Book Your Annual Dryer Vent Cleaning With Us – We Serve Temple, Killeen & More
Your dryer vent has an important job to do – but it can’t perform properly if it’s not routinely cleaned and maintained. That’s why it’s important to ensure the safety and efficiency of your home with our professional dryer vent cleaning services in Temple, Killeen, and the surrounding area.
At Ables Top Hat Home Services, our hometown crew brings top-shelf class and quality to each job we do. We’re trained and equipped to provide thorough vent cleaning in order to prevent hazards and improve appliance performance.
Protect your home and business from fire risks and reduce energy consumption by scheduling your annual dryer vent cleaning today. Our experienced team is at the ready, here to bring reliable service that improves peace of mind – and extends the lifespan of your dryer.
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254-477-6535
How Can Dirty Dryer Vents Increase the Risk of House Fires?
Dirty dryer vents don’t just create an irritating increase in the length of dryer times – although that is something they do. They also increase the risk of house fires due to the buildup of lint and debris.
Wait – dryer lint can cause house fires?!
It may sound strange, but it’s true. Dryer lint is produced as clothing fibers are shed during the drying process. This is what can accumulate and block airflow, restricting the dryer’s ability to expel hot air and causing it to overheat.
Did we mention that dryer lint is combustible? Extremely so, in fact. As it accumulates, it essentially acts as kindling. The heat generated by a dryer – especially an overworked, poorly-venting dryer – can ignite the lint, particularly if it comes into contact with hot components or sparks from electrical elements.
And because the dryer is not working as efficiently, it’s also operating for longer amounts of time, compounding the risk. Once ignited, lint can cause fire to spread rapidly through the ventilation system.
The problem builds on itself, but the solution is simple. One call to our dryer vent cleaning professionals and you’re a visit away from ensuring that your vents are clear of lint and debris – allowing proper airflow and working with you in reducing the likelihood of overheating and ignition, rather than against you in creating the perfect storm for increased risk of house fire.
Do Dirty Dryer Vents Shorten the Lifespan of a Dryer?
Every year, we get numerous calls from customers who replaced their dryers because they weren’t working…only to find out that their brand new, top-of-the-line dryer also doesn’t work – or worse, the new dryer quickly burns up and also dies. Come to find out, instead of buying a new dryer, they just needed to get their clogged vent cleaned!
Dirty dryer vents can indeed shorten the lifespan of a dryer. When vents are clogged, they restrict the flow of air from the dryer to the outdoors. This clear passage is the breath of life to your dryer, allowing it to sweep away byproducts that would otherwise inhibit its work. Obstruction forces the dryer to work harder and longer to dry each load of laundry. Not only does this increase energy bills, it increases internal temperatures. This overheating can cause dryer components to wear out prematurely.
The wear and tear isn’t limited to overheating. Trapped lint can also force its way into the dryer’s mechanisms, causing belts and other moving parts to degrade more quickly than they otherwise would, meaning more breakdown and repairs.
Prolonged operation under the strain of clogged vents places undue strain on the dryer’s motor and heating elements…and overall makes a dryer more prone to malfunction and issues with operation. Your dryer may begin behaving erratically, with cycles cutting off prematurely, or your dryer may fail to heat properly. The damage done can have the cumulative effect of shortening your dryer’s lifespan.
When it comes to your dryer ventilation system, an ounce of prevention truly is worth a pound of cure. Simply making sure the vents are regularly and thoroughly cleaned does loads of preventive work – work that means your dryer will be able to do countless loads of laundry with greater efficiency and safety and less harmful strain…thereby extending its lifespan.
How Can I Prevent Dryer Vent Clogs?
There are lots of steps and measures you can take to prevent dryer vent clogs:
- Clean the lint trap. After each and every drying cycle, remove lint from your dryer’s lint trap. This helps prevent lint from accumulating in the vent system.
- Have vents inspected and cleaned regularly. You should schedule professional cleanings annually – or more frequently if you notice signs of reduced airflow, such as longer drying times.
- Shorten venting routes. It’s best for your system to minimize the length of dryer vents and the number of bends in them. Shorter, straighter vents allow better airflow and are less prone to lint buildup. Contact us if you find you’re in need of dryer vent rerouting.
- Don’t overload the dryer. Following the manufacturer’s recommendations for load sizes helps prevent too much lint from accumulating. In contrast, overloading your dryer can increase the production and trapping of lint.
- Install a vent cover. A vent cover on the exterior vent outlet helps prevent debris, animals, and other pests from entering your ventilation system and potentially causing blockages.
- Pay attention. Be mindful of how your dryer is operating. If your clothes are taking a long time to dry or the dryer is feeling hot to the touch, you might be in need of dryer vent cleaning.
Following preventive measures can do wonders for keeping your dryer operating well and keeping your home safer – saving you time and money and averting household risks.
How Can Dirty Dryer Vents Increase the Risk of Carbon Monoxide Exposure?
Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas that can be fatal in high concentrations, so it’s imperative that it be vented outside of your home – which means that, when running a gas dryer, you have to be especially careful.
When dryer vents get clogged with lint, dust, and debris, they restrict the flow of air and exhaust gases. Your dryer still produces these gases, but instead of venting them safely outside, they can now back up into your home.
Compounding the carbon monoxide issue is the fact that dirty dryer vents impede the operation of the dryer. The reduced airflow can lead to incomplete combustion of the natural gas some dryers operate on, resulting in the production of even more carbon monoxide. To sum up – inefficient combustion means increased concentration of carbon monoxide.
The problem of carbon monoxide risk intensifies when dryer vents are left unmaintained over time. Vents carry moisture, lint, heat, and gases. When clogged, these elements accumulate, creating conditions that promote rusting and corrosion in the venting system. This deterioration compromises the integrity of vents and increases the risk of carbon monoxide leaking even after the vents are cleaned – which is why staying on top of cleanings and maintenance is so important.
Regular professional inspection and cleaning of dryer vents by qualified technicians help promote proper ventilation and reduce the risk of carbon monoxide exposure. Clear vents help your dryer run better, and more importantly, help keep you and your family safer.
Is DIY Dryer Vent Cleaning an Option?
DIY dryer vent cleaning can be an option for homeowners, but it comes with some considerations and potential challenges. It’s possible to clean the dryer lint trap (no problem) and accessible parts of the venting system yourself. Fully cleaning the entire vent line from the dryer to the exterior of your home, however, may require specialized tools and expertise.
Every year, we can tell when “spring cleaning” season starts as we’ll get at least a dozen phone calls from distressed customers who attempted DIY cleaning, only to find that the cheap brush they bought online slipped off the drill or broke off in the vent – and that dirty vent is now a thoroughly blocked and clogged one! Unfortunately, removing tools from dryer vents is a time-consuming challenge and can get even more expensive if we have to disassemble the vent, cut into drywall, or otherwise take the venting system apart to retrieve the wayward tool. It’s better to not learn this lesson the hard way!
Thorough vent cleaning, especially if there’s significant buildup, often requires special brushes, vacuum attachments, and other tools. Navigating bends in vent systems, in particular, can be tricky. DIY cleaning methods might not always remove all debris from the ventilation system, and incomplete cleaning can leave lint and debris behind – meaning that airflow will continue to be restricted and potential hazards remain.
Something else to consider? Some manufacturers of clothing dryers require professional vent cleaning in order to maintain the warranty. If maintenance isn’t performed to manufacturer guidelines, the warranty may be voided.
All in all, professional dryer vent cleaners have the experience, tools, and know-how to thoroughly clean the ventilation system, identify potential issues, and promote good ventilation and safety.
Hire Us To Clean Your Dryer Vents – Call Today
If you’re experiencing concerning dryer symptoms, if you know your dryer vents haven’t had any professional TLC in a while, or if you simply need to get on the calendar for your annual dryer vent cleaning, call today to get on the books. Our team of caring professionals has a rigorous standard of customer service ethics, so you can know you’ll get the highest standard of cleanliness and quality wrapped up in a helpful disposition.
With professional equipment and knowledge, we’ll assess the quality of ventilation and dryer performance and bring it to where it should be to serve you best.
Don’t overlook the importance of dryer vent maintenance – protect your investment and the safety of your home and keep your dryer running efficiently. Contact us today and speak to one of our friendly team members and book your appointment.
Sometimes, dryer vents need to be rerouted or repaired. No worries – we provide expert dryer vent cleaning and repair.