Dryer Vent Cleaning – Really?
The truth is that your dryer vent is more likely to get clogged and cause a fire than your fireplace or chimney. One reason this happens is we ignore the dryer vents because we can’t imagine that our dryer might cause any damage, like a fire, to our homes, but it does.
When we clean a dryer vent, we remove the lint buildup in the vent that leads to the outside, not just the lint trap. This lint buildup decreases air flow, which can shorten the life of your dryer, extend the drying times for your clothes, and may potentially cause a fire.
The Energy Drain Lint Causes
If your dryer isn’t drying your clothes like it used to, you probably don’t need a new dryer, just a dryer vent cleaning! Lint buildup uses more energy to dry your clothes. This is caused by a reduction in airflow so your dryer can’t dry clothes as quickly. An inefficient dryer uses more energy, thereby costing you more money. So cleaning the dryer vent can potentially save you money, and who doesn’t like that!
Lint & Fire & The Boy Scouts
Keeping the dryer vent cleaned and clear of lint can prevent dryer fires. A dryer vent fully or partially clogged with lint reduces the volume of airflow needed for the exhaust to escape normally. This causes heat buildup and then ignition, which means a potential dryer fire. Lint is a boy scout’s favorite material for starting fires; after all, it is highly flammable. Dryer vent cleanings prevent dryer fires and save lives.
Check Out the Statistics
Statistics from the United States CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) indicate there were 15,500+ residential dryer fires in the United States originating in clothes dryer exhaust vents. These dryer fires resulted in personal injuries, deaths, and over $84.4 million in property damage. The CPSC also reports that hundreds of people were non-fatally poisoned by carbon monoxide as a result of gas clothes dryers.
Winston’s Chimney Service has been cleaning dryer vents in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC since 1978 and we have an excellent track record. See our rating on Angie’s List where we are ranked #1 or on the Better Business Bureau website where we maintain an A+ rating.
Call us today or contact us online.
Our chimney and dryer vent services include installing tankless gas water heaters. Don’t be stuck with a cold shower! Give us a call at Winston’s Chimney Service.
