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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