Signs that your Dryer Vent is Clogged

Modern front load tumble dryer, picture taken by Rick Harpenau (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Dryer vents are seemingly innocent parts of our home that can hide a dangerous secret. If not regularly cleaned out, the lint that accumulates in the dryer vent can result in a dryer fire. While the safety aspect is the most important, a blocked dryer vent causes a slew of other problems. It wastes energy, which increases your energy bills, and can take a toll on the dryer, causing it to fail prematurely. But how do you know when your dryer vent needs to be cleaned? The following telltale signs will alert you before a catastrophe happens, as well as save you time and money.

• Clothes Take Longer to Dry
  A clogged dryer vent makes it more difficult for the laundry to dry in the timeframe that you’re used to. You may even have to run multiple cycles just to dry one load of laundry. This is typically the first sign that a dryer vent needs tending. When the vent is blocked with lint, the moist and hot air that the dryer is designed to vent will get stuck inside the dryer making it harder for the machine to work properly.
• Dryer and Clothing are Extremely Hot
  It’s not uncommon for the outside of the dryer and the clothing inside to be hot. But when the dryer and the clothing are too hot to touch, that’s a big sign that the machine isn’t venting properly, which generally means the vent and dryer ducts are blocked.
• You Smell Something Burning
  If you notice a smell like something is burning when your dryer is running, it’s probably lint. This lint can build up in the lint trap, exhaust tube, and drum casing. And when it starts to get hot, the chances of it catching fire increases. You really want to take care of your clogged dryer vents before the problem gets to this point.

Call the Professionals
While it’s fairly easy to clean out the dryer vent yourself, the dryer vent ducts are a bit more difficult and should be inspected by a professional dryer vent cleaning Pasadena MD company. In fact, most experts recommend having your dryer vent ducts inspected and cleaned annually.