Do you have any idea how old the dryer vent is? Even if you do, when was the last time that you had that dryer vent cleaned? The scary reality of this is that homeowners usually do not know the answer to both of these questions. When someone buys a home, the dryer is usually already there. If not, the dryer vent may be in place, and they just hook it up to the dryer, and away it goes. Not a whole lot of thought is put into the dryer vent, you just expect it to do its thing and let it work. This level of thought and practice should be avoided though as dryer vents can be a real danger, a genuine hazard to the home.
Dryer vent cleaning Jacksonville services should be a priority for homeowners. We push this thought process so much because of all of the dangers that go along with simply thinking that your dryer vent is fine, that it will just keep on working as you would expect it to with nothing necessary on your part. A regular dryer vent cleaning Jacksonville service should be a must, needs to be something that you are considering on an annual basis to avoid the risks that go along with ignoring it.
Fire Risk
The biggest risk when it comes to not having your dryer vent cleaned has to do with the chance of a fire within the home. An old and aging dryer vent is something that is going to be built up with a lot of dirt and grime over the years. All of this stuff is going to load up in the vent and restrict the airflow that is necessary out of it. This may not seem like a big deal because you probably still see the vent working as evidenced by air blowing outside, but do you know what is happening inside the vent?
The inside of a dryer vent can get scorching, and with all of that dust and such inside, it can pretty quickly light up and cause a fire in short order. If this does not occur, there can be enough of a blockage that the air can push back into your dryer, causing a fire at that location. Having a dryer vent that is cleaned and is allowing air to flow freely is imperative to eliminate the risk of a fire.
Energy Loss
The other big thing at play here has to do with the energy loss that can occur when you do not have your dryer vent cleaning Jacksonville service completed routinely. The energy loss is going to come in the form of your dryer having to work harder to ensure all of the moisture is out of your clothes. When you have a dryer vent that is not free and definite, the dryer is not going to be able to do its thing to dry your clothes as efficiently.
When your dryer is done, are your clothes still a little damp? The immediate reaction to this is that you think that it is your dryer that is starting to wear down. What it may mean though is that your dryer vent is getting blocked, restricting the ability of your dryer to dry the clothes. This can leave you running the dryer through multiple cycles for a single set of clothes, wasting energy and putting increased pressure on your dryer. This also feeds into the fire risk as the hot dryer has to run continuously for longer stretches of time.
Dryer vent cleaning Jacksonville service providers like us at J&W Heating and Air + Plumbing always stress the importance of routine cleaning. The dryer vent cleaning that we do is going to help to eliminate the fire risk, and the energy losses that can occur so that your unit can be as effective and efficient as possible. If you have never had your dryer vent cleaned or do not know the last time you did, the time is now to get it on a routine schedule.
