Dryer vent installation and safety codes change from time to time. Even if your clothes dryer is working fine, you might be surprised to learn that your dryer vent system is no longer compliant with current safety codes. Do you know what kind of dryer vent and dryer duct system you have? If not, then what you don't know could hurt you; your dryer vent system could be a fire hazard.
Dryer duct work runs from the back of the clothes dryer to the dryer vent on the outside of your home. The dryer vent system removes hot air, moisture and lint from tumbling laundry. The laundry dries as hot air is blown throughout the drum and then vented outside.
Install a Dryer Vent System to Remove Heat and Lint
Imagine how hard your air conditioning would have to work if your dryer was not vented outside. Even a massive home air conditioning unit would not work efficiently with the heat from a dryer. A properly installed dryer vent system will efficiently send the heat and moisture outdoors.
Dryer vent installation is necessary for removing lint from your laundry; however, the lint rarely makes it out of the dryer vent system. The lint screen only traps about 60 percent; the rest of the lint gets trapped inside the back of the dryer and in the dryer exhaust ducts. A properly installed dryer vent system, using the proper materials, will reduce the amount of lint that builds up. Unfortunately, technology has not advanced to the point of a maintenance-free dryer vent system; even the very best, state-of-the-art, professionally installed dryer vent system requires maintenance. Professional dryer vent cleaning is recommended annually.
Install a Metal Dryer Vent System
Without a proper dryer vent system, the heat, moisture and lint would not be able to escape and your laundry would not dry. You may have noticed that your dryer is taking longer to dry a load laundry than it used to. This is the most common sign that there is a blockage in air-flow. When lint builds up in the dryer exhaust ducts, air flow slows down.
Lint is highly combustible; all it takes is a small spark from inside the dryer to ignite the lint and start a rapidly spreading fire. If your dryer ducts are made of vinyl or plastic, then they will only add to the fuel for a fire. Aluminum dryer ducts have a better chance of containing the spark until it burns itself out, especially if they are clean.
George Hostetler owns Dryer Vent Wizard of Central Virginia, providing dryer vent cleaning, dryer vent repair and dryer vent installation for consumers and businesses in the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area, Central Virginia, Richmond, Colonial Heights, Petersburg, Hopewell, Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson, Franklin, Williamsburg, in the counties of Henrico, Chesterfield, Hanover, Goochland, Powhatan, New Kent, Charles City, King William, West End, Westhampton, Tuckahoe, Glen Allen, Short Pump, Ashland, Brandermill, Midlothian, Bon Air, Stratford Hills, Fan District and Museum District and neighboring cities and communities.
23005, 23015, 23059, 23060, 23063, 23069, 23111, 23116, 23112, 23113, 23114, 23120, 23139, 23141, 23150, 23233, 23234, 23235, 23236, 23237, 23238, 23242, 23294, 23801, 23803, 23805, 23832, 23834, 23836, 23838, 23860, 23875, 23885
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Dryer Vent Installation tips from the Wizard of Colonial Heights, VA
Dryer Vent Installation: Fire Safety, Dryer Efficiency in Colonial Heights
Dryer vent installation needs to be done correctly to ensure a safe dryer vent system. An inferior dryer vent system can be a fire hazard; it will also cause your dryer to operate inefficiently, costing up to an additional $300 per year in energy costs.
Dryer Vent Installation – Proper Material for Colonial Heights Dryer Vents
What does your dryer duct look like? Look at the back of the clothes dryer. Is there an aluminum pipe leading from the back of the dryer to the vent outside? Or do you have the old plastic, vinyl or flexible foil vent?
All dryer manufacturers now add a statement in the dryer manuals warning against using the flexible foil or vinyl dryer ducts. The plastic or vinyl type will provide additional fuel for a dryer fire; as if lint isn’t enough!
The vinyl or flexible foil type vents also allow more lint to build up in the dryer ducts, restricting air flow and causing your dryer to take longer to dry a load of laundry. Reduced air flow causes the system to overheat and become a fire hazard.
Vinyl or plastic dryer ducts become brittle; as they deteriorate, they crack and cause dryer exhaust to leak into your home. Heat and moisture from the dryer drum will escape into your home and cause mold and mildew damage. If your clothes dryer is gas operated, keep in mind that the dryer vent system is also responsible for removing gas by products, like carbon monoxide, from your home.
Install Dryer Ducts made of Rigid Metal says the Wizard of Colonial Heights
You need to replace your dryer vent system if you have the older styles described above. Install a dryer duct of rigid metal and join the pieces with heat tape rather than sheet metal screws that protrude to the inside and catch lint, allowing it a good starting place to build up. Do not use duct tape; it is combustible.
Install Dryer Exhaust Ducts – Short and Straight are the Rules in Colonial Heights
Dryer exhaust ducts need to be installed so that the route is as short and straight as possible. The longer dryer duct system with sharp turns will cause your dryer to work harder to expel the hot air. Air will travel faster in a short, straight run and lint will take longer to build up to the point of becoming hazardous.
Dryer Vent Installation in New Homes in Colonial Heights, Virginia
A new home could mean very efficient appliances and modern building technology for an energy efficient home. It also means an updated layout with more conveniences.
Laundry areas used to be located in the basement with the clothes dryer near an outside wall. Many newer homes have been built so that the washer and dryer is located in the center of the home, on the upper floor, where the bedrooms are. Whoever thought of this idea was only thinking about the convenience to the homeowner and not the safety and efficiency of the clothes dryer.
Clothes dryers located in the center of the home require much longer dryer ducts to reach an outside wall. Some are even vented through the roof. They may contain bends and sharp turns where lint has to pass through an exhaust pipe under the floor and through the walls. This type of system has more places that lint can accumulate and cause a blockage. These systems are also much more difficult for the average homeowner to maintain.
Dryer Vent Cleaning is Required for any Dryer Exhaust System
All dryer vent systems must be cleaned annually to remove lint build-up, prevent fires and increase the efficiency of your clothes dryer. Even the very best dryer vent system, perfectly installed, using quality materials, short and straight, smooth inside, will need to be cleaned annually. The better dryer vent system you have, the longer it will take for lint to build up, and the more efficiently it will work. There is no such thing as a maintenance free dryer vent system!
George Hostetler owns Dryer Vent Wizard of Central Virginia, providing dryer vent cleaning, dryer vent repair and dryer vent installation for consumers and businesses in the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area, Central Virginia, Richmond, Colonial Heights, Petersburg, Hopewell, Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson, Franklin, Williamsburg, in the counties of Henrico, Chesterfield, Hanover, Goochland, Powhatan, New Kent, Charles City, King William, West End, Westhampton, Tuckahoe, Glen Allen, Short Pump, Ashland, Brandermill, Midlothian, Bon Air, Stratford Hills, Fan District and Museum District and neighboring cities and communities.
23005, 23015, 23059, 23060, 23063, 23069, 23111, 23116, 23112, 23113, 23114, 23120, 23139, 23141, 23150, 23233, 23234, 23235, 23236, 23237, 23238, 23242, 23294, 23801, 23803, 23805, 23832, 23834, 23836, 23838, 23860, 23875, 23885
Dryer vent installation needs to be done correctly to ensure a safe dryer vent system. An inferior dryer vent system can be a fire hazard; it will also cause your dryer to operate inefficiently, costing up to an additional $300 per year in energy costs.
Dryer Vent Installation – Proper Material for Colonial Heights Dryer Vents
What does your dryer duct look like? Look at the back of the clothes dryer. Is there an aluminum pipe leading from the back of the dryer to the vent outside? Or do you have the old plastic, vinyl or flexible foil vent?
All dryer manufacturers now add a statement in the dryer manuals warning against using the flexible foil or vinyl dryer ducts. The plastic or vinyl type will provide additional fuel for a dryer fire; as if lint isn’t enough!
The vinyl or flexible foil type vents also allow more lint to build up in the dryer ducts, restricting air flow and causing your dryer to take longer to dry a load of laundry. Reduced air flow causes the system to overheat and become a fire hazard.
Vinyl or plastic dryer ducts become brittle; as they deteriorate, they crack and cause dryer exhaust to leak into your home. Heat and moisture from the dryer drum will escape into your home and cause mold and mildew damage. If your clothes dryer is gas operated, keep in mind that the dryer vent system is also responsible for removing gas by products, like carbon monoxide, from your home.
Install Dryer Ducts made of Rigid Metal says the Wizard of Colonial Heights
You need to replace your dryer vent system if you have the older styles described above. Install a dryer duct of rigid metal and join the pieces with heat tape rather than sheet metal screws that protrude to the inside and catch lint, allowing it a good starting place to build up. Do not use duct tape; it is combustible.
Install Dryer Exhaust Ducts – Short and Straight are the Rules in Colonial Heights
Dryer exhaust ducts need to be installed so that the route is as short and straight as possible. The longer dryer duct system with sharp turns will cause your dryer to work harder to expel the hot air. Air will travel faster in a short, straight run and lint will take longer to build up to the point of becoming hazardous.
Dryer Vent Installation in New Homes in Colonial Heights, Virginia
A new home could mean very efficient appliances and modern building technology for an energy efficient home. It also means an updated layout with more conveniences.
Laundry areas used to be located in the basement with the clothes dryer near an outside wall. Many newer homes have been built so that the washer and dryer is located in the center of the home, on the upper floor, where the bedrooms are. Whoever thought of this idea was only thinking about the convenience to the homeowner and not the safety and efficiency of the clothes dryer.
Clothes dryers located in the center of the home require much longer dryer ducts to reach an outside wall. Some are even vented through the roof. They may contain bends and sharp turns where lint has to pass through an exhaust pipe under the floor and through the walls. This type of system has more places that lint can accumulate and cause a blockage. These systems are also much more difficult for the average homeowner to maintain.
Dryer Vent Cleaning is Required for any Dryer Exhaust System
All dryer vent systems must be cleaned annually to remove lint build-up, prevent fires and increase the efficiency of your clothes dryer. Even the very best dryer vent system, perfectly installed, using quality materials, short and straight, smooth inside, will need to be cleaned annually. The better dryer vent system you have, the longer it will take for lint to build up, and the more efficiently it will work. There is no such thing as a maintenance free dryer vent system!
George Hostetler owns Dryer Vent Wizard of Central Virginia, providing dryer vent cleaning, dryer vent repair and dryer vent installation for consumers and businesses in the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area, Central Virginia, Richmond, Colonial Heights, Petersburg, Hopewell, Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson, Franklin, Williamsburg, in the counties of Henrico, Chesterfield, Hanover, Goochland, Powhatan, New Kent, Charles City, King William, West End, Westhampton, Tuckahoe, Glen Allen, Short Pump, Ashland, Brandermill, Midlothian, Bon Air, Stratford Hills, Fan District and Museum District and neighboring cities and communities.
23005, 23015, 23059, 23060, 23063, 23069, 23111, 23116, 23112, 23113, 23114, 23120, 23139, 23141, 23150, 23233, 23234, 23235, 23236, 23237, 23238, 23242, 23294, 23801, 23803, 23805, 23832, 23834, 23836, 23838, 23860, 23875, 23885
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