Santa's Friend Chimney Service Blog

Make Sure Your Clothes Get As Dry As They Should!

Way back when, living was a lot tougher than it is now. If you needed to wash clothes, you hauled water and heated it. If you wanted a good meal, you went out to the garden to pick the produce. Afterwards, you cooked it over a fire on a cook stove. Also, you hung your clothes out to dry, whether it was summer and sunny or winter and cold. Now things are easy. We have microwaves and electric ranges, refrigerators and grocery stores.

To get your clothes clean, there are machines to do the work for you.  You simply throw those wet clothes into the dryer for a quick cycle. In not time, you’re pulling those warm, fluffy clothes out, ready to be folded. However, have you noticed that your clothes need to run through two or three cycles before they’re dry? If so, then there might be something wrong with your dryer. Chances are, it probably isn’t something major that’s wrong; chances are, your dryer vents are full of lint. This isn’t only a nuisance, it could be a hazardous situation waiting to explode!

Dangers of Lint Build-up

When you dry your clothes in the dryer, tiny particles from your clothes shake off and collect in different parts of your dryer. Even if you clean your lint screen on a regular basis, some of those particles still escape into the dryer vent. Over time, those particles build up and can cause an obstruction. If the air is really dry, static could cause a spark. If that spark catches in the lint build-up, it could be an instantaneous fire.

According to the National Fire Prevention Association, “(I)n 2010, an estimated 16,800 reported U.S. non-confined or confined home structure fires involving clothes dryers or washing machines (including combination washer/dryers) resulted in 51 civilian deaths, 380 civilian injuries, and $236 million in direct property damage.” This is a hazard that is too often overlooked, and yet easily remedied.

Professional Help

Although cleaning your dryer vents may seem like an easy task, you need to ask yourself: is it worth the risk of losing your home and endangering your family to save a few dollars? According to Angie’s List, it is wise to hire a professional to clean your dryer vents at least once a year. If you use your washer and dryer often, then you may want to have it done two or three times a year. Homeowners that use do-it-yourself kits to clean their own vents can be lulled into a sense that their vents are safely clean. Consequently, not realizing that it’s a bigger job than what it seems. That’s why it’s important to call on professionals who know exactly what it takes to get the job done right. And those professionals work for Santa’s Friend Chimney Service!

Get the Job Done Right

The employees at Santa’s Friend Chimney Service know all the places to look where lint likes to build up. They are educated in the proper cleaning techniques, and they have the tools to ensure that your dryer’s venting system is clean and safe. Give them a call today and get your dryer on an annual cleaning schedule!

Have You Had Your Dryer Vents Cleaned?

Preventing fire hazards is a top priority at Santa’s Friend Chimney Service, which is why we are proud to offer professional dryer vent services along with our chimney maintenance and repair services. Many people are surprised to learn that their dryer vents should be inspected and cleaned once a year, so if you have never had your dryer vents professionally cleaned before, you are not alone. However, neglecting to have your dryer vents cleaned puts you at a much higher risk of experiencing a residential fire. According to the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA), statistics from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission show that 5,100 reported house fires were caused by clothes dryers in 2012, and the majority of these fires were from dirty and clogged dryer vents. We would like to tell you more about the importance of this maintenance service.

Why do I need my dryer vents professionally cleaned?

This service greatly reduces the risk of your clothes dryer catching on fire. Your dryer produces lint, which is so flammable that it is recommended by the Boy Scouts of America as a way to start campfires. Lint can accumulate in your dryer vents, and these accumulations clog up the vents and trap hot, moist air in your dryer. Since this causes your dryer to overheat, it is only a matter of time before that lint could ignite a dangerous fire. Santa’s Friend Chimney Service will remove all of the lint from your dryer vents to prevent this hazardous situation. You will see other benefits from this service as well. It will prolong the life of your dryer. When your dryer gets overheated, it can cause the heating element to wear out more quickly than it should. You will also save energy and money because you will not have to run your dryer as long when the dryer vents have been professionally cleaned.

When should I have my dryer vents cleaned?

The CSIA and other national fire safety groups recommend having this service done once a year, but there are some signs that signal that the dryer vents are clogged. If you notice that your clothes are not completely dried after a drying cycle, you should contact Santa’s Friend Chimney Service to schedule an appointment for our dryer vent cleaning services. Other signs include your dryer shutting off mid-cycle and your dryer becoming hot to the touch when it is in use.

What should I expect from your dryer vent cleaning services?

We begin this process by moving your dryer to remove the vent so that we can attach a blower to the vent. We will find the end of your vent so that we can use the correctly sized rods to loosen the accumulations of lint and other debris. As the rods are spinning to break apart the debris, we run the blower to get all of that lint out of the vent. After we have cleaned the entire length of your vent, we will clean up before reattaching the vent to your dryer. We then move your dryer back exactly where it was before we started.

If you have never had your dryer vents cleaned, contact us at Santa’s Friend Chimney Service to schedule an appointment for our services and reduce your risk of a devastating house fire.

When Was the Last Time You Had Your Dryer Vents Professionally Cleaned?

So many of our customers are surprised to learn that their clothes dryer venting system should be professionally cleaned once a year. Although it can be easy to neglect and ignore this maintenance task, neglecting to thoroughly clean your dryer vent annually can lead to a dangerous house fire. According to the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA), 15,000 residential fires, 15 deaths, and 400 injuries caused by dirty clothes dryer vents were reported to the US Fire Administration each year between 2002 and 2004. To keep your dryer from becoming a fire hazard, an annual professional cleaning of the venting system is crucial for the safety of your house and family. The dryer vent technicians at Santa’s Friend Chimney Service are experienced in performing this task and can guarantee that you will receive the best possible service. To help you understand why your dryer vents should be professionally cleaned every year, we would like to share with you some of the reasons behind the importance of this annual maintenance task.

A Dirty Clothes Dryer Vent Decreases the Efficiency of Your Dryer.

If your dryer vent is clogged with lint and debris, your clothes dryer will not work as efficiently as it should. Have you ever noticed clothes still being wet or damp after going through a full drying cycle? When this occurs, it is one of the main signs of a dirty vent and should be a clear signal that your venting system needs professional cleaning. If you have to use your dryer at its highest temperature to dry a load of clothes, it decreases the life of the appliance and can also lead to your heating element burning out or even a fire igniting.

Dirty Dryer Vents May Also Lead to the Possibility of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning.

When your clothes dryer is powered by gas, safety reasons make it necessary to ensure that it is properly vented and that its exhaust vent has no blockages from lint and debris. This is crucial because if there are problems with the ventilation of your dryer’s exhaust, poisonous gases like carbon monoxide may be forced back into the home. If you do not have a carbon monoxide detector installed in your home, you may never realize you are breathing in carbon monoxide until it is too late because this toxic gas is odorless and tasteless. Even if you have an electric dryer, you still have the possibility of carbon monoxide leaks due to a dirty vent.

Just Because You Clean Your Dryer Vent Filter from Lint After Each Load Does Not Mean You Do Not Need an Annual Professional Vent Cleaning.

Yes, the routine removal of lint from the lint filter does reduce the risk of fire by 90%, but you still need to schedule a professional cleaning of the dryer vent every year. Large clogs of lint can be found in the venting ducts as well as in the inner side of the wall. To guarantee proper cleaning of your dryer’s venting system, you need to call an experienced dryer exhaust technician from Santa’s Friend Chimney Service to do this job for you.

Want to schedule your annual dryer vent cleaning? Contact Santa’s Friend Chimney Service to make your appointment today to be sure your clothes dryer is not a fire hazard.

Dryer Vent Safety

One of the leading causes of  house fires is due to neglecting the care are maintenance of dryer vents. Be sure to have regular cleaning and inspection done.

Clean your dryer vents before serious problems occur.

Don’t Forget the Vents!

With things like carpools, soccer practices, and other family-related activities with which to contend, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that some things, often through no fault of our own, take a back seat to everything else that’s going on.  One thing that is commonly overlooked by homeowners is the proper maintenance and cleaning of dryer vents.  People may think that cleaning these vents isn’t all that important.  This couldn’t be further from the truth!

Dryer Lint Buildup is Dangerous!

If your dryer seems to not be working at its peak efficiency, you likely need your vents cleaned. Don’t wait, as this can impact both performance and safety.

There are thousands of fires caused by dryer lint buildup that happen every year.  One of the ways to decrease the chances of fire is to clean your dryer vent after every laundry load you use it for.  In fact, studies prove that effective cleaning maintenance of dryer vents can reduce the chances of fire by 90%.  Not only does vent cleaning help prevent house fires, it also will make sure our clothes are dry and smelling nice after each use.

Dryer Lint Buildup Causes Increased Energy Consumption

Aside from the dangers of fire, buildup of dirt and lint in the dryer vent can also significantly increase your energy consumption.  This is due in large part to the fact that a clogged vent makes your dryer take more time to dry your clothes.  There are numerous warning signs that you can watch for that will indicate that you have a dirty dryer vent.  Possible signs that the vent may be clogged is if the dryer no longer dries the clothes in one cycle, the clothes carry a musty smell after a drying cycle, the dryer seems to run hotter than normal, a visible amount of lint is noticed around the lint filter, and debris is noticed within the outside dryer vent opening.

Dryer Lint Buildup Must be Removed Regularly

To avoid this potentially dangerous buildup in your vents, you need to follow a predetermined maintenance schedule.  As a general rule of thumb, the majority of dryer vents need to be cleaned at least once a year; some dryer ducts need more frequent attention.  Some determining factors include:

• The number of people who are using the same dryer
• The age and condition of the dryer
• The length of your dryer vent

The best way to ensure dryer safety is to clean the lint screen after every use and to have your vent and duct cleaned regularly.

Each time you use your dryer, lint builds up in the vent.  Cleaning the lint screen will help you keep the dryer running and working well, but a little lint will remain within the vent.  It’s very important to keep up with dryer vent cleaning, as the built up lint poses a very serious hazard to your house and everyone in it.   If you’re ready to see exactly what’s lurking in your dryer vent, call Santa’s Friend today, and we’ll schedule a convenient time to come out and take care of it for you!

Vent Cleaning Time!

There should be no obstructions in your dryer vents. It should be as clear as this!

Excessive lint build up occurs slowly and gradually. You don’t even realize it’s happening. Your dryer vent is one of those forgotten vents in your home that either runs to the roof or through an outer wall to the outside of your home. You think that by cleaning out the lint filter after each load of laundry you are doing your job and maintaining the dryer. To borrow Al Borland’s catch phrase – “I don’t think so, Tim.” What many homeowners don’t realize is the potential fire hazard they’re creating if they don’t have their dryer vent cleaned annually.

Cleaning Tips

The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a safety alert on clothes dryer fires, offering several important tips for preventing dryer fires, including dryer vent and dryer duct cleaning:

• Clean your lint trap before or after drying each load of clothes. If clothing is still damp at the end of a typical drying cycle or drying requires longer times than normal, this may be a sign that the lint trap or the exhaust duct is blocked.
• Clean the dryer vent and exhaust duct periodically. Check the outside dryer vent while the dryer is operating to make sure exhaust air is escaping. If it’s not, the vent or the exhaust duct may be blocked.
• Clean behind the dryer, where lint can build up. Have a qualified service person clean the interior of the dryer chassis periodically to minimize the amount of lint accumulation. Keep the area around the dryer clean and free of clutter.
• Replace plastic or foil, accordion-type ducting material with rigid or corrugated semi-rigid metal duct. Most manufacturers specify the use of a rigid or corrugated semi-rigid duct, which provides maximum airflow. The flexible plastic or foil type duct can more easily trap lint and is more susceptible to kinks or crushing, which can greatly reduce the airflow.

Clean for Efficacy

A professional dryer vent cleaning will help to reduce excess household dust and humidity as well as preserve clothing, as the life of many fabrics can be damaged by high temperatures. The cleaning will also allow your dryer to operate more efficiently by using less energy, thereby saving you money.

Clean for Safety

Clogged dryer vents are the cause of almost 16,000 house fires each year. A partially obstructed vent filled with lint can cause increased drying times and waste energy while a blocked vent may result in fire. Schedule your dryer vent cleaning with Santa’s Friend Chimney Service if any of the following apply to you: your clothes are still damp after a full drying cycle, there is excessive heat buildup in your laundry room/area, or you use your dryer often. We wish you a safe and happy holiday season.