Dryer Vent Cleaning Greenbrae, California 707.326.7171

Dryer Vent Cleaning Advice: Is Danger Lurking in your Older, Charming Home?

2009-10-14T14:31:00.000-07:00

Dryer vent cleaning Greenbrae, CA: If you have purchased an older home, or have been living in your current home for many years, you may appreciate the beauty and charm in comparison to today's more modern offerings. But there are also some things you need to be aware of that could be hazards in those older homes.

When your older home was built, and the appliances put in, there were likely very different standards in place than there are today. Back then plastic or foil covered dryer vents were the way to go to vent a clothes dryer from the machine to the outside. But, over the years, it has been realized that this type of vent is not always the best when it comes to safety. They can both be fire hazards since they are made of flammable materials.

While you may not want to think of your dryer as something that can cause a fire, the reality is that it produces hot air and it is a machine, so there is always a possibility of sparks being created. The type of duct you have attached to your dryer can make the difference between a spark that does nothing and one that sets a fire in your house.

If you do happen to live in one of these older gems, it would be a good idea to call a professional to inspect the dryer duct attached to your dryer are the right type. If they are not up to current codes, they will also be able to change them out for parts that are, so you can have a great working machine and a little piece of mind to go with it.

While old homes have their charm, they also have some hidden dangers. It's best to deal with these dangers, like the ductwork coming out of your dryer, and replace the parts you need to with ones that are up to code.

Rhonda Nole, owner of Dryer Vent Wizard, provides dryer vent cleaning, dryer vent repair, dryer vent installation, dryer vent inspections and all dryer vent services for homes and businesses in Sonoma County, Cloverdale, Healdsburg, Kenwood, Windsor, Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, Rohnert Park, Cotati, Petaluma, Sonoma, Guerneville, Graton, Napa County, Calistoga, Angwin, Deer Park, St. Helena, Yountville, Napa, American Canyon, Marin County, San Rafael, Tiburon, Greenbrae, Larkspur, Mill Valley, San Anselmo, Kentfield and neighboring cities and communities.

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Dryer Vent Cleaning and Dryer Fire Prevention Tips from the Greenbrae Wizard

2009-05-23T12:02:00.000-07:00

Dryer vent cleaning Greenbrae, CA: A lot of articles have been published about dryer vent cleaning and fire prevention. Besides dryer vent cleaning, there is another issue to take into consideration; storage in the laundry area.

Your laundry room is not just a place to wash your clothes, but also often a place for storing a number of things including cleaning supplies, grocery bags, tools and anything else that seems to belong there. If your dryer is in your garage, you may even have some flammable materials and other garage-type items stored nearby. While this may seem to be a perfect place to store things, your desire to have a neat house could also be presenting a danger to your family and your home.

It is important to remember that a clothes dryer is a machine that creates heat to do its job; therefore, anything that is combustible should be kept well away from the dryer. This not only means open and closed containers of combustible chemicals, but also any rags or other items that may have those chemicals on them. Your mechanic is great at cleaning up all the fuels and chemicals he uses after working on the car, but those rags that were being used, which are now soaked in fuels and oils, are a wick just waiting for an ignition source.

Next, you should consider any other items near the clothes dryer. While you may not think things like your dog food bag or the plastic bags from the supermarket are a real fire hazard, just remember the basic premise of a dryer. It heats. That means anything near it is going to get hot. Think of a mess of plastic bags melting to the side of your dryer and that is just the messy part. It is important to remember that a clothes dryer can give off sparks. If those sparks land on cold tile or something that is resistant to heat, that's ok, but if you have papers, plastic bags and other easy to light items in the area you could be setting yourself up for disaster.

Be careful what is stored around your clothes dryer and do not place rags that have been soaked in flammable substances in your dryer, even if they have been washed. Residue can remain; these rags should be line-dried.

Rhonda Nole is the owner of Dryer Vent Wizard, a dryer exhaust specialist who provides dryer vent cleaning, dryer exhaust repair and professional inspections of dryer vent and exhaust systems. Rhonda services the Greater North Bay area of California. For more articles and safety tips, read Rhonda’s blog at http://dryerventcleaningnapacalifornia.blogspot.com/

Dryer Vent Wizard of Greater North Bay, CA provides dryer vent cleaning, dryer vent repair, dryer vent installation, dryer vent inspections and all dryer vent services for homes and businesses in Sonoma County, Cloverdale, Healdsburg, Kenwood, Windsor, Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, Rohnert Park, Cotati, Petaluma, Sonoma, Guerneville, Graton, Napa County, Calistoga, Angwin, Deer Park, St. Helena, Yountville, Napa, American Canyon, Marin County, San Rafael, Tiburon, Greenbrae, Larkspur, Mill Valley, San Anselmo, Kentfield and neighboring cities and communities.

Dryer Vent Cleaning and Dryer Exhaust Tips from the Greenbrae Wizard of Dryer Vents

2009-05-23T11:55:00.000-07:00

Dryer vent cleaning Greengbrae: Don’t Let Your Dryer Start a Fire! Keep Your Greenbrae Home Safe and Sound

Most people have their furnaces cleaned regularly; however, very few people think of the clothes dryer in relation to appliance maintenance. According to the National Fire Protection Association over 15,000 dryer fires are reported each year. Failure to clean the dryer vent and duct system is the cause of most of these fires. Believe it or not, your clothes dryer is more likely to cause a fire than your furnace or stove! Dryer Vent Wizard recommends annual dryer vent cleaning.

Dryer Vent Cleaning Prevents Carbon Monoxide Poisoning in Greenbrae

Besides being a fire hazard, improper dryer venting also poses a carbon monoxide risk. The dryer vent system removes gas by-products from your home if you have a gas dryer. Dryer Vent Wizard recommends a complete inspection of your dryer vent system to be sure it is functioning safely.

Dryer Vent Cleaning Reduces Energy Bills for Greenbrae Residents
When a dryer vent and the dryer ducts are clogged with lint, air flow is restricted, causing your dryer to work harder and use more energy. This creates higher utility bills and a greater chance of the appliance breaking down. Appliance repairs and/or replacement can be expensive. You can prolong the life of your clothes dryer with proper dryer vent cleaning and maintenance. Dryer Vent Wizard provides dryer vent cleaning, maintenance, repairs, installation and dryer vent inspections for homes and businesses in your area.

Dryer Vent Cleaning Prevents Fires in Greenbrae, California

A clothes dryer fire is caused by lint build-up which restricts airflow and leads to overheating. Dryers produce a lot of lint and simply cleaning the lint screen is not enough. Though the lint filter catches most of the lint, some will escape and end up in the dryer vent system. The dryer ducts remove lint and moisture from your clothes; the moist lint doesn’t always make it to the vent outside of your home. It can stick to the sides of the ducts where it builds up and eventually dries to a hard paste. This hard paste attracts more sticky lint, eventually creating a blockage which can cause a fire.

Dryer Vent Inspections and UL Safety Standards in Greenbrae, CA
Underwriters Laboratories is an independent product safety certification organization that has been testing products for safety for over a century. Dryer Vent Wizard will inspect your dryer vent system to be sure it meets UL Safety standards in your community.

Dryer Vent Wizard of Greenbrae Recommends Shorter Dryer Ducts

It used be that most clothes dryers were in the basement, on an outside wall, with a relatively short, straight vent to the outdoors. These days many newer homes tend to have their laundry area located away from an outside wall; some are on the second floor. This means dryer vents are much longer and contain some elbows and bends where lint can accumulate. They’re also harder to reach therefore more difficult to keep cleaned. The ideal dryer vent system is short and straight. Dryer Vent Wizard has special tools for reaching the hard to get to places.

Dryer Vent Wizard of Greenbrae Uses Rigid Venting Material, not Vinyl

Dryer ducts should be made of rigid or semi-rigid metal, not the flexible foil or vinyl type that was used in the old days. The flexible vinyl type of tubing crushes easily and restricts air-flow. Dryer Vent Wizard professionally installs semi-rigid metal dryer vent systems in homes and commercial buildings.

Dryer Vent Wizard of Greenbrae Inspects to Ensure Proper Installation

Dryer Vent Wizard does not advise use of sheet metal screws when attaching multiple sections of vent pipe together. They use foil tape instead to eliminate protuberances that cause obstructions where lint can accumulate, eventually leading to a restriction which hampers dryer vent cleaning and allows lint to build up.

Wash the Lint Screen to Remove Residue Build-up

Few people are aware that the dryer vent screen should be washed thoroughly with warm soapy water every few months to remove residue build up caused by dryer sheets. It is actually possible for the lint screen to have so much build-up on it that it will hold water! This definitely restricts air flow and causes the dryer to take more than one cycle to properly dry a load of clothes.

Bugs, Mice, Birds and Critters in Greenbrae, California

If you have mice in your house, you have probably called exterminators or tried your own critter traps to get rid of the pests. But this is just a temporary solution until more critters come in. The only effective way to get rid of them for good is to stop them from getting into your home in the first place. The one major path of entry that mice have into your home is the dryer vent.

Birds have been known to build nests in dryer vents which prevent lint from escaping. Bees, wasps and hornets nests have also been found in dryer vents. Dryer Vent Wizard recommends annual dryer vent cleaning and regular inspections to be sure the dryer vent system is free of clogs.

Dryer Vent Cleaning and Tips from Dryer Vent Wizard of Greenbrae

Make sure your dryer vent system is up to city, state and manufacturer’s codes
Replace plastic or foil vent with semi-rigid or solid meta material
Keep the lint screen clean; check before and after each load
Wash lint screens with soap and water every few months to remove residue from fabric softener sheets
Have professional dryer vent cleaning done annually
Don't keep combustibles like chemical cleaning products or chemical laden rags near your clothes dryer
Don't leave the house or go to sleep with your dryer running
In cold weather, check outside vent cover to make sure it's not blocked or frozen shut

Dryer Vent Wizard of Greenbrae Shares Warning Signs to Watch for

The dryer takes more than one cycle to get a load dry
No lint visible on lint screen
Dryer repeatedly stops during a cycle
Clothes have moldy smell after dry cycle
Clothes are very hot after a dry cycle

Dryer Vent Wizard of Connecticut is the dryer vent cleaning and repair expert to call for service. The service call is very little compared to the loss of your home or the lives of you and your family if you should experience a clothes dryer fire. Visit http://www.dryerventwizard.com to find a location near you to order a dryer vent inspection.

Please watch this video provided by Dryer Vent Wizard of Greenbrae, CA

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/26507771#26507771

Dryer Vent Wizard of Greater North Bay, CA provides dryer vent cleaning, dryer vent repair, dryer vent installation, dryer vent inspections and all dryer vent services for homes and businesses in Sonoma County, Cloverdale, Healdsburg, Kenwood, Windsor, Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, Rohnert Park, Cotati, Petaluma, Sonoma, Guerneville, Graton, Napa County, Calistoga, Angwin, Deer Park, St. Helena, Yountville, Napa, American Canyon, Marin County, San Rafael, Tiburon, Greenbrae, Larkspur, Mill Valley, San Anselmo, Kentfield and neighboring cities and communities.