Dryer Vent Installation: Is your Dryer Vent Safe?

2009-06-15T12:25:00.000-07:00

Looking at the back of your clothes dryer you should see an exhaust pipe leading to a dryer vent attached to the outside of your home. Is the vent made of flexible foil, plastic or vinyl? Or is it semi-rigid metal or aluminum? The answer to this question is critical to your safety.

Plastic, flexible exhaust ducts are not acceptable venting material for your clothes dryer. Though this type was used, years ago, it no longer meets safety codes. Even the thin metal foil vents which are claimed to resist fire are easily crushed, restricting air-flow which is required for your dryer to work. When the duct is crushed, heat cannot escape from the dryer drum; the system overheats and creates a fire hazard.

Flexible metal pipes are acceptable, but they are not recommended. The ideal material for your dryer duct is a semi-rigid metal pipe that is very smooth inside. Pieces should be joined with duct tape, not screws which protrude to the inside for lint to catch on. They should also be joined in the direction of the air flow to minimize the chances of lint becoming trapped in crevices.

Your dryer exhaust and dryer vent system is designed to remove heat, moisture and lint from your laundry as it is being dried. If you have a gas dryer, it is also removing gas by-products, including carbon monoxide, from your home.

Professional dryer vent cleaning is recommended at least once a year to keep your dryer running efficiently and safely. The fee for this service is small compared to the cost of repairing or replacing an over worked clothes dryer, or the cost of losing your home or even your life. A dryer vent repair and installation specialist is the best person to call for an inspection and service.

Chris Zoto, owner of Dryer Vent Wizard strives to educate customers. They will have a full understanding of how their Dryer Vent system is set up and how it works. Technicians will not be there for a only a half hour like other companies, they are usually there for 2 to 3 hours making sure the job is done correctly, the job site is spotless and the customer has full of knowledge on their dryer vents.

Dryer Vent Wizard of Pennsylvania provides dryer vent cleaning, dryer vent repair, dryer vent installation, dryer vent inspections and all dryer vent services for homes and businesses in Philadelphia County, Fairmount Park, Bucks County, Quakertown, Perkasie, Doylestown, Richboro, Montgomery County, Harleysville, Lansdale, Lehigh County, Tamaqua, Shenandoah, Chester County, Exton, Parkesburg, Delaware County, Springfield, Media, Mercer County, New Jersey, Pennington, Princeton, Trenton and neighboring cities and communities.

Dryer Vent Cleaning Prevents Dryer Fires in Philadelphia

2009-06-15T12:24:00.000-07:00

Don’t Let Your Dryer Start a Fire! Keep Your Philadelphia Home Safe and Sound

Most people have their furnaces cleaned regularly; however, very few people think of the clothes dryer in relation to appliance maintenance. According to the National Fire Protection Association over 15,000 dryer fires are reported each year. Failure to clean the dryer vent and duct system is the cause of most of these fires. Believe it or not, your clothes dryer is more likely to cause a fire than your furnace or stove! Dryer Vent Wizard recommends annual dryer vent cleaning.

Dryer Vent Cleaning Prevents Carbon Monoxide Poisoning in Philadelphia

Besides being a fire hazard, improper dryer venting also poses a carbon monoxide risk. The dryer vent system removes gas by-products from your home if you have a gas dryer. Dryer Vent Wizard recommends a complete inspection of your dryer vent system to be sure it is functioning safely.

Dryer Vent Cleaning Reduces Energy Bills for Philadelphia Residents
When a dryer vent and the dryer ducts are clogged with lint, air flow is restricted, causing your dryer to work harder and use more energy. This creates higher utility bills and a greater chance of the appliance breaking down. Appliance repairs and/or replacement can be expensive. You can prolong the life of your clothes dryer with proper dryer vent cleaning and maintenance. Dryer Vent Wizard provides dryer vent cleaning, maintenance, repairs, installation and dryer vent inspections for homes and businesses in your area.

Dryer Vent Cleaning Prevents Fires in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

A clothes dryer fire is caused by lint build-up which restricts airflow and leads to overheating. Dryers produce a lot of lint and simply cleaning the lint screen is not enough. Though the lint filter catches most of the lint, some will escape and end up in the dryer vent system. The dryer ducts remove lint and moisture from your clothes; the moist lint doesn’t always make it to the vent outside of your home. It can stick to the sides of the ducts where it builds up and eventually dries to a hard paste. This hard paste attracts more sticky lint, eventually creating a blockage which can cause a fire.

Dryer Vent Inspections and UL Safety Standards in Philadelphia, PA
Underwriters Laboratories is an independent product safety certification organization that has been testing products for safety for over a century. Dryer Vent Wizard will inspect your dryer vent system to be sure it meets UL Safety standards in your community.

Dryer Vent Wizard of Philadelphia Recommends Shorter Dryer Ducts

It used be that most clothes dryers were in the basement, on an outside wall, with a relatively short, straight vent to the outdoors. These days many newer homes tend to have their laundry area located away from an outside wall; some are on the second floor. This means dryer vents are much longer and contain some elbows and bends where lint can accumulate. They’re also harder to reach therefore more difficult to keep cleaned. The ideal dryer vent system is short and straight. Dryer Vent Wizard has special tools for reaching the hard to get to places.

Dryer Vent Wizard of Philadelphia Uses Rigid Venting Material, not Vinyl

Dryer ducts should be made of rigid or semi-rigid metal, not the flexible foil or vinyl type that was used in the old days. The flexible vinyl type of tubing crushes easily and restricts air-flow. Dryer Vent Wizard professionally installs semi-rigid metal dryer vent systems in homes and commercial buildings.

Dryer Vent Wizard of Philadelphia Inspects to Ensure Proper Installation

Dryer Vent Wizard does not advise use of sheet metal screws when attaching multiple sections of vent pipe together. They use foil tape instead to eliminate protuberances that cause obstructions where lint can accumulate, eventually leading to a restriction which hampers dryer vent cleaning and allows lint to build up.

Wash the Lint Screen to Remove Residue Build-up

Few people are aware that the dryer vent screen should be washed thoroughly with warm soapy water every few months to remove residue build up caused by dryer sheets. It is actually possible for the lint screen to have so much build-up on it that it will hold water! This definitely restricts air flow and causes the dryer to take more than one cycle to properly dry a load of clothes.

Bugs, Mice, Birds and Critters in Philadelphia, PA

If you have mice in your house, you have probably called exterminators or tried your own critter traps to get rid of the pests. But this is just a temporary solution until more critters come in. The only effective way to get rid of them for good is to stop them from getting into your home in the first place. The one major path of entry that mice have into your home is the dryer vent.

Birds have been known to build nests in dryer vents which prevent lint from escaping. Bees, wasps and hornets nests have also been found in dryer vents. Dryer Vent Wizard recommends annual dryer vent cleaning and regular inspections to be sure the dryer vent system is free of clogs.

Dryer Vent Cleaning and Tips from Dryer Vent Wizard of Philadelphia

Make sure your dryer vent system is up to city, state and manufacturer’s codes
Replace plastic or foil vent with semi-rigid or solid meta material
Keep the lint screen clean; check before and after each load
Wash lint screens with soap and water every few months to remove residue from fabric softener sheets
Have professional dryer vent cleaning done annually
Don't keep combustibles like chemical cleaning products or chemical laden rags near your clothes dryer
Don't leave the house or go to sleep with your dryer running
In cold weather, check outside vent cover to make sure it's not blocked or frozen shut

Dryer Vent Wizard of Philadelphia Shares Warning Signs to Watch for

The dryer takes more than one cycle to get a load dry
No lint visible on lint screen
Dryer repeatedly stops during a cycle
Clothes have moldy smell after dry cycle
Clothes are very hot after a dry cycle

Dryer Vent Wizard of Connecticut is the dryer vent cleaning and repair expert to call for service. The service call is very little compared to the loss of your home or the lives of you and your family if you should experience a clothes dryer fire.

Please watch this video provided by Dryer Vent Wizard of Philadelphia, PA

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/26507771#26507771

Dryer Vent Wizard of Pennsylvania provides dryer vent cleaning, dryer vent repair, dryer vent installation, dryer vent inspections and all dryer vent services for homes and businesses in Philadelphia County, Fairmount Park, Bucks County, Quakertown, Perkasie, Doylestown, Richboro, Montgomery County, Harleysville, Lansdale, Lehigh County, Tamaqua, Shenandoah, Chester County, Exton, Parkesburg, Delaware County, Springfield, Media, Mercer County, New Jersey, Pennington, Princeton, Trenton and neighboring cities and communities.

Dryer Vent Cleaning Philadelphia, PA

Dryer Vent Installation: Is your Dryer Vent Safe?

Dryer Vent Cleaning Prevents Dryer Fires in Philadelphia