Dryer vent repair and cleaning have been necessary steps in preventing fires in your respective homes. It also helps in saving electricity and prolongs the life of your dryer.
According to a report from the National Fire Protection Association, there are over 15,000 dryer vent related fires in the U.S each year.
Failure to repair or clean dryer vents are considered to be the leading cause of household fires. So it is important to keep your dryer vents clean to secure the safety of your entire household.
Though hiring a professional dryer vent cleaner is worth your time and money, the question is when is the right time to DIY?
When To DIY Dryer Vent Repair And Cleaning?
There are some dryer vent tool kits for DIY cleaning and repair. However, at times making use of these kits is not necessary because some dryer vents are shorter and easier to reach.
DIY can be done depending on the type of dryer you have at home, every dryer vent is installed differently.
Before considering to clean or to repair or clean your vents by yourself make sure to check how short is your dryer pipe and its distance towards the outside vent.
A short distance vent pipe can be cleaned through the use of a brush kit or simply use your hands to remove the dirt out.
The pipe should be less than 4 feet to be able to DIY clean or repair your own dryer vents.
When To Hire A Dryer Vent Repair Expert?
As previously mentioned, dryer vents are installed differently. Some dryer vents are 20-40 feet long having a passage through their attic or basements before it reaches the opening of the dryer vent.
Making use of cleaning kits is still possible, however, there’s a huge possibility that the cleaning materials such as flexible rods and brush get stuck inside the vent since it needs to pass through some bends or elbows.
If your dryer vents pipes are more than 40 feet long and have a lot of elbows, it is best to call a professional dryer vent repair expert.
They have the best tools to perfectly clean and repair your dryer vents. Some other signs you need to watch out are the following:
- Clothes do not dry completely
- Have a musty smell on clothes
- Clothes are unusually hot to touch
- Large amount of accumulated lint trapped in the vent
- It takes 30-40 minutes for the clothes to dry
- Dryer’s hood does not open properly
- Debris showing up around the opening of the vent
- The room easily heats up when the dryer is running
- Debris and lint build up around the lint filter of the dryer
