When is the last time you thought about your dryer vent?
Few people realize the lint from your clothes ends up not only in the lint trap but also flows into the dryer vent where it accumulates over time. Highly combustible lint combined with excessive temperatures from the dryer is a recipe for a fire. Dryer fires usually start beneath the dryer when the motor overheats. Overheating is caused by a build-up of lint in the duct that increases the drying time and blocks the flow of air. Other contributing conditions may include lint inside the dryer, a missing or damaged lint screen, an excessively long vent, non-code vent material (plastic, vinyl and non-rated foil) that may kink or stop airflow, or a bird's nest or other debris blocking the vent. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates there are 15,500 fires, 10 deaths and 10 injuries associated with dryers annually, with costs over $80 million. Dryer vent cleaning significantly reduces the risks of this type of fire.
You should make a point to clean behind the dryer where lint can build up. Keep the area around the dryer clean and free of clutter. You can see in the above photo how much lint builds up behind a dryer where it can get very hot.
Make sure to replace any plastic, accordion-type ducting material as plastic is not approved for dryer use. Some metal foil ducts may not be approved either. You must replace these ducts with rigid duct or corrugated semi-rigid metal duct meeting UL 2158A. You'll find that most dryer manufacturers specify the use of a rigid or corrugated semi-rigid metal duct, which provides maximum airflow. What ever duct you use from dryer to wall or floor, make sure it does not kink or become disconnected when the dryer is moved back into place. Kinks will greatly reduce or obstruct the airflow, which will cause the dryer to overheat.
OUR SERVICE AREAS INCLUDE: NASHVILLE, FRANKLIN, BRENTWOOD, BELLEMEADE, WEST MEADE, BELLEVUE, MOUNT JULIET, LEBANON, MADISON, ANTIOCH, HERMITAGE, DONELSON, LAVERGNE, SMYRNA, THOMPSON STATION, RIDGE TOP, HENDERSONVILLE, GOODLETSVILLE, MURFREESBORO, CRIEVE HALL, GREEN HILLS, AND MORE.
ADDITIONAL TRIP CHARGES MAY APPLY IF OUT OF THE LISTED AREAS
DRYER VENT CLEANINGS STARTS AT $169.00
Dryer Vent Cleaning
On the day of your appointment we will thoroughly inspect your dryer vent line from the dryer to the termination point outside your home. We will run our brushes, along with flexible rods from the inside to the outside of the entire vent, clean up and dispose of all debris. Plastic, vinyl or foil vent material could be damaged by cleaning tools, allowing moisture to flow into walls or living spaces. This can result in mold growth and respiratory illness. This material should be replaced with code-compliant vent material. The national code is rigid UL listed vent pipe.
Who sets safety standards for dryers anyway? Well, two voluntary standards exist. For electric dryers it is Underwriters Laboratories UL 2158. For gas dryers the voluntary standard is ANSI Z21.5.1 (CGA 7.1). With these standards, rigid and semi-rigid metal vent pipes are the way to vent the dryer.
Almost all of us remember the flexible white plastic dryer vent hose kit sold in hardware stores. As it turns out, these combustible white plastic hose kits are deadly when improperly used as dryer venting and are the reason for many dryer vent fires. However, until recently they were still commonly sold as dryer venting.
COVENANT CHIMNEY SERVICE
(615) 259-3372
Dryer Vent Cleaning