Dangers of Clogged Dryer Vents
Any appliance or fixture should be maintained well for optimum performance.
Also, every appliance or fixture is at risk of malfunctioning and there are associated hazards. You should not only be aware of these risks or hazards but you must take initiatives to avert them so you can be safe, the appliance or fixture can have a prolonged life and you can also save your hard earned money which would be inevitably spent should something go wrong.
Dryer vents cater to a quintessential function. It allows hot or warm and moist air to dissipate out of an appliance or even a home without impairing the machine and confining the exhausted air in the house. Should these dryer vents get clogged , there are numerous risks.
The biggest danger of a clogged dryer vent is fire. When you have not indulged in dryer vent cleaning for months and they have got clogged, the appliance will try to work harder to gush out the exhaust air. In the process it would use more energy, put more load on itself and the entire scenario will be ideal for a fire. There was a report published back in 2010/11 by the National Fire Protection Association. The report stated that one in every twenty two fires in homes; the dryer vents were to be blamed. Over a period of five years, from 2006 to 2010, clothes dryers with clogged vents lead to 92% of such fires, normal dryers facilitated about 4% and washing machines were the cause in 4% of cases.
Cleaning dryer vent is the only option to avert these dangers. But just having a dryer cleaner or trying dryer vent cleaning once in a blue moon will not be of any help. There has to be a strategy. Over time, dryer vents get clogged and they become havens for lint, debris of myriad kinds and other unpleasant organisms. These can also indirectly facilitate a fire. Clogged dryer vents can also cause electrical failures that may not lead to a fire, but they can impact different appliances.
For an appliance to work well or as it should, for a home to be well ventilated and not being subjected to exhausted warm and moist air, for vents to be free of pests, lint and other debris, you should invest in dryer vent cleaning at the right time. Have a schedule and be proactive.