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Dryer vent cleaning: the best way to maintain efficiency
Unlike the dishwasher or washing machine, your dryer needs to be maintained continuously in order to keep it in proper working condition. Dryer vent cleaning is an important part of the maintenance process.
What is the working of clothes dryer?
The process is quite simple and does not involve many technicalities. The dryer spins the clothes in circular movements in hot air. As a result of this movement damp air is produced inside the dryer, which is thrown out through an exhaust vent. As the hot clothes tumble in the air tiny fragments of cotton and other fibers from the different clothes come out. This is commonly known as lint. As the exhaust air containing the lint passes through the lint trap, most of the lint gets wedged in it. This lint is wet and sticky and grips the sides of the tube. The remaining part of the air moves out through the exhaust vent. The lint trap can mostly be accessed either through the inner side of the dryer door or on the upper part of the dryer.
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How do you know that dryer vent cleaning is required?
When the vents and ducts of your dryer have clogged, the working of the dryer gets affected. You will observe the following changes in its working.
- If you have been drying loads of clothes in the dryer daily, the time required to complete the task increases noticeably.
- The clothes coming out of the dryer will be extremely hot.
- Heavy clothes like bed sheets and towels are damp even after passing through the whole drying process.
- The temperature of the dryer is quite high.
- The lint screen displays no lint at all. This is due to the complete clogging of the exhaust system.
Is there any harm in using a clogged dryer?
Firstly, a dryer clogged with lint dries the clothes with lesser efficiency and you will get damp clothes even after the whole process is completed. Secondly, using such a dryer of medium size will cause an extra burden of about $20 in the electricity bill. So, vent cleaning is of utmost importance.
Is dryer vent cleaning a difficult task?
Cleaning the vent of the dryer is not a very complicated task and does not only always need to be done by a professional. You can yourself clean the vent by following a few simple and easy steps. Begin the process by ceasing the supply of electricity or gas to the dryer. Unplug the electric wire supply electricity to the dryer or shut off the gas supply to the dryer. Then, pull the dryer and loosen the vent clamp that is located at back of the dryer. Loosening the clamp helps you to slide the vent easily away from the dryer. Then reach the hole located at the back of dryer and pull the lint and buildup that is deposited and occluding the system. Dryer vent cleaning can also be done with the help of a vacuum cleaner as the pressure created in the vacuum cleaner help you to reach deeper and cleans better. For perfect cleaning and removal of lint check both ends of the dryer as lint usually gets accumulated on these areas.
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