainless steel vent pipe. These don’t create the air resistance of other vent pipes, and they don’t have the corrugated areas for lint to accumulate and build up.

What’s dryer hose installation like? Don’t worry — I can take care of it for you.

My CDETs can replace your venting quickly and professionally, so you don’t have to go without a dryer in your home, commercial building, duplex, apartment, or condominium complex. No matter how long or complicated the dryer vent system is, I can do it — and do it right.

Other common causes of dryer fires include:

• Storage of combustible material near dryer  —The area around your clothes dryer should be clear and free of things that could ignite.
• Putting clothing through more than one drying cycle — Again, if your dryer vent is clean, you shouldn’t have to run your dryer for multiple cycles.
• Failure to adhere to load capacities — Don’t overstuff your dryer. It can overwork your dryer and it won’t typically save you any time in the long run anyway. Split the loads up into manageable sizes.

Trust Your Safety To My Experienced & Courteous Professionals — Scheduling Is Easy

Is it about time to have your dryer vent cleaned out? Don’t take a chance — put the safety of your family, tenants, guests, or employees in the hands of a true professional. Not only will doing so protect against potential fire, it will also save you money and time in the long run. Just take it from one of my happy customers who says, “My dryer now takes half the time it did to dry a load of clothes!”

Ready to schedule? It’s easy with Armour Chimney Service. Just call 208-550-8474 or reach out to me here on my website. I’ll be clean, on time, professional, efficient, and courteous — guaranteed.

One of the most frequently required and best-known chimney and venting services around is chimney sweeping. Call for your appointment today.