Every time your dryer works, it produces a little bit of lint that passes through the dryer’s vent system. Little by little, the lint keeps compiling in the vent, which eventually clogs the vent and prevents it from functioning properly.
What are the consequences of vent clogging?
- The efficiency of the dryer drops down. It means you are wasting your electricity.
- Your clothes don’t dry thoroughly. Therefore, it will take more cycles and more time for your clothes to dry.
- Your dryer will stop working or the drum will work but without producing heat. This is because your thermal fuse got burnt out. The thermal fuse is a safety option to prevent fire.
- Your dryer catches on fire. For any reason, if your dryer doesn’t have a thermal fuse or there is one but it doesn’t function, the temperature inside of the exhaust will raise and you will have a fire. The bright side is since the 1980s the inclusion of a thermal fuse on dryers is mandatory.
When should you clean your dryer vent?
The most important step you should take when drying your clothes is cleaning out the lint trap with every load. This quick and easy step is your first defense against insufficient drying. If you have to run the clothes through more than one dry cycle, the most likely cause is lint buildup inside the dryer vent.
Dryer vent cleaning should be part of your seasonal cleaning checklist. Spring and fall cleanings are a great time to perform a thorough cleaning on the dryer vent, including the duct in the back of the unit.
How to clean your dryer vent?
The first place of lint-trap is behind the vent screen. Then if you clean your dryer vent regularly, it will be the only place you need to clean. However, follow the steps:
- Locate your dryer vent screen on the outside wall. If there is more than one screen on the outside wall try to see which one has a sign of lint on it or check them whenever dryer is working. You should be able to feel hot and humid airflow coming out of your dryer vent when your dryer is working.
- Remove any visible lint with your hand.
- Take a look through the vent screen. If there is any lint behind the screen you are not able to remove, it’s time to remove the screen and clean the inside of the vent. Most of the time the screen is attached to the wall by silicon or by screws. So it shouldn’t be a challenge opening the vent screen.
- If you followed all of these steps, and the air pressure coming out of dryer vent is not high enough then it’s time to ask a professional.
Conclusions:
- Be aware that the lint trap should be cleaned every time you operate the dryer.
- A regular schedule to clean your dryer vent, will keep your dryer at optimal performance and operating safely.