Cleaning A Dryer Vent

According to the National Fire Protection Association over fifteen thousand fires are caused annually in the U.S. The average American is well aware of the need to clean their chimney on a regular basis but very few know of the need to clean out their dryer vent on a scheduled maintenance routine as well.

There is a reason lint works great as a fire starting material in the field. Below are some statistics from the National Fire Protection Association.

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Dryers and washing machines were involved in one out of every 22 home structure fires reported to U.S. fire departments in 2006-2010.

Facts and figures

In 2010, an estimated 16,800 reported U.S. non-confined or confined home structure fires involving clothes dryers or washing machines resulted in 51 civilian deaths, 380 civilian injuries and $236 million in direct property damage.

Clothes dryers accounted for 92% of the fires; washing machines 4%, and washer and dryer combinations accounted for 4%.

The leading cause of home clothes dryer and washer fires was failure to clean (32%), followed by unclassified mechanical failure or malfunction (22%). Eight percent were caused by some type of electrical failure or malfunction.

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For those that have issues watching youtube videos; Jeff over at homerepairtutor.com has put together a outstanding tutorial on the proper method of cleaning out your dryer vents.