More than 80% of homes in the US have dryers. And an astounding 17,000 fires are reported each year occurring from dryer vents. The reason? Negligence in roof dryer vent cleaning.
Even though most homeowners have a dryer and a dryer vent, as many as 90% people wouldn’t know that venting a dryer on the roof adds to the fire hazard. It might seem that like a chimney, the dryer vent through the roof is a good idea. However, the vertically erected vents make it hard for the dryer to expel the hot air when there is even a little lint blockage.
Furthermore, roof dryer vent cleaning is a hard process since going up to the roof to clean out and unclog the dryer vent might seem like a tedious task.
Addressing the Fire Hazard of a Roof Dryer Vent
Even though many professionals are aware that erecting a dryer vent through the roof is not a good idea, many times, there is no other solution but to go for a vent exit on the roof.
It might be that your laundry room is on the top floor. Therefore, instead of erecting a vent that goes horizontally and expels the hot air where there is no access and egress, the dryer vent installers might choose to use the roof which is more accessible.
In any case, you have three options to reduce the fire hazard of a dryer vent on your roof:
Relocating the Dryer Vent on the Roof
If possible, consider hiring professional dryer vent repair services like 4seasonsairduct to check whether there is a way you can relocate the dryer vent to a more accessible place. This way, you can include a DIY cleaning routine each month to keep the vent lint-free.
Detection and Removal of Mold
If possible, consider hiring professional dryer vent repair services like 4seasonsairduct to check whether there is a way you can relocate the dryer vent to a more accessible place. This way, you can include a DIY cleaning routine each month to keep the vent lint-free.
As for the annual cleaning, the professionals can do their job making sure that your vent is free from lint, is secure, and is in perfect running condition.
Include a DIY Cleaning Routine
A vertically erected pipe, or a pipe which has many elbow bends limits the extent to which you can clean the vent yourself.
Roof dryer vent cleaning is a must at least once a month or every two months depending on the load of laundry that you dry with the dryer.
You should first remove the caulking that holds the vent cover in place. Then, proceed to use a vacuum to suck up as much lint as possible.
If the roof is a tricky place for you to work and you think that you might damage the material when taking out the vent cover and sealing it back, it is better to hire professionals who can quickly and efficiently carry out the roof vent dryer cleaning.
Professional Services: Annual Roof Dryer Vent Cleaning
The fire hazard for a dryer venting on the roof is higher than horizontally erected dryer vents. But whatever the case is that doesn’t allow you to relocate the dryer vent to a more accessible location, cleaning is necessary.
For roof dryer vents, a more frequent cleaning routine is recommended. If you cannot access the roof to clean the vent, hire professionals like 4seasonsairduct who can do the job well.
Here are the steps they take to make sure that your dryer vent is free from lint and does not pose a fire hazard to your house:
1. Locating and Accessing the Vent
The first step is disconnecting the electric and gas connections from the dryer. Next, the team will proceed to clean the end of the vent attached to the dryer. Once that is done, they will head to the roof to locate the vent and clean it from the other end.
If you’re doing it yourself, it is recommended that you carefully remove the caulking to detach the cover. If you are not careful enough, the vent cover might crack or break, causing you a loss. The professionals know how to remove the cover without any damages.
2. Cleaning the Vent
The next step is cleaning the vent. The 4seasonsairduct team in Baltimore, Maryland area has commercial grade vacuum cleaners that suck up all the lint. In case it’s not possible to take up the commercial vacuum cleaner to the roof, the team will resort to other suction methods that are just as powerful to clean the vent.
Once the lint is sucked up by the machine, the professionals use a damp cloth to clean the insides of the vent to remove any dust and debris collected over the months.
3. Sealing the Vent Cover
The last step is to place and seal the vent cover in place. This step makes sure that moisture from the air and rainwater doesn’t go down into the vent. An incorrectly placed and unsealed vent cover is a bigger fire hazard than an unclean vent.
Final Words
Although getting a dryer to vent out on the roof presents a greater fire hazard, sometimes, there is no other option but to do it. In this case, it is important to conduct an annual or biannual dryer vent cleaning done by the professional dryer vent cleaners like 4seasonsairduct.