Are your clothes still damp after a dryer cycle? Keep smelling a burnt odor while drying clothes? Unfortunately, your dryer vent may be clogged.
A clogged dryer vent can be caused by a buildup of lint in the ventilation system that is restricting air flow. The lint that has built up over the past few months or year affects not only the operation of your dryer vent but can also be a fire hazard. In fact, over 15,000 clothes dryer fires are reported each year causing an estimated 5 deaths, 100 injuries and $35 million in property loss.
Another source of a clogged dryer vent can be items that have fallen into the lint trap or even an animal could be blocking it. If you forget to remove items from your pockets like gum wrappers or coins, they can easily fall into the lint trap and get sucked into the vent causing it to be blocked.
How To Tell If Dryer Vent Is Clogged
Below are some of the main warning signs you should be on the lookout for when trying to determine whether your dryer vent is clogged.
Excess Dry Times
One of the first signs that your dryer vent is clogged is when your clothes are no longer fully drying during a regular dry cycle. The drying time should take no longer than 30-40 minutes per load. If your dryer vent is clogged, your clothes will take longer and longer to dry because the blocked dryer vent is trapping the air and keeping your clothes hot and moist. If you remove your clothes from the dryer after a cycle and they still feel damp, this means it’s time to get your dryer vent cleaned out.
Burning Smell
Have you noticed a burnt odor coming from your dryer whenever you have a load going? Nope, it’s not your imagination…the smell is, in fact, coming from your dryer. When your dryer vent is clogged it’s having to work extra hard to dry your clothes, which means it’s overworking itself and creating this burnt smell.
Hot Exterior
As we mentioned earlier, your dryer is having to strain itself and work twice as hard to dry your clothes meaning the appliance will feel extremely hot during a cycle. A dryer is functioned to exhaust the heat and moisture while it’s drying. If that heat and moisture are not able to leave the dryer, then the dryer basically sits there and continues to work itself but can no longer keep up with the drying. With nowhere to go, the excessive amount of heat builds up, causing your dryer to overheat and can ultimately ignite a fire.
Sizable Lint
Before starting a new cycle it is best to clean out your lint filter/tray, but when you start noticing an excessive amount of lint each time you clean it out, chances are you have a clogged dryer vent. You may even notice a large amount of lint accumulating on the outside of the lint filter and around your dryer and laundry room.
Our Experts Can Help Clean Your Clogged Dryer Vent
If all the warning signs we mentioned are happening to your dryer, then it’s time to get your dryer vent professionally inspected and cleaned! It’s recommended that you get your dryer vent cleaned out every year. Perhaps you can’t remember the last time you had your dryer vent cleaned, it’s better to be safe and get it checked out. You can schedule a service today to fix your current problem and prevent future ones from occurring. Keep your dryer in tip-top shape with Capitol Chimney.
