think about it, but it dries load after load of laundry, day after day.
Ideally, you should have your clothes dryer inspected professional once a year. They can make sure that the dryer vent is
properly installed. They can also make sure the vent is clean and free
from lint. They can also check the actual appliance to ensure that it’s
operating properly. The remainder of the year, you should
do-it-yourself. Here’s what you need to know about dryer vent
maintenance.
It used to be, that clothes washers and dryers were
installed in the basement of a home. The dryer vent only had a short
distance to be run outside through the basement wall. Nowadays, however,
laundry rooms are usually located on the main floor of a home. The
laundry rooms are often located in the middle of the house. This means that the dryer vent needs to be run a longer distance. Oftentimes,
there are bends and curves in the vent pipe. The longer distance, along
with the meanders, allows dryer lint to become trapped inside the
vent pipe.
To clean a dryer vent out
yourself, you can buy a brush that’s specially made for the job. The
brush is a long, flexible wire with a handle on one end, and a round
bristled head on the other end. To use the brush on a short dryer vent,
all you have to do is remove the flapper from the dryer vent on the
outside of your house. Then, unhook the vent line from your dryer. Push
the brush completely through the line a few times to remove built-up
lint. To finish the maintenance job, reconnect the vent to the dryer and
replace the flapper on the outside of your house.
If your dryer
vent is longer than three feet, you can still use the same brush.
You’ll just need to attach it to an electrical fish tape. An electrical
fish tape allows electricians to feed wires through conduit where they
otherwise couldn’t reach. It can work the same for you by feeding the
dryer vent brush through the pipe.
How often you perform
maintenance on your dryer vent should depend on how often you use your
clothes dryer. But, inspecting it, and cleaning it out with a brush, if
necessary, on a monthly basis, is a better idea. This way, lint won’t be
able to build-up in the vent pipe. And, you can check to make sure
there are no other obstructions in the pipe, such as birds building a
nest in the end, for example.
Besides keeping the dryer vent
pipe cleaned out, you should make sure that it’s up to code. For
example, if your vent pipe is made of foil or plastic, you’ll need to
replace it with a safer metal line instead.
Make sure the vent
line isn’t smashed or crinkled in any place as this will interfere with
the airflow. Be especially watchful that your clothes dryer is not
pushed back so far that it smashes or crinkles the vent.
