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We're Nashville's trusted source for professional grade, high quality dryer vent cleaning and maintenance services.
Dryer Vent Tech serves Nashville TN and all surrounding areas with professional grade, high quality dryer vent cleaning and dryer vent maintenance services. In this article we will explain, in great detail, why dryer vent cleaning is so important and share the process from start to finish.
If you are in need of this service and are located in Middle, TN, contact us for a quick and friendly quote today!
Up until a few years ago, dryer vent cleaning was largely unheard of. Awareness of the risk factors and important maintenance requirements of dryer vents started to rapidly increase shortly after the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) released a report covering a few statistics about the issue in March of 2017. According to the report, between the years of 2010-2014, each year U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated average of 15,970 home fires caused by dryer related issues.
This information is based on data from the U.S. Fire Administration’s
National Fire Incident Reporting System and the National Fire Protection Association’s yearly fire department experience survey.
Because of these unsettling statistics more media attention has been given to the subject of proper maintenance for dryer ducts. As a general consensus, experts recommend getting your dryer vent professionally cleaned once every 1-3 years to reduce the risk of a home fire and other undesirable complications.
This information is based on data from the U.S. Fire Administration’s
National Fire Incident Reporting System and the National Fire Protection Association’s yearly fire department experience survey.
Because of these unsettling statistics more media attention has been given to the subject of proper maintenance for dryer ducts. As a general consensus, experts recommend getting your dryer vent professionally cleaned once every 1-3 years to reduce the risk of a home fire and other undesirable complications.
This is the initial question that most people have when they discover their need for routine dryer vent cleaning. Should you figure out how to just do it yourself or should you pay a professional to take care of the job for you? Well, just like anything else, there’s pros and cons to both. Let’s look at a few of the pros and cons for DIY dryer vent cleaning first.
There are many ways to get the job done right. If you ask 5 pros how they clean dryer vents their processes may all differ slightly or entirely from one another. Since we’ve cleaned hundreds of dryer ducts and have developed our process over time to be both effective and efficient, we’ll share the basic processes we use each time we encounter the three most common types of dryer vents. You can use these steps as a reference point when deciding which pro to hire (ask as many questions about their process as possible) or you can follow this process to thoroughly clean your own dryer duct.
For ground level dryer vent cleaning we start on the inside of the laundry room behind the dryer. We first check to see if the flex hose is damaged or disconnected. Next, we unhook the dryer and thoroughly clean it with a rotary brush and vac.
We then clean down past the first elbow, in the exterior vent, with the rotary brush. Next, we connect the vac to the exterior vent using an adapter. We then switch the vac to blow and then check for back pressure using the hole in the adapter. Depending on how clogged the vent is we will usually feel a certain amount of air forcing it’s way back out (back pressure) through the hole in the adapter.
At this point, we’ll clean from the outside in, using the rotary brush to loosen the lint and debris inside of the dryer vent as the vac blows from the inside out. After we’ve sufficiently removed all lint and debris and checked for back pressure once more (it should be gone), we carefully hook up the dryer making sure the connection points are secure. Of course, last but not least we’ll thoroughly clean up after ourselves and take pictures to show to the customer.
For ground level dryer vent cleaning we start on the inside of the laundry room behind the dryer. We first check to see if the flex hose is damaged or disconnected. Next, we unhook the dryer and thoroughly clean it with a rotary brush and vac.
We then clean down past the first elbow, in the exterior vent, with the rotary brush. Next, we connect the vac to the exterior vent using an adapter. We then switch the vac to blow and then check for back pressure using the hole in the adapter. Depending on how clogged the vent is we will usually feel a certain amount of air forcing it’s way back out (back pressure) through the hole in the adapter.
At this point, we’ll clean from the outside in, using the rotary brush to loosen the lint and debris inside of the dryer vent as the vac blows from the inside out. After we’ve sufficiently removed all lint and debris and checked for back pressure once more (it should be gone), we carefully hook up the dryer making sure the connection points are secure. Of course, last but not least we’ll thoroughly clean up after ourselves and take pictures to show to the customer.
Similar to the ground level cleaning process, for second story vents we’ll also start on the inside, check for damage to the flex hose, disconnect the dryer and clean the flex hose with the rotary brush.
Next, we’ll clean up (or down) past the first elbow, in the exterior vent, with the rotary brush. This should remove some of the lint that is in the line. Then we connect the vac to the exterior vent using the adapter and check for back pressure.
Next, we’ll clean up (or down) past the first elbow, in the exterior vent, with the rotary brush. This should remove some of the lint that is in the line. Then we connect the vac to the exterior vent using the adapter and check for back pressure.
Similar to the ground level cleaning process, for second story vents we’ll also start on the inside, check for damage to the flex hose, disconnect the dryer and clean the flex hose with the rotary brush.
Next, we’ll clean up (or down) past the first elbow, in the exterior vent, with the rotary brush. This should remove some of the lint that is in the line. Then we connect the vac to the exterior vent using the adapter and check for back pressure.
Next, we’ll clean up (or down) past the first elbow, in the exterior vent, with the rotary brush. This should remove some of the lint that is in the line. Then we connect the vac to the exterior vent using the adapter and check for back pressure.
For dryer vents that terminate on the roof, we’ll first follow the starting steps listed in the first two processes for ground level and second story vents (check flex hose, disconnect the dryer and thoroughly clean the flex hose).
Next, we’ll clean the entire length of the exterior duct starting at the back of the dryer and ending beneath the roof vent cover. You’ll know you’ve reached the end when you can’t go any further. As we clean from the bottom up, the lint and debris naturally falls out of the vent.
Next, we’ll attach the vent to the vac, using the adapter, and remove all excess lint from the vent before switching the vac to blow and checking for back pressure. Then, we set up the ladder, climb on the roof and thoroughly clean the roof vent cover. Any type of screen poses a fire hazard, is non code compliant and must be removed (see photo).
Next, we’ll attach the vent to the vac, using the adapter, and remove all excess lint from the vent before switching the vac to blow and checking for back pressure. Then, we set up the ladder, climb on the roof and thoroughly clean the roof vent cover. Any type of screen poses a fire hazard, is non code compliant and must be removed (see photo).
For dryer vents that terminate on the roof, we’ll first follow the starting steps listed in the first two processes for ground level and second story vents (check flex hose, disconnect the dryer and thoroughly clean the flex hose).
Next, we’ll clean the entire length of the exterior duct starting at the back of the dryer and ending beneath the roof vent cover. You’ll know you’ve reached the end when you can’t go any further. As we clean from the bottom up, the lint and debris naturally falls out of the vent.
Next, we’ll attach the vent to the vac, using the adapter, and remove all excess lint from the vent before switching the vac to blow and checking for back pressure. Then, we set up the ladder, climb on the roof and thoroughly clean the roof vent cover. Any type of screen poses a fire hazard, is non code compliant and must be removed (see photo).
Next, we’ll attach the vent to the vac, using the adapter, and remove all excess lint from the vent before switching the vac to blow and checking for back pressure. Then, we set up the ladder, climb on the roof and thoroughly clean the roof vent cover. Any type of screen poses a fire hazard, is non code compliant and must be removed (see photo).
There is much more to dryer vents than what meets the eye. On this page we've covered what we consider to be the most important aspect of dryer vent maintenance. If you've made it to the end of this detailed article, I'm sure you can see how necessary dryer vent cleaning is and maybe you've decided to go ahead and get this done. Whether you decide to hire us or do it yourself, we're here to help with any questions you may have. Feel free to give us a call or send us an email.