How to Clean a Dryer Duct
It may not be at the top of your to-do list, but cleaning your dryer vent may be one of the more important steps you can take to prevent a fire. Thousands of people are affected by dryer fires in the United States each year. For the most part, this is because the dryer has been moved from the confines of the basement, where easy venting is possible, to main floor or upstairs bathrooms and closets. These locations were not intended for dryers and, as such, require unique solutions for venting the dryer to the outdoors.
Venting strategies
The ideal venting strategy is to have a short-vent ducting system that runs in a perfectly straight line. There should be no quick turns or sharp corners around rafters and joists. Unfortunately, this is generally not the case in most homes. Washers and dryers are tucked anywhere they will fit. If no opportunity is available for relocating the dryer, you should think about a vent booster. This will help force out any lint that makes it past the lint trap.
Installation
If the ducting system needs to have turns and bends in it, think about how the duct might be made safer. When specifying the vent ducting for a dryer, use a material that is as flat as possible. A ribbed duct system is more prone to trapping lint as it passes by, which can create a fire hazard. Next, never use screws in the installation of the ducting system. Screws also trap lint within the ducting system and create a hazard.
The lint trap
You may think that the lint trap will catch all the lint that comes its way. This is not true. Just look below the lint trap after you remove it to see how much excess lint has built up in this location. If you think about how much lint you remove from the lint trap each time you dry a load of clothes, imagine how much may have escaped. In time, all this excess lint ends up caught in the venting system, causing a very real possibility of fire.
How can I tell when it’s time to clean the system?
There are two main ways to check if the venting system is being over-tasked. Both are easy questions to ask. Are the clothes unusually warm or hot when they come out of the dryer? Does it take longer for the clothes to dry than usual? If the answer is ‘yes’ to either of these questions, t is a sign that you need to clean and check the duct system.
Solutions
In most cases, you should simply go outside and find the vent cover for the dryer. From there you can easily remove any lint build-up by hand. If the spring system on the vent cover has failed and the cover will not open properly, you may want to call a technician to come and do a proper cleaning. This is good practice every 1-3 years for proper care.