Condo Dryer Vent Cleaning, Why Is It Required and What For?

To prevent dryer fires, many states (including New Jersey) now require townhouse management and condo associations to ensure that dryer ducts are correctly installed and cleaned regularly. 

Condo associations and townhouse management often require tenants to hire air duct cleaning services to comply with these obligations. Some managers prefer early cleaning, while others prefer cleaning every 2-3 years.

Townhouse management emphasizes regular condo dryer vent cleaning because the lint that gets trapped in dryer vents can cause a hazardous fire. Cotton, nylon, etc. are very common cloth fabrics that we commonly use. 

When these clothes are dried in the dryer, they leave behind the lint (nylon, cotton, etc.) inside the dryer. As a result, the commercial dryer vents get filled with lint. The accumulated lint causes dryer vents to struggle to function properly as there is high pressure on the internal blower of the drying machine. 

This pressure causes the exhaust air temperature to gradually increase, which might cause the flammable lint in the vent to catch fire.

This can be extremely dangerous for the condo infrastructure and can harm people living inside it. This is why condo associations repeatedly stress the need for regular condo dryer vent cleaning to ensure the safety of the residents and the building.

Let’s dig deep into the potential dangers of lint.

Lint Hazards: Condo Dryer Vent Cleaning, why it is needed?

Many of you will thoroughly clean your dryer’s lint screen after each drying cycle. However, lint will possibly get through the screen and accumulate in the ducts or hoses that vent outdoors.

One of the main reasons for house fires in the US is dryer fires. An appliance may overheat if there is excessive lint obstructing air movement in the vent. The bigger problem comes when the heating components of the dryer ignite ample lint present in the ducts or hoses.

There are various indicators that tell you when your dryer vents are becoming potentially clogged and dangerous. The common indications are when the clothes take a lot of time to dry, don’t dry completely, or feel unusually hot after the drying cycle. Additionally, the dryer’s temperature increases, and it appears to be hotter than usual after each cycle.

In addition to raising your fire danger, neglecting to clean your vents can also be very expensive. Blocked vents affect the efficiency of the dryer by forcing it to work harder than usual. To function normally, the dryer consumes more energy, which eventually increases your energy bill. Along with that, the dryer’s durability is affected, and it may stop functioning earlier.

 Condo Dryer Vent Cleaning BenzVac

Why Do I Need to Clean My Dryer Vent?

If you neglect regular condo dryer vent cleaning, it can be potentially extremely dangerous and you’ll be inviting something very horrendous into your home, which will not only harm your family but also your living space.

Every year, there are up to 3,000 dryer fires, which result in an estimated $35 million in property destruction, many injuries, and even fatalities. One of the main factors contributing to these fires is blocked dryer vents.

Vents that are unclean and dried out might still be harmful even if your dryer doesn’t catch on fire. Clogged dryer vents allow dangerous gas vapors to enter your house. Your health could be significantly impacted by inhaling these gases.

By not doing condo dryer vent cleaning, you are making a deliberate mistake and exposing yourself and your family to a terribly dangerous situation. On the other hand, if you do regular condo dryer vent cleaning, you and your family will not be exposed to fire risk any longer.

How Frequently Should Condo Dryer Vent Cleaning Be Done?

Many of us don’t pay much attention to our home appliances and expect them to work all day without thinking about any possible issues they might be encountering. 

That’s a good point to ponder. If your appliance is filled with any kind of dirt, debris, or particulate matter, how can it perform efficiently in the long run? But normally we don’t think about that and panic when the appliances stop working.

A good thing to do is to get your appliances checked with professionals so that corrective measures can be taken in time. In the case of dryer vents, it is recommended that you get them inspected and cleaned by a professional air duct cleaning company twice or once a year. 

However, you might want to think about extending that frequency to every six months if there is high usage of dryer vents in your home.

To ensure the safety of your family, get regular dryer vent cleaning by the professional air duct cleaning services. This will increase the machine’s efficiency, save you money on repairs and high energy bills, and protect you from horrendous fire incidents.

When Should a Dryer Vent Be Cleaned?

Your clothes take a long time to dry, which means either you’ll need multiple cycles for one load of clothes or one cycle would take a long time.

• It’s been a year since your dryer vent has been carefully checked.
• The heated temperature of the laundry room while the dryer is on.
• The dryer hose is surrounded by debris.
• Both the dryer exterior and the clothes are excessively hot to the touch.
• A musty odor is sensed.
• The vent hood flap won’t fully open.

Why Can’t I Just Do My Own Condo Dryer Vent Cleaning?

You can definitely give it a try to clean dryer vents yourself, considering the significance of frequent condo dryer vent cleaning. This will probably reduce any accumulations inside the dryer vent.

However, when it comes to the abundance of debris present inside the dryer vents, you cannot wipe it yourself. One of the main reasons behind your inability to do so is that you don’t have the specialized tools to inspect and clean the dryer vents for debris or any other sort of buildup. 

Moreover, you don’t have adequate knowledge of how to handle condo dryer vent cleaning. If anything goes wrong while cleaning, you’ll not be able to address the issue, and it could further damage the equipment.

How Do Professionals Deal with Your Condo Dryer Vent Cleaning?

Firstly, the specialist will start by locating and taking out the exterior dyer cap. Afterward, the team will use a tube-shaped vacuum and snake brush and insert them into the vent to loosen and eradicate any debris found. A snake brush will also be used to peel back any clogs attached to the walls of the vents.

The professionals will majorly concentrate on the bends and elbows of vents as debris accumulates much more quickly in these areas of the vent. The team specifically focuses on this area to ensure that every dust or debris particle gets removed from inside completely.

Often, professional air duct cleaning services will do a screening test after finishing the dryer vent cleaning process. This test is performed in order to determine the amount of gas that enters your home, any corrosion inside the vent, and the amount of pressure that passes through the vent. 

However, not all dryer vent cleanings include this. The majority of cleanings include removing material from the vent and sweeping it out.

The Benefits of Using Air Duct Cleaning Services

Many dryers have a few feet of ductwork to vent outside, while others have long ductwork that vents through the roof before they go outside. Professional air duct cleaning services can assist you in cleaning the longer vents effectively and efficiently. So, you obviously get both cleaning and time efficiency.

If the brush is not long enough to reach all the way down the hose or duct, you may make the blockages worse by directing the lint into the center of the vent, where it will collect.

Often, brush kits are not enough to complete the task. Worse still will be when the brushes puncture a dryer hose. The dryer hose can puncture if you are not careful enough, and that can happen because you are not a professional. 

Your inability to do this carefully isn’t bad as you are not a specialist in this. Air duct cleaning services are there with the adequate knowledge and tools to do this for you. After all, we can’t be experts in everything!

Another problem with brushes is that they can also become stuck on the ridges of flexible ducts.

Clearly, a simple brush is not the best instrument for cleaning vents; HVAC technicians have other solutions. Alternatively, using compressed air, lint blockages can be pushed or pulled through the ductwork to exit through the exterior vents. And as we mentioned earlier, an expert can perform diagnostics on the vent to check for leaks or other issues.

What Is Included in a Thorough Condo Dryer Vent Cleaning?

Cleaning the dryer vents involves more than just clearing the debris, dirt, particulate matter, or lint trapped inside the vents and ductwork. Numerous additional items require inspection and cleaning.

• Examining the dryer vent opening and checking the dryer vent in detail
• The exterior of the vent is thoroughly cleaned for any buildups of debris, particulate matter, debris, lint, and pet dander that impede the air vent flow
• Cleaning vent from inside where lint and other particles may have been trapped
• Cleaning of the space behind the dryer
• Thorough cleaning of the lint filter and drum.

Why Should a Dryer Lint Filter Be Cleaned?

As clothing spins and heats up in the dryer, some fibers fall off. Many of these fibers are caught by the lint screen to stop them from clogging the dryer vent tube. Many reasons call for cleaning this screen.

• Reduce Your Energy Costs

A blocked screen with a heavy layer of lint puts strain on the dryer vent due to which the dryer vent consumes more energy, resulting in increased energy bills. The dryer lint screen should be cleaned so that your dryer can continue to work effectively and more air can pass through the exhaust vent.

• Increases The Dryer’s Life Span

When you take out the extra strain from your dryer, you protect it from any potential damage. By doing so, your machine won’t require urgent repairs and can continue to serve you for years to come.

• Your Clothing Dries More Quickly

If you want to continually have clothes dried effectively in one cycle, you need to make sure that the lint filter is clean. Adequate airflow is required for drying clothes in one cycle, and that sufficient flow is provided when the lint filter is absolutely clean.

• Lowers The Chance of a Fire

The high temperatures produced by dryers cause lint to ignite very easily. To keep yourself and your family safe from any death-defying incident, get regular condo dryer vent cleaning from a professional air duct cleaning services.

Cleaning Of the Dryer’s Drum

The drum is the area of the dryer where the clothes are placed. You should clean the drum also, as keeping it clean will prevent gunk and debris from building up.

How Regularly Should You Clean a Lint Filter?

Ideally, the lint filter should be cleaned after every cycle. Make it a habit to clear the screen of lint before or after every cycle. In the latest dryers, you’ll receive a reminder to check the lint screen from time to time.

Apartment Dryer Vent Cleaning: Dos and Don’ts

Dos

• Always get dryers installed by professionals. Don’t take the risk of improper installation. A professional will guarantee that issues like dryer spacing, vent connections, and electrical connectors are all handled correctly.
• Pay attention to your neighbors if they complain that clothes drying is taking more time than usual. This may indicate that the vent is blocked and blocking airflow. In the same way, if they mention that the dryer is operating at a high temperature, that’s another sign that the vent is filled with lint.
• Conduct regular inspections of the ductwork, dryer, and vents. This will inform you of any pressing issues or concerns and you can then take the appropriate course of action.
• Your laundry room should be free of any combustible materials. In particular, the space surrounding your dryers and washers should be clean. Be careful when storing items in the laundry room, as any flammable item can expose you to the risk of fire.

Don’ts

• Don’t overlook the importance of a lint filter. Using a dryer without a lint filter can be your biggest mistake. The lint filter is effective enough to capture substantial clothing lint. In the absence of a lint filter, your dryer’s duct will soon get blocked, which will compel you to do frequent cleaning of your dryer vents.
• Smoking should never be allowed in areas where dryers are placed. It is quite obvious that wasted cigarettes will quickly fire lint. But smokers usually don’t stop. They’ll smoke whenever and wherever they get a chance to smoke. It’s better if a special smoking area is made. This way, you can be assured of the safety of the residents of the apartments.
• Avoid using vent screens on the outside vent outlets. This is so because the vent screen allows buildups of debris and lint to settle into the vent, thus blocking it and impeding the airflow.
• Avoid using plastic venting or coiled wire. The recommended ductwork material for dryer vents is non-ribbed material.

Toxicity of Dryer Lint

According to studies, dryer lint is poisonous to both people and animals. The toxicity level is not known since it differs according to various ingredients of laundry detergents, dryer sheets, and softeners. If you’re concerned about dangerous chemicals present in your lint and dryer exhaust, make sure your dryer vents outside and stay away from scented dryer sheets. This will considerably reduce the toxins but not eradicate them completely.

Dryer Lint Toxicity to Humans

There is some disagreement regarding dryer lint’s safety for human consumption. While some argue that the lint is full of dangerous substances and can lead to respiratory issues, others assert that it is simply an annoyance. 

The reality is that no one is really certain, mostly since dryer lint’s composition varies depending on the detergent, scented dryer sheets, etc. More study is required to understand whether there is any connection between respiratory issues and dryer lint.

It is generally preferable to take some regular precautionary steps. These precautions include:

• Install dryer vents outside your house.
• Avoid inhaling lint particles.
• Clean up any lint buildup around your home.

In the end, you have to decide whether you are comfortable handling the dryer or not. If you are concerned about your health, then it’s best to avoid dealing with it directly. If you think you can comfortably handle it, go ahead. Make sure to keep your house tidy and free of extra debris.

Dryer Lint Toxicity to Pets

Pets should not consume dryer lint. If your pet eats dryer lint, call your veterinarian right away. Intestinal obstruction from ingesting dryer lint may be deadly.

Who Is in Charge of Condo Dryer Vent Cleaning?

Now that we know the significance of dryer vent cleaning, an important question arises, “Who is in charge of condo dryer vent cleaning? Given that condos are frequently chosen by long-term renters and are typically managed by an HOA. Well, this relies on two things:

• Own or rented house
• HOA housekeeping rules

Some HOAs mandate condo dryer vent cleaning once or twice per year. In such a situation, the HOA schedules a dryer vent cleaning service from an air duct cleaning company, and the charges for this are included in the HOA fees.

In case your HOA doesn’t ask for regular cleaning, you should schedule regular dryer vent cleaning by professional air duct cleaning services. This is essential as you are liable for the safety of your family, other residents, and your building.

In accordance with Colorado’s livability requirements, if you don’t own a condo and live as a tenant, your landlord is obligated to pay for the dryer vent cleaning. According to these laws, the landlord is responsible for ensuring that the property does not endanger the tenants’ health or safety.

You must be aware of who holds the responsibility for dryer vent cleaning. Take action to address the problem if the vents are not currently being maintained.

Final Thoughts

In a nutshell, your dryer is the most likely piece of equipment in your home to catch fire. To prevent hazardous fire incidents, remove any lint before or after drying each batch of laundry, thoroughly clean the dryer vent and exhaust duct, and clean the space behind the dryer where lint can potentially settle. Call for Professional Dryer Vent Cleaning in NJ NY CT.