Many people are surprised to learn that their clothes dryer venting system should be professionally cleaned once a year. An easily forgotten or ignored maintenance task, neglecting to thoroughly clean your dryer vent annually can lead to a dangerous house fire. According to the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA), 15,000 fires, 15 deaths, and 400 injuries caused by dirty clothes dryer vents were reported to the US Fire Administration each year between 2002 and 2004. To ensure your dryer is not in danger of being a fire hazard, an annual professional cleaning of the vent is important for the safety of your house and family. Ashbusters will send only CSIA-certified dryer vent technicians to perform this task, which guarantees you will receive the best possible service. To help you understand why your dryer vents should be professionally cleaned every year, we would like to share with you some of the reasons behind the importance of this annual maintenance step.
A Dirty Clothes Dryer Vent Can Decrease the Efficiency of Your Dryer.
If your dryer vent is clogged with lint and debris, your clothes dryer will not work as efficiently as it should. Have you ever noticed clothes still being wet or damp after going through a full drying cycle? This is one of the main signs of a dirty vent and should be a clear signal that your venting system needs cleaning. When you must use your dryer at its highest temperature, it decreases the life of the appliance and can also lead to your heating element burning out or a fire igniting.
Dirty Dryer Vents Can Also Lead to the Possibility of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning.
If you have a gas-powered clothes dryer, it is essential for safety reasons to be sure that it is properly vented and that its exhaust vent has no blockages from lint and debris. This is vitally important because if there are venting problems or blockages, the poisonous gas carbon monoxide may be forced back into the home. If you do not have an alarm for carbon monoxide, you could may never realize you are breathing in carbon monoxide until it is too late because this toxic gas is odorless and tasteless. Even if you have an electric dryer, you still have the possibility of carbon monoxide leaks due to a dirty vent.
Just Because You Clean Your Dryer Vent Filter from Lint After Each Load Does Not Mean You Do Not Need an Annual Professional Vent Cleaning.
Although routine removal of lint from the lint filter can reduce the risk of fire by 90%, you still need to schedule a professional cleaning of the dryer vent every year. Large clogs of lint can be found in the venting ducts as well as in the inner side of the wall. To guarantee proper cleaning of your dryer’s venting system, you need to call a CSIA-certified dryer exhaust technician from Ashbusters to do this task for you.
If you would like to schedule an appointment for your annual dryer vent cleaning, contact Ashbusters today. We will send our CSIA-certified technicians to your home to be sure your clothes dryer is not a fire hazard.