Dirty dryer vents can cause fires!

If you have a home there is a good chance you have a washer and dryer in your home.  There are many types of dryers you can choose from these days.   The most popular that we see are the gas fueled type.     

Just the other day, while at a home inspection in Niles, Illinois  their was nothing out of the ordinary to be seen.  I run all fixtures including the washer and dryer.  The washer waste dumped into the laundry tub which seems to be pretty typical.  There were no issues to speak of about the washer.  The dryer on the other hand didn’t seem to be working to its full potential.  I  was concerned that there was a issue with the clothes dryer at the home inspection in Niles.      

As you might have figured, we are not required to work on appliances during an inspection.  Ive heard about dryer belts going bad, but  I thought there was a little more to this.  I pulled the dryer out from the area it sat in the laundry room at the home inspection in Niles.  I pulled the steel flexible vent off to see that the lint was packed in the vent and in the back of the dryer.  That just wasn’t it-it was smoking!!  This lint was smoking which means it was very close to combustion into a fire in the immediate future.     

Dirty dryer venting is the number 1 reason for fires in homes.  They need to be monitored and cleaned on a regular basis.  My suggestion is to evaluate it every six months and if it needs to be cleaned do so.  The cleaning method of choice is a dryer brush.  The owners of the home inspection in Niles were very thankful that the dryer issue was found before the fire started.      

If you own a home or are buying a home and have questions about dryer vents and the possibilities of fires please contact us at ~ www.pinnaclepropertyinspection.com   Jim Kolke