How To Clean A Vertical Dryer Vent Pipe
One of the biggest dwelling house fire hazards is a dingy dryer vent. And even if clogged dyer ducts don't lead to household harm right away, it'll waste your fourth dimension, energy and money.
A dryer connected to vents filled with lint, dust, and dirt won't work well either. If your dryer once polished off wet loads in ane cycle or less but now needs ii or even three, check your ductwork. Chances are it'due south not your dryer that's faulty -- simply grimy venting that's the outcome.
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Your dryer vent ordinarily enters the laundry room wall and exits outside through an external wall.
Chris Monroe/CNETStep 1: Locate your duct
In social club to properly clean your dryer's ventilation organisation, you have to first know where it is and where information technology ends. In back of most dryer units is a brusk 4-inch diameter exhaust. This frazzle connects to dedicated ductwork inside the wall through an aluminum elbow or other pipe. Hot air travels along these metal pipes to eventually emerge through an opening on an outside wall of your house.
Watch this: Supercharge your dryer past cleaning its vent
In my particular setup, the dryer frazzle joined a duct at the foot of a wall inside my laundry room. Located in the basement, from there it runs to an exit vent at footing level and a few feet to the right of my front door. Capping the exist is a louvered plastic comprehend. Information technology opens to let warm air escape but stays shut otherwise to go on animals out.
The other end of the vent should be exterior.
Chris Monroe/CNETPace 2: Safely disconnect the dryer
Now that you know the kickoff and end points of your duct, it's time to disconnect the dryer. Information technology'due south a unproblematic task if y'all ain an electric dryer. First unplug the machine'due south power cord from the wall outlet. Next remove any metal tape or clamps keeping the dryer vent pipage fixed to its frazzle. If it's easier yous might just desire to remove material attaching the vent to the duct inside the wall.
Find your dryer'southward frazzle vent on the dorsum of the appliance.
Brian Bennett/CNETGently pull the vent piping abroad from the wall duct. If your dryer is electrical yous should be able to push button the appliance out of the manner without any bug. This volition open upwards more infinite to work.
Homeowners with dryers that run on natural gas demand to be more careful. Make sure non to disturb the dryer'due south gas line also much if you need to reposition the unit. Like gas ranges, the fuel hookup ordinarily consists of a flexible steel hose. The hose should be tightly attached but it'south best to play it safe. Gas leaks are serious and dangerous concern. If at any point you're unsure, call in a professional person.
Step three: Clean, clean, clean
At this signal y'all should take articulate access to the dryer duct opening at the laundry room wall. You can as well easily go at the leave signal outside the house past removing its duct flap or duct encompass. Next you need to buy a specialized dryer vent cleaning kit. I picked this ane up at my local Home Depot for $19. It consists of a lint castor and vi two-pes-long flexible segments. You join these parts together to form a rod that spans a full 12 feet.
In my case I purchased an additional unit of measurement which both doubles its attain and provides a back-up brush head for safety keeping. The cease of the not bad contraption also fits within standard power drill chucks. And so armed, you'll exist able to spin the castor with a adept amount of speed and ability.
Insert the castor end of the rod into your duct. I decided to enter from the outside of the house since that's its highest betoken. The idea was to utilise gravity every bit an aid to clear lodged debris. Information technology's easier to collect lint on my laundry room floor too than information technology is from inside my mulch-covered flower garden.
While spinning the rod (counter clockwise to avert unscrewing its segments), push the brush as far equally you can down the duct. Hopefully you lot'll have plenty length to reach the duct'southward other end. Keep in heed the process might take a few tries depending how many twists and turns your ductwork may have.
Stride 4: Tidy up, reconnect everything
If your dryer vent is anything like mine, expect a lot of lint to come flooding out of the wall. The amount of junk that littered the laundry room floor brought my upright vacuum to its knees. In the end I had to clean out the vacuum twice to return information technology to working order. In retrospect, I propose using a elementary broom and dustpan.
Carefully move your dryer back into position and reconnect it.
Chris Monroe/CNETAfter everything is tidy, put everything back the fashion it was -- with one exception. If your dryer used a soft foil-way vent to link to the wall duct, get rid of it. These hoses are a known fire risk. I personally replaced the original semi-rigid venting with a pair of 90-degree aluminum elbows. Adjustable notwithstanding difficult, they're durable and provide the best airflow menstruum.
Step 5: Do a trial run and smile
No doubt about it. Giving your dryer duct a thorough cleaning is sweaty, messy piece of work. Two years of duct neglect was all information technology took to effectively cripple my old dryer. A quick trial run mail service-cleaning, however, confirmed the appliance had regained all its power. Non merely would I not have to buy an expensive new unit, I'd put the kibosh on the risk of a scary dryer burn. Now that's a worthwhile chore.
When it'southward all said and washed, your vents should demonstrate greatly increased air flow.
Chris Monroe/CNET
Source: https://www.cnet.com/home/kitchen-and-household/heres-how-to-clean-your-dryer-vent-in-5-steps/
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