I finally realized why so many people mess up dryer vent cleaning

I've been doing house calls for 15 years and I see the same thing over and over. People think cleaning the lint trap is enough, but they never check the vent hose. Last week in a house in Springfield, I pulled a solid 8-foot long plug of lint from a vinyl hose behind the dryer. That's a major fire risk and makes the dryer work three times harder. The homeowner said they clean the trap after every load, but hadn't touched the vent in the 5 years they lived there. How often do you guys find you need to explain the full cleaning process to a customer?

3 comments

3 Comments

gavina731mo ago

Right? I had one lady last year who swore up and down her dryer worked fine until I showed her the billow of lint that came out when I disconnected the hose. It was like a stuffed animal exploded in there. People really don't think about that hose at all.

graygonzalez1mo ago

Springfield's not even the worst case I've heard. A buddy in the business found a vent in an old apartment building that was completely blocked for over a decade. The real problem is people don't know the hose itself can collapse or get disconnected behind the machine. You have to physically check the whole run, not just the trap.

jadew631mo ago

Most folks don't realize their dryer's own exhaust fan can be the weak link. If that motor is worn out, it won't push lint through the vent even if the hose is clear. That just backs everything up into the machine itself.

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