Is your clothes dryer giving you trouble? No one likes laundry, but it’s made worse when your equipment doesn’t work properly. Common complaints about dryers are that they use too much electricity, they don’t dry the clothes in one cycle, and they warm up the house. All of these issues can be resolved with some dryer maintenance.

Dryer Vent Dangers

If your dryer isn’t performing as it should, there is most likely an issue with the dryer vent, and not the dryer itself. According to the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), clothes dryers cause about 2900 home fires per year. This number is responsible for 5 deaths, 100 injuries, and about $35 million in property loss each year. The leading cause of clothes dryer fires is a dirty dryer vent. When the vent isn’t cleaned regularly, the lint from the dryer coats the walls, builds up, and obstructs airflow. Lint is extremely flammable, and the high heat from the dryer can ignite it, resulting in a fire.

Signs of a Problem

Many homeowners just assume their dryer issues are a result of a tired and worn out machine, continuing to use it until it stops working completely. This is not only dangerous, but it’s a drain on your wallet. Here are common dryer problems, and their causes.

The Dryer Is Hot to the Touch
If the dryer is hot to the touch, clothes are excessively heated, or if the dryer heats the room it’s in, there is a problem with the vent. The extra heat from the dryer should vent out the hose and escape out the outlet outside. When the dryer vent is obstructed, the heat will be pushed back into the dryer, raising the temperature of the home (raising cooling costs), and causing a fire hazard.

The Dryer Takes More than One Cycle
The dryer is designed to dry a moderate load of clothes in one cycle. If it takes more than one cycle to dry a load, and the dryer is less than 3 years old, it is NOT worn out, there is a venting issue. Your dryer should last 10 years and running it 2 or 3 times for one load uses 2-3 times as much electricity and shortens the life of the appliance by 2-3 times. This means your new dryer will only last 3-5 years instead of the 10 it should.

The Dryer Causes Condensation in the Home
Condensation, like lint and heat, should vent through the hose and outside. If your dryer is causing condensation on the walls and surfaces of your laundry room or your home, there is a venting problem. Most likely you have an obstruction, pushing the vapors into your house, or you have a hole in the vent.

You can schedule a dryer vent cleaning NOW and avoid raised air conditioning costs this summer from a dryer that heats your home while trying to dry your clothes! During your dryer vent cleaning, the technician will also check the vent for holes or damage. This is a necessary step in keeping your family safe and your appliance working. Clothes dryers are too expensive to replace every 3 years!