Santa's Friend Chimney Service

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Are Your Dryer Vents Really Clean?

Spring is the time of year that your thoughts turn to doing some deep down cleaning. Cleaning your closets and throwing out those clothes you don’t wear anymore, going through your drawers, even washing the windows. It feels so great to walk in and see the sparkling windows, smell the fresh spring air, and know that everything is right with the world. However, one thing that you don’t often think about cleaning is your dryer vents. Unlike your drawers or closets, if you neglect cleaning your dryer vents, you could be putting your home at risk!

How to Clean Your Vents

When you think of your dryer vents, you probably think of cleaning the lint tray after every load dried or every couple loads dried. This is a great thing to do. Plus, it does help prevent an excess buildup of lint. The thing is, even with regular cleaning of the lint tray, dust and other small particles get through and can lodge in the dryer duct work. Although most of these particles get out into the great outdoors, some get stuck in the duct work. Consequently, as that builds up, serious problems can occur.

Common Problems

When you have a build-up of lint in your dryer vent, the most catastrophic occurrence is fire. If that lint catches a spark from your dryer, it will instantly explode into a full-blown fire. It can quickly follow the trail of dryer lint in the hose and cause a major house fire if it isn’t caught immediately.

There are also health risks involved with having a full dryer vent. When moist dryer air blows through a dryer vent that is full of soft, fluffy lint, mold and mildew can begin to grow. If someone in your home has allergies, asthma, or other breathing conditions, this buildup can actually exacerbate the situation.

Another negative of having a full dryer vent? It makes your dryer run less efficiently. When there’s a build-up of lint and dust in your dryer vent, it causes less space for the air to get through. This causes your dryer to put extra effort in to get the clothes dry. How often have you run clothes through one cycle, only to discover that it is still damp?

If you run it through and don’t get to it right away because you think it’s going to be dry and then find out it’s still damp, you may find a load of clothes that smells musty and needs to be rewashed. Not only is this an annoyance, it also means you may be getting bigger electric bills. According to the National Filter Supply website, having a full dryer vent can also cause added strain to the motor of your dryer. This could mean having to replace your dryer sooner than normal.

Call in the Experts

It is recommended that you have your dryer vents cleaned at least once a year. When you call Santa’s Friend Chimney Service, you can be sure of getting your dryer vents cleared completely. You don’t have to worry about any of the risks listed above. Give them a call today to get your vents cleaned. Then rest assured knowing that your house is truly spring cleaned!

By Jim Robinson on May 3rd, 2017 | Tagged with: Tags: , , | Leave a Comment

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!

By Jim Robinson on March 7th, 2017 | Tagged with: Tags: , , | Leave a Comment

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?

clean dryer vent - Jackson MS - santa's friend chimney service

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.

By Jim Robinson on January 22nd, 2016 | Tagged with: Tags: , , | Leave a Comment

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.

Pro Dryer Vent Cleaning - Jackson MS

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.

By Jim Robinson on January 30th, 2015 | Tagged with: Tags: , , | Leave a Comment