Dryer Vent Cleaning Orange County, Los Angeles

Have You Had Your Dryer Vent Cleaned This Year???

If you're like most of our valued customers you're concerned about the fire hazard caused by lint accumulations in the dryer vent and the dryer itself. Dryer vent cleaning will significantly reduce this fire hazard, giving you peace of mind. It also reduces the amount of time it takes to dry each load of laundry which saves you money on your electric bill.

If You Notice ANY Of The Following It Is Time To Schedule A Cleaning:

• Damper (flapper) on exhaust termination barely opens when dryer is on.
• Clothes are damp or hotter than usual at the end of the cycle.
• Laundry room feels warmer or more humid than normal.
• Clothes take an unusually long time to dry.
• Dryer is producing airflow, but no heat.
• Outside of dryer is unusually hot.
• It has been over a year since you had your dryer vent cleaned.

Is Dryer Vent Cleaning Really Necessary?

Most homeowners fail to include dryer vent cleaning on their list of yearly maintenance service calls. The cost of a dryer vent cleaning can pay for itself in as little as 3-6 months in energy savings alone. Just because your dryer seems to be working fine is definitely not a good reason to put off having it cleaned.

Dryer vents are one of those "hidden" maintenance items that is often forgotten. The old adage; "out of sight - out of mind" really holds true when it comes to dryer vent cleaning. Unfortunately, neglecting this one simple yearly maintenance can produce harmful and in some instances, even fatal results. Dryer lint is extremely flammable. Keeping your lint trap clean after every drying cycle and having your dryer vent professionally cleaned every year is mandatory to help prevent dryer and vent fires. Clothes dryers cause more home fires than wood burning fireplaces.

Did you know that your dryer is hands down, the most expensive appliance to run in your entire house, it is second only to your Air Conditioner! A dryer vent clogged with lint will certainly cause a dryer to run hotter and harder, costing you money by way of higher utility bills. The longer it runs the more it costs. When the vent is restricted it is overheating your dryer and damaging internal parts like the heating elements or the heat sensor safety switches and/or expensive computer-boards. A half-inch buildup of lint in a 4 inch diameter duct reduces its efficiency by almost 50%! As of this writing, the average service call from an appliance company is 300.00 and that's just to knock on your door.

Did Your Dryer Come With A Warranty?

Most people are not aware that most of the companies that do warranty work will not replace a defective heating element until you have your dryer vent cleaned. Many insurance companies require that dryer vents be inspected and cleaned regularly.

Very few people are aware that dryer vent cleaning drastically reduces the chance of a dryer fire. However, based on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission report, there's an approximately 15,500 fires, 10 deaths and even more injuries linked to the dryer vent each year. Hundreds more people will also be the subject of carbon monoxide poisoning from improper dryer vent cleaning and/or installation. The financial costs reach nearly ONE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS annually. Occasionally faulty appliances are the culprit, but a majority of fires can be prevented with proper dryer vent cleaning.

How Dryer Fires Come About:

Lint accumulation and reduced airflow take advantage of one another to produce conditions ripe for a fire. Lint is actually a highly combustible material, which, interestingly enough, is amongst the ingredients within the recipe for home-made fire starters.

In the past, most clothes dryers were located down in the basement. In the present day many newer homes generally have dryers located off from an outside wall in bedrooms, kitchens and hall closets. These latest locations mean dryers are often vented longer distances and vents are likely to be installed with sharp twist and turns to be able to be configured to the structure within the home. Consequently, dryer vents are not as easy to access, as well as create more places for lint to collect. The optimal solution is to have short, straight, dryer duct venting. On the other hand, a dryer vent booster, while not the perfect option, can increase your dryer venting where your venting is longer and/or has more flexes than it should. As well as creating a fire hazard, when the venting is just too long and/or has two many twists and turns, it will eventually cause your dryer to take considerably longer than necessary to dry loads.

Lint is definitely the biggest culprit here. You may already know from cleaning out your lint filter, your dryer is capable of producing huge quantities of lint. The majority of people under the impression that their lint trap catch all of the lint, believing that all they need to do is clean them out after each load. But, a significant amount of this lint is not caught via the lint trap and builds up inside the dryer-even on the heating element! For anyone who is skeptical, try this experiment: pull out the lint trap and look underneath it- you may discover large mounds of lint staring at you. Lint can build up on the heating element and in other places inside the dryer, causing it to overheat and possibly catch fire. As a rule, a fire starts with a spark inside the dryer. However, improper clothes dryer venting practices outside the dryer can play a vital role during this process.

There are many of improper dryer vent practices which restrict airflow and lead to lint buildup, the two main preventable causes of dryer fires.

Some Of The Most Common and Important Dryer Vent Mistakes:

1. Dryer vents are too long and/or have too many twists and turns, but don't make use of a dryer duct booster, which results in lint buildup. When it comes to dryer vents, shorter and straighter is better.


2. Using highly flammable, flimsy plastic or foil duct extenders. ONLY metal vents should be used, and that is what most manufacturers specify. Metal vents also resist crushing much better than plastic or foil, allowing the air and lint to be carried out of the system. Reduced airflow from build-up or crushing can cause overheating and reduce the life of the clothes and appliance faster. Actually, many state and local municipalities have placed requirements on new and remodeling projects to include all metal dryer venting.


3. Inadequate clearance space between dryer and wall. Many people create problems by placing their dryer right up against the wall, crushing the venting material along the way. The cumulative effect of reduced airflow as well as the resulting lint build-up prevent the dryer from drying at the normal rate. This will cause the high temperature limit safety switch to cycle off and on to control the heater. Most high temperature limit safety switches are not designed to continuously cycle off and on, so they fail over a period of time.


4. Failure to clean the dryer duct.

Proper Installation & Choice of Building Materials:

1. Make certain the dryer duct is constructed of solid metallic material. Both vinyl and foil are combustible and spiral-wound surfaces tend to catch lint more readily.


2. The dryer duct should vent to the exterior and in no case should it vent to the attic or crawlspace. Avoid the use of inside heat recovery diverter valves or termination boxes, which do not comply with current standards.


3. Avoid kinking or crushing the dryer duct to make up for installation in tight quarters -this further restricts airflow. If you truly desire saving the extra space, the Dryerbox is a new invention that allows the dryer to be safely installed against the wall.


4. Minimize the length of the exhaust duct (maximum recommended lengths depend on a number of factors, such as number of bends, and vary by model-consult your manufacturer for their specifications). If this is not possible, you can install a dryer duct booster.


5. If at all possible, use 4-inch diameter vent pipe and exterior exhaust hoods which have openings of sixteen square inches or more, which offer minimal resistance to air flow.


6. Avoid using screws to put your vent pipe together - the screw shafts within the piping collect lint causing additional friction.

Maintain Your Dryer Duct In Good Condition:

Disconnect, clean and inspect the dryer duct run on a regular basis, or simply hire a professional dryer vent cleaning company to clean the dryer duct. This will reduce the fire hazard, increase the dryer's efficiency and increase its lifespan. Additionally, you are less likely to experience water damage.

Keep Your Dryer as Lint-Free as you possibly can. By keeping your dryer clean, not only will you significantly reduce the fire hazard, you'll also save money as your dryer will run more efficiently and last longer.

NEVER Use A Plastic Dryer Vent Transition Hose (Cost: $10-$15)

One of the most common mistakes homeowners make when venting their dryers is to use the CHEAP plastic vent transition hose. This is a fire waiting to happen! Lint collects in vent hoses regardless of the material you use, but if the dryer overheats and the lint ignites in a plastic transition hose, the hose is going to go up with it and your home is sure to follow.

Flex Foil Vent Transition Hose (Cost: $25-$40)

Although this is a UL listed product, its use is discouraged by ALL dryer appliance manufacturers and local codes. It may be easier to work with, but it WILL NOT contain a lint fire within the hose and it is not as efficient as the aluminum flex tube.

Aluminum Flex Transition Vent Tube (Cost: $125 Installed)

By installing an aluminum flex tube, you decrease friction within the tube (meaning less lint buildup to start with), and you provide a fire barrier between a lint fire and the rest of your home. As a side note, this is the ONLY transition tube we install.

Your Dryer Owner's Manual Clearly States:
Use Only An ALL Metal Dryer Vent Transition.

What makes this kit work so well is the fact that it has two rotating elbows. Trying to install the metal tubing without the elbows is near impossible. This is the best dryer venting connection kit we have come across. We recommend it to all of our customers. If you have an offset dryer vent situation, this is what you've been looking for. ONLY $125 Installed!

How To Keep Your Dryer Clean:

1. Make use of a lint brush or vacuum attachment to remove accumulated lint from under the lint trap along with other accessible places on a periodic basis.


2. Once a year, have your dryer duct cleaned by a dryer vent cleaning professional.


3. Every 1-3 years, dependent on usage, have the dryer taken apart and thoroughly cleaned out by a qualified service technician.


4. Clean the lint trap after each load.

Here Is How We Clean Your Dryer Vent Every Time:

• Locate dryer exhaust vent and take an intial air flow reading with a digital anemometer.


• Set up our high-velocity vacum/blower and connect it to the main vent.


• We then snake in a rotating brush which brushes the lint off of the vent walls.


• We make a minimum of two full passes with our rotary brush system as well as thoroughly clean your dryers transisition tube.


• Clean below your dryers lint screen where blockage generally occurs.


• Vacuum underneath your dryer and remove all lint from power cords.


• We then take a final anemometer reading to be sure you are venting properly.


• Our dryer vent cleaning process is very clean, our technician will never leave your house a mess in any way.

Please always remember....

Never let your clothes dryer run while you are away from home or even worse, when you are asleep.

All of us here at Dryer Vent Cleaning 911 take our business very seriously, meaning that your satisfaction is our only goal. So...feel free to browse around our site. When you're ready, give us a call. We're standing by ready and able to service your dryer vent.

(714) 869-1800

Best Wishes,

Dryer Vent Cleaning 911
a division of Mr. Window Cleaner

Dryer vent cleaning services in Orange County and Los Angeles CA, residential dryer duct cleaning. Company specializing in dryer vent cleaning, installation and repair.