The Importance of Dryer Vent Cleaning

The Importance of Dryer Vent Cleaning

When it comes to the importance of dryer vent cleaning in Des Moines, the techs at Des Moines Air Duct Cleaning clean over 7,000 dryer vents every year. I think it is safe to say that they have seen it all when it comes to dryer vent cleaning. We write this article in hopes it will better educate people to the real dangers of not cleaning your dryer vent line.

How to tell if your dryer vent line needs cleaned

If you notice that your clothes are taking longer to dry, or if they come out of the dryer feeling hotter than usual, it may be time to have your dryer vent cleaned. Lint build-up in the vent line can cause decreased air flow, which will make your dryer work harder and use more energy. It can also make the dryer feel very hot, which could damage the dryer itself and cause a dryer fire.

Do-it-yourself dryer vent cleaning

As a do-it-yourselfer, to clean your dryer vent, you will need to vacuum out the lint from the inside of the dryer vent pipe. You can do this with a dryer vent brush, which is available at most hardware stores. You will need to disconnect the transition duct (the tube that hooks the dryer up to the dryer vent line) from the dryer and the wall or floor. Take the transition duct outside and clean it out using a drill and brush and then blow through it with a leaf blower.

Once you have cleaned out the transition duct, you want to take the drill, brush and rods and clean from inside the laundry room. Be careful not to put the drill in reverse when pulling the brush out as it will disconnect the brush from the rods. Then you will need to call a professional to remove it.

After cleaning from the inside, move to the outside and remove the vent flaps and use the drill, rods and brush and clean the vent line. Also clean around the vent cover and clean off the flaps.

Now that you have cleaned from the inside and the outside with a brush, take a leaf blower inside the laundry room and connect it to the vent line and blow with full force. This will blow out any left over lint that the brush left behind.

Move the dryer back far enough so you can re-connect the transition duct to the dryer and the dryer vent line. Move the dryer back to it’s final position, making sure not to damage the transition duct. You don’t want too much transition duct as it can get pinched or form too much of a loop, restricting air flow.

To test the dryer air flow, turn the dryer on and go outside and look at the flaps. Make sure they are standing straight out and that a high velocity of air is coming out. You should also be able to hear it. This is a great indicator that the dryer vent line is clean.

Hiring Des Moines Air Duct Cleaning To Clean The Dryer Vent Line

Cleaning your own dryer vent can be a lot of work. When you hire Des Moines Air Duct Cleaning, you can be certain the dryer vent line will be cleaned. We have the equipment and tools to get the job done efficiently and quickly.

The first thing we do is test the dryer’s air flow. We hook a special meter to the dryer and we measure the back pressure. If there is a lot of lint in the dryer vent line, the back pressure will be higher than if there is little lint in the vent line. Once we know what we are starting with, we then move outside.

We use a special “skipper hose” and a high volume of air pressure from our portable gas-powered air compressor. the “skipper hose” has a spinner on the end that blows the air backwards, towards the outside of the house. The air helps propel the hose in towards the dryer, blowing the lint backwards towards the technician. Once the hose spinner end gets to the dryer, the vent line is now cleaned. But we need to re-test.

Now we come in the house and we check the transition duct. We want to make sure that it is in good condition and isn’t pinched off or twisted up. If it’s in great shape we then re-test the back flow air pressure. It needs to have a reading above .7 in order for us to be happy with the reading. There are some situations where it could be a little lower but for the average dryer it needs to be above .7.

That’s it. The whole process takes less than thirty minutes.

Cleaning The Inside Of The Dryer

Cleaning the dryer vent line yearly is a good precaution against dryer damage and a possible lint fire but homeowners need to know that lint can build up inside the dryer as well and it needs to be removed. Des Moines Air Duct Cleaning techs have the know-how to do just that.

We disconnect the transition duct, pull the dryer out from the wall and take the back panel off. Then we remove the transfer tube and clean it out well. We then clean the squirrel cage motor and the rest of the inside of the dryer.

Obviously, we have to charge more for cleaning the inside of the dryer but trust me, it is well worth it. Many people neglect this cleaning and eventually it damages the dryer and/or it can become a fire hazard.

Summary

You now know how to recognize when your dryer vent line needs cleaned and you have learned what it takes to do it yourself. If you’re not excited about doing it yourself, you can call Des Moines Air Duct Cleaning and we will do it for you. You also know that the inside of the dryer needs to be cleaned on occasion to keep the dryer working properly. Whether you do these things yourself or have us do it, just get it done!

Check out our video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5iZ69-qBkk

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