Monday, February 8, 2010

Dryer Vent Cleaning and Preventing Home Appliance Hazards

Dryer vent cleaning prevents dryer related fires. Dryer vent cleaning is necessary to ensure your dryer is operating safely and efficiently.

Home appliances are a great convenience to reduce our workload while increasing our efficiency. Also know that home appliances can pose a threat to your home, your health and your life when necessary maintenance is neglected. All home appliances require maintenance for safety and efficiency.

Here are some examples of preventable home appliance hazards:

Your clothes dryer, whether gas or electric, can be expected to last an average of 10 years if it is properly maintained. Over 15,000 dryer related fires are reported each year with failure to clean dryer vents being the number one cause. Cleaning the lint screen after each load is very important; however, the lint screen only traps about 60% of the lint removed from your laundry. Professional dryer vent cleaning is recommended at least once a year to remove lint build-up from inside the dryer cabinet and in the dryer vent tube leading to the vent outside. Lint build-up restricts air flow, causes overheating and eventually leads to appliance malfunction or a devastating fire.

Your washer should also last an average of 10 years. Rubber hoses should be replaced with flexible stainless steel braided hoses to prevent water loss and home damage should they burst. Serious water damage can be done if this should happen when no one is home to turn off the valve.

Your microwave will last about 8 years. Avoid placing metal or foil in the microwave as it can cause a fire and do major damage to the appliance.

Your gas stove can be expected to last about 15 years. Newer models have electronic burner lighters rather than a constant standing pilot. These require cleaning from time to time in order to work properly. If you turn on the burner and it doesn’t light right away, turn it off and wait about 30 seconds for the gas to dissipate. Just a few seconds of unlit gas can explode when lit. Be sure to clean up spills inside the oven and around burners and be careful of the open flame with the stove. Keep loose sleeves, dish towels and potholders well away from the flame.

Electric stoves last about 13 years. If a burner or element quits working have the appliance serviced immediately. As with the gas stove, be careful to wipe up spills and keep flammable material away from the burners. Even though there is no open flame, dish towels and potholders will ignite if they are too close to burners.

Toasters and toaster ovens usually last an average of 5 years. It is very important to clean them out often because dry bread crumbs can be flammable.

All home appliances have hidden hazards that you should be aware of. Most of these hazards are preventable with proper maintenance. In addition to preventing fires, appliance maintenance also helps to extend the life of your appliance and reduce the chance of break-down. Home appliance procedures are typically cheaper than appliance repair services. In many cases the appliance break-down is due to failure to maintain.

Don Brusseau owns Dryer Vent Wizard, a dryer vent cleaning, dryer vent repair and dryer vent installation specialist who also provides tips and information to consumers to prevent dryer fires and increase dryer efficiency.

Get the Lint out! Dryer Vent Wizard provides dryer vent lint cleaning for homes and businesses in Hartford, Newington, New Britain, Bridgeport, New Haven, Stamford, Danbury, Middletown, Portland, New Haven, Waterbury, Milford, and all cities and communities in Connecticut

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Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Dryer Vent Repair and Installation Tips

Proper dryer vent installation and the right choice of material are essential in providing your clothes dryer with proper air flow. Here are some dryer vent repair and installation tips:

Make sure your dryer duct is made of solid metal 4-inch tubing. The vinyl or flexible foil types are not sufficient for air flow, they tend to trap more lint and they are combustible.

Use metal clamps to attach the duct to the dryer and foil tape to seal joints between sections. Do not use duct tape; this is flammable! Do not use sheet metal screws; they protrude to the inside and catch lint.

Short and straight is the best route for your dryer vent system. Try to avoid sharp turns.

Install an exterior dryer exhaust hood to the outside with louvers that open when the dryer is running and close when it is off. Check the vent often when the dryer is running to be sure it is functioning properly. You should see the exhaust coming out. You also need to check to be sure birds or mice haven’t built a nest or that the vent isn’t frozen shut in the winter.

Always vent your clothes dryer to the outside, not in the attic or crawl space. Inside dryer vent systems no longer comply with current safety standards.

Dryer Safety Tips

Never leave the house or go to sleep when the dryer is running

Avoid storing flammable material or chemicals near the clothes dryer

Do not place rags that have been soaked with flammable substances into the dryer even if they have been washed; some residue can remain.

Have a professional inspect and clean your dryer vent system annually

Proper air flow is the most important requirement for your dryer to work safely and efficiently. Failure to clean dryer vents is the number one cause of dryer fires, not to mention increased energy bills and appliance failure due to excessive stress on the machine.

Don Brusseau owns and operates Dryer Vent Wizard, a national dryer vent cleaning, repair and installation company who strives to promote consumer awareness on dryer fire safety and energy savings. Making clothes dryers safer and greener is DVW’s specialty.

Dryer Vent Wizard of Connecticut provides dryer vent cleaning, dryer vent repair, dryer vent installation, dryer vent inspections and all dryer vent services for homes and businesses in Hartford, Newington, New Britain, Bridgeport, New Haven, Stamford, Danbury, Middletown, Portland, New Haven, Waterbury, Milford, and all cities and communities in Connecticut, 06105, 06106, 06110, 06112, 06114, 06119, 06120, 06052, 06604, 06606, 06608, 06611, 06614, 06650, 06902, 06905, 06906, 06910, 06811, 06480, 06511, 06513, 06514, 06517, 06519, 06704, 06706, 06710, 06716, 06461

Friday, August 28, 2009

Why you Should Call a Dryer Vent Cleaning Company when your Dryer doesn't Work

Dryer vent cleaning is more than just routine maintenance. Dryer vent cleaning is often the repair service needed if your clothes dryer isn’t working properly.

Do you notice your dryer taking longer to dry a load of clothes?
Is there an accumulation of lint behind the dryer?
Have you ever had dryer vent cleaning service done before?
Are clothes hotter than usual at the end of a dry cycle?
Is the dryer cabinet hot when the dryer is running?
Is the laundry room unusually hot and humid while you’re using your dryer?

If you can answer yes to any of these questions, or if you have other problems with your dryer, a dryer vent repair and cleaning technician can probably fix it. Most dryer problems are due to restricted air flow as lint builds up within the dryer cabinet, the dryer ducts and the dryer vent.

Dryer lint is highly flammable and all it takes is a spark from the dryer to cause it to ignite and quickly spread a fire throughout your home. Since the fire will start inside the dryer or in the wall, it will be too late for you to contain the flames by the time you smell smoke or see fire.

Over 15,000 dryer fires occur each year; most cause very extensive damage, leaving people homeless or worse…injured or dead.

Besides eliminating a fire hazard, dryer vent cleaning reduces drying time, saving you money on your utility bills. Lint clogged dryer ducts reduce airflow and cause your dryer to overwork; dryer vent cleaning increases the life of your clothes dryer and reduces the need for appliance repair service.

Professional dryer vent cleaning is recommended annually. In addition to lint build up, improperly installed dryer vent systems can also be a fire hazard. A dryer vent cleaning and repair specialist can perform a complete inspection to be sure your dryer vent system meets current safety codes.

Don Brusseau, owner of Dryer Vent Wizard, is a certified dryer vent exhaust technician specializing in dryer vent cleaning and dryer vent repair services. Customers benefit from peace of mind that their dryer vent system is safe from fire hazard and their dryer operates efficiently. Dryer Vent Wizard of Connecticut provides dryer vent cleaning, dryer vent repair, dryer vent installation, dryer vent inspections and all dryer vent services for homes and businesses in Hartford, Newington, New Britain, Bridgeport, New Haven, Stamford, Danbury, Middletown, Portland, New Haven, Waterbury, Milford, and all cities and communities in Connecticut

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Dryer Vent Cleaning Wizard says Don't Let Your Dryer Start a Fire!

Don’t Let Your Dryer Start a Fire! Keep Your Danbury Home Safe and Sound

Most people have their furnaces cleaned regularly; however, very few people think of the clothes dryer in relation to appliance maintenance. According to the National Fire Protection Association over 15,000 dryer fires are reported each year. Failure to clean the dryer vent and duct system is the cause of most of these fires. Believe it or not, your clothes dryer is more likely to cause a fire than your furnace or stove! Dryer Vent Wizard recommends annual dryer vent cleaning.

Dryer Vent Cleaning Prevents Carbon Monoxide Poisoning in Danbury, CT

Besides being a fire hazard, improper dryer venting also poses a carbon monoxide risk. The dryer vent system removes gas by-products from your home if you have a gas dryer. Dryer Vent Wizard recommends a complete inspection of your dryer vent system to be sure it is functioning safely.

Dryer Vent Cleaning Reduces Energy Bills for Danbury Residents

When a dryer vent and the dryer ducts are clogged with lint, air flow is restricted, causing your dryer to work harder and use more energy. This creates higher utility bills and a greater chance of the appliance breaking down. Appliance repairs and/or replacement can be expensive. You can prolong the life of your clothes dryer with proper dryer vent cleaning and maintenance. Dryer Vent Wizard provides dryer vent cleaning, maintenance, repairs, installation and dryer vent inspections for homes and businesses in your area.

Dryer Vent Cleaning Prevents Fires in Danbury, Connecticut

A clothes dryer fire is caused by lint build-up which restricts airflow and leads to overheating. Dryers produce a lot of lint and simply cleaning the lint screen is not enough. Though the lint filter catches most of the lint, some will escape and end up in the dryer vent system. The dryer ducts remove lint and moisture from your clothes; the moist lint doesn’t always make it to the vent outside of your home. It can stick to the sides of the ducts where it builds up and eventually dries to a hard paste. This hard paste attracts more sticky lint, eventually creating a blockage which can cause a fire.

Dryer Vent Inspections and UL Safety Standards in Danbury, CT

Underwriters Laboratories is an independent product safety certification organization that has been testing products for safety for over a century. Dryer Vent Wizard will inspect your dryer vent system to be sure it meets UL Safety standards in your community.

Dryer Vent Wizard of Danbury Recommends Shorter Dryer Ducts

It used be that most clothes dryers were in the basement, on an outside wall, with a relatively short, straight vent to the outdoors. These days many newer homes tend to have their laundry area located away from an outside wall; some are on the second floor. This means dryer vents are much longer and contain some elbows and bends where lint can accumulate. They’re also harder to reach therefore more difficult to keep cleaned. The ideal dryer vent system is short and straight. Dryer Vent Wizard has special tools for reaching the hard to get to places.

Dryer Vent Wizard of Danbury Uses Rigid Venting Material, not Vinyl

Dryer ducts should be made of rigid or semi-rigid metal, not the flexible foil or vinyl type that was used in the old days. The flexible vinyl type of tubing crushes easily and restricts air-flow. Dryer Vent Wizard professionally installs semi-rigid metal dryer vent systems in homes and commercial buildings.

Dryer Vent Wizard of Danbury Inspects to Ensure Proper Installation

Dryer Vent Wizard does not advise use of sheet metal screws when attaching multiple sections of vent pipe together. They use foil tape instead to eliminate protuberances that cause obstructions where lint can accumulate, eventually leading to a restriction which hampers dryer vent cleaning and allows lint to build up.

Wash the Lint Screen to Remove Residue Build-up

Few people are aware that the dryer vent screen should be washed thoroughly with warm soapy water every few months to remove residue build up caused by dryer sheets. It is actually possible for the lint screen to have so much build-up on it that it will hold water! This definitely restricts air flow and causes the dryer to take more than one cycle to properly dry a load of clothes.

Bugs, Mice, Birds and Critters in Danbury, Connecticut

If you have mice in your house, you have probably called exterminators or tried your own critter traps to get rid of the pests. But this is just a temporary solution until more critters come in. The only effective way to get rid of them for good is to stop them from getting into your home in the first place. The one major path of entry that mice have into your home is the dryer vent.

Birds have been known to build nests in dryer vents which prevent lint from escaping. Bees, wasps and hornets nests have also been found in dryer vents. Dryer Vent Wizard recommends annual dryer vent cleaning and regular inspections to be sure the dryer vent system is free of clogs.

Dryer Vent Cleaning and Tips from Dryer Vent Wizard of Danbury, CT

• Make sure your dryer vent system is up to city, state and manufacturer’s codes
• Replace plastic or foil vent with semi-rigid or solid meta material
• Keep the lint screen clean; check before and after each load
• Wash lint screens with soap and water every few months to remove residue from fabric softener sheets
• Have professional dryer vent cleaning done annually
• Don't keep combustibles like chemical cleaning products or chemical laden rags near your clothes dryer
• Don't leave the house or go to sleep with your dryer running
• In cold weather, check outside vent cover to make sure it's not blocked or frozen shut

Dryer Vent Wizard of Danbury Shares Warning Signs to Watch for

• The dryer takes more than one cycle to get a load dry
• No lint visible on lint screen
• Dryer repeatedly stops during a cycle
• Clothes have moldy smell after dry cycle
• Clothes are very hot after a dry cycle

Dryer Vent Wizard of Connecticut is the dryer vent cleaning and repair expert to call for service. The service call is very little compared to the loss of your home or the lives of you and your family if you should experience a clothes dryer fire.

Please watch this video provided by Dryer Vent Wizard of Danbury, CT

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/26507771#26507771


Dryer Vent Wizard of Connecticut provides dryer vent cleaning, dryer vent repair, dryer vent installation, dryer vent inspections and all dryer vent services for homes and businesses in Hartford, Newington, New Britain, Bridgeport, New Haven, Stamford, Danbury, Middletown, Portland, New Haven, Waterbury, Milford, and all cities and communities in Connecticut

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