Let me get this straight. Dry clothes are dangerous!

A very common thing that we use every day is our clothes dryer.

Because of that many times we feel that it’s just a dryer, everybody has one, it’s fine, and we will get it taken care of when we get a chance.

But these are the facts:

According to the US Fire Administration, “Between 2002 and 2004 clothes dryers counted for about 15,600 reported structure fires, 15 deaths and 400 injuries annually.”

So first of all it could be dangerous to not have your dryer vents clean. A dirty dryer vent can use two times the amount of energy (electric, gas, etc.) to dry the same amount of clothes. It also takes a lot more time to dry clothes.

Did You Know? Facts On Clothes Dryer Exhaust Safety:

* According to manufacturer’s specifications and local codes, dryer ducts must be a minimum 4” in diameter and at least as large as the dryer outlet.

* Unless otherwise specified by your dryer’s manufacturer or local code, the developed length of your dryer’s exhaust duct should not exceed 25 feet. (When determining developed length, each 90º turn adds 5 feet to the actual length.)

* Dryer vents shall be independent of all other systems and terminate outdoors, not into a chimney, crawl space or attic.

* Your outside dryer exhaust vent’s termination hood should be equipped with a back draft damper to ensure that the exhaust doesn’t come back in your home.

* Metal transition ducts should be used between the dryer and the exhaust duct.

* Flexible transition ducts should never be used in an attic, a crawl space, or inside a wall.

Michael Kozlansky

“The Chimney Pro”