Wizards of Dryer Vent Cleaning
Lint buildup is the leading cause of residential fires initiated in the clothes dryer. This is simply a failure to properly clean the dryer traps and vent piping. Not doing this regularly can result in a blockage, preventing hot air from escaping the home. Clothes dryers work by moving hot air in a turning drum between the tumbling clothes, and then venting the hot, moist, lint-filled air through a vent, to the exterior of the home. The longer the piping is, the higher the risk is of lint becoming trapped, increasing the risk of fire. Some piping moves upward, exhausting above the roof. Gravity alone makes these vents more susceptible to lint build up over time. Most of the lint, small particles of clothing or other debris, gets caught in the lint trap which is why it is very important to clean the tray each time you use the dryer. Excess lint that flows through the dryer vent, out of the dryer, and into the vent piping accumulates over time. This creates the conditions where a fire could start inside the home by blocking the hot air and preventing its exit through the exterior vent. Lint is a highly combustible substance that can cause other materials such as clothes or nearby plastics to ignite, creating the potential for a whole house fire.
Even though in many cases the fire is limited to the dryer drum or the room the dryer is located in, the smoke alone can do extensive damage to your home. Lint can also trap moisture from exiting the dryer, which creates a foul smelling odor sometimes mistaken for a pest decomposing. Although we have seen a bird’s nest or two in an exterior vent, on the side of the home, this is very rarely the cause of bad odors. Of course it does cause blockages and increases the potential for a fire. Dryer vent fires can start inside the dryer drum itself or in the piping inside the home’s walls, but the cause is typically the same, being a blockage of the hot air designed to exit the home.
What is included in my dryer vent cleaning?
Deja View wants you to feel safe, and have peace of mind. Our dryer vent cleaning service will eliminate one more reason to worry. Our well trained technicians will carefully enter your home using booties and drop cloths in the working area. Again when moving your dryer from the wall, great care and caution will be used to not damage any flooring or scratch the machines. After locating the dryer vent piping backdraft damper, we will see if it is clogged or not by visually inspecting, as well as checking the airflow. The initial airflow is used as a gauge to determine if the flow is low or seemingly normal. Sometimes we find birds or other pests have created a nest near the backdraft damper, but this is rare. It is more common to find lint build up at the exit point causing air flow problems.
Your dryer will then be disconnected from the wall, and unplugged so that any warning lights can be reset. We will carefully remove any piping that connects the dryer to the wall, and clean it thoroughly with brushes and a vacuum. We will then use our brushes to help dislodge and vacuum the dryer’s lint trap, air intake vents, and exhaust pipe. Your dryer will not be taken apart, but cleaned from the outside only. The airflow from the dryer will also be tested without piping attached in order to gauge how well the appliance itself is working.
Next, using industry specific flexible rods, with a rotary brush on the end, the piping in the wall will be cleaned. We attach the brush rods to a drill, and use the drill rotations to loosen any lint caught inside the vent. Simultaneously the vacuum helps suck out the loose debris, collecting it without a mess. This is the longest part of the process usually, as we want to go back and forth through the venting to ensure we get all the debris. Sometimes this process needs to be done from both inside and outside the home.
Lastly, we clean the floor and surrounding area under the dryer, reattach the dryer to the ductwork in the wall, and carefully put everything back in place. The dryer then gets turned on for final testing. We will go outside to measure the airflow again and ensure the backdraft damper is functioning properly.
Our People are the Deja View Difference
Safety is Deja View’s number one priority. Because of this, we take many steps to help guarantee we perform all services with safety at the top of our mind. All technicians are back-ground checked and skills tested before they are allowed on a job site. Technicians have to pass our initial 10 day intensive training just to be able to then take the additional training to be allowed on a ladder. New technicians learn by helping (from the ground) and watching experienced technicians. There is never a situation where we are asking someone to do something they are unprepared to do safely. We discuss best practices and OSHA requirements during our training and use videos, quizzes, live-demonstrations, and continual training throughout the year to comply with the State of Colorado Division of Labor’s Cost Containment Program, which is designed to reward companies with a proven track record of safety with lower Worker’s Compensation
Insurance premiums. We try to schedule cleaning jobs with two or more technicians in case they need to help each other carrying or holding the ladders. Using our Customer Relationship Management program we are able to keep detailed, extensive notes on each job location. If there is added complexity, or a higher risk of hazard, we are aware of it, and send our most experienced technicians.
These procedures help give all Deja View customers the peace of mind knowing that we make every reasonable attempt to maintain our safety record and prevent injuries. We are fully insured with General Liability Insurance and Worker’s Compensation Insurance in case the worst case scenario does happen, despite our best efforts. Under no circumstances will any of our customers be liable for any damage or injury that may occur for any reason.
