Is Your Dryer Vent a Fire Hazard?
If your clothes need two cycles to dry, your dryer vent is probably clogged. That's more than an annoyance. Lint is extremely flammable, and failure to clean is the single biggest cause of home dryer fires, according to the National Fire Protection Association.
The lint screen catches most of it, but not all. Every load pushes a little more lint into the vent hose and the duct that runs to the outside. Over a year or two, that duct narrows. The dryer runs hotter and longer to push air through it, and that heat sits right next to a growing pile of lint.
Warning signs your vent needs cleaning
- Clothes take more than one cycle to dry
- The outside of the dryer, or the clothes, are unusually hot at the end of a cycle
- A burning or musty smell when the dryer runs
- Lint collecting around the dryer door or behind the machine
- The laundry room gets humid while the dryer is on
- Outside, the vent flap barely opens when the dryer is running
Any one of these is worth a look. Two or more, and I'd stop using the dryer until the vent is cleaned.
Why condo and apartment vents clog faster
I spent years as a building engineer at The Austonian, and condo dryer vents are a different animal from house vents. In a house, the vent usually runs a few feet straight through an exterior wall. In a high-rise, it can run a long way through walls and ceilings, with several turns, before it reaches the outside. Every foot and every bend gives lint a place to settle.
Most condo owners also can't see where their vent ends, so they have no way to check it. And because the duct is inside the walls, cleaning just the hose behind the dryer misses most of the problem.
What a proper cleaning includes
When I clean a dryer vent, I:
- Pull the washer and dryer out from the wall
- Clean the flexible hose between the dryer and the wall
- Clean the full duct from the wall to where it exits the building
- Check that the hose isn't crushed or kinked behind the machine
- Run the dryer and confirm strong airflow at the outlet
How often?
The general guidance is once a year, and sooner if you notice any of the warning signs. Large households, pets, and lots of towels and bedding all mean more lint.
Free dryer vent inspection
Not sure whether yours needs it? I offer a free dryer vent inspection. I'll check the airflow and tell you honestly whether it needs cleaning now or can wait. Text or call to set one up. Prices for the downtown buildings I service are on the dryer vent cleaning page.
Before and after
Need a hand with this? I'm Austin, and I run Austin's Handyman Services. I'm insured and I work across greater Austin, including a lot of downtown condo buildings.
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