Dryers are some of the most energy-consuming appliances that people have in their homes. For this reason, it is important to ensure that they are operating optimally to save on cost. Cleaning a dryer duct is one of the ways that will ensure that your dryer is operating efficiently. Not only that, but it can also reduce the risk of fire.
Do you notice that your dryer takes longer to dry your clothes than it used to? Do you have to go through multiple cycles to completely dry your laundry? If so, dryer air vent cleaning could be necessary. B&K Dryer Vent Cleaning will help you clean and give you some tips on how you should properly maintain it.
For those residing in Phoenix especially, with the rising cost of energy, one should do everything in their power to ensure that their dryer is working efficiently. In this post, we will share how to save money and protect your dryer with regular air vent cleaning.
Safety
The lint that accumulates in dryer vents over time can be quite dangerous. Over time, it can clog up dryer vents and due to the heat that is released by the dryer, it may catch fire. In most cases, when this happens, most people assume that the dryer is the one that has a problem. Part of the lint that clogs the vents is made up of fabric. Fabric can easily burn and this poses a risk to anyone using the dryer.
It is, therefore, important to ensure that you clean out your dryer every now and then to avert this. Fire damage may lead to expensive and sometimes irreversible damages to the dryer, the house, or even to the one operating it.
Energy efficiency
As mentioned above, a dryer is one of the most energy-consuming appliances that one may ever purchase. Ensuring that it operates optimally should, therefore, be a key goal of any homeowner. The clogging that comes as a result of lint accumulation may in a big way reduce its effectiveness.
The dryer majorly relies on blowing hot air on your wet clothes to dry them. Any blockage in the duct will block some of the hot air, leading to reduced efficiency. Reduced efficiency means that the time required to dry your clothes will increase, which translates to more power consumption.
Over 70% of reduced dryer efficiency can be attributed to clogging in the ducts. It is, therefore, imperative to regularly unclog them to ensure that the dryers remain efficient.
Reduced dryer life
As mentioned above, a clogged dryer will require more time and energy to dry the same amount of clothes. More time means increased wear and tear, thus reducing its lifetime. If for instance, a clogged dryer takes double the amount of time as a clean dryer, it is working twice as much to do the same amount of work.
This means that if left unchecked, literally, its lifetime will be reduced by at least half, if not more. Without mentioning the doubled cost of electricity bills, this shows just how important cleaning your dryer’s duct is.
Therefore, the next time you notice decreased efficiency in your dryers, chances are that it has accumulated a lot of lint. This is especially so during the winter season. So to avoid forking big electricity bills and having to constantly repair or replace your dryer, you may want to ensure that you clean them at least once annually if not more.
Dryer Do’s
- Clean the lint filter after every single cycle.
- Use a nylon brush to remove stray lint from the trap and remove blockages in the filter.
- Check the vent pipe for lint every few months.
- Schedule annual dryer air vent cleaning.
Dryer Don’ts
- Use a dryer without a lint filter (but do replace broken filters).
- Overfill the dryer.
- Insert items that aren’t meant for the dryer (floor mats with rubber backing, delicate materials, etc.).
Regular Maintenance Improves Your Dryer’s Performance and Extends Its Life
There’s no way around it: appliances are expensive. When homeowners run through their list of appliances, dryers aren’t usually at the top. Still, a well-functioning, efficient dryer can help reduce your energy costs and last for many years. That is, of course, with proper maintenance. To help with that, we’ve compiled a list of some do’s and don’ts as they relate to dryers.