Did you know that according to the National Fire Protection Association approximately over 3,000 fires occur annually nationwide due to clothes dryers due to lint buildup?! What is lint? Lint is a buildup of small pieces of yarn, fiber and thread that detach from a clothing and then stick to another place they come in contact with and its highly flammable. Depending on the configuration of the rental property, having a gameplan in place to professionally clean out the dryer vent on a predetermined schedule is key to make sure that lint fires are prevented.
WHICH NEED CLEANING & HOW OFTEN?
If a property comes with washer and dryer hookups, then it will have a dryer vent by default. Does this mean that every dryer vent needs to be professionally cleaned? Not at all. Most properties will have a vent that is less then 5 ft. in length. If a property has a vent up to 5 ft. long, then it can be easily cleaned by the resident by hand or with a simple vacuum. If the vent is longer then it will need to be professionally cleaned. For our company we clean these every other year on odd years.
CONFIGURATIONS
All dryer vent openings will initiate at the site of where the dryer is located. This could be a laundry room, the garage, hallway closet, etc. However, where the dryer vent exists and how long it is (10 ft, 15 ft, 20 ft or more) can vary greatly and will depend on the property. From experience, here are the most common one’s we’ve found:
Up to the Roof: Regardless of where the dryer vent starts, it will exit on the roof. If the property is a single story, then it may get cleaned out at the laundry room and the roof as well.
Below Ground: These are not very common. We’ve seen these start in a laundry closet in the middle of the home, have the vent go underneath the house and vent to the exterior which usually comes out next to a planter outside.
Garage to Exterior: This is usually an exposed pipe that runs the length of the garage to the exterior.
Laundry Room to Exterior: A common layout for newer construction is to have the laundry room on the second floor. The vent will go from this laundry room to the exterior where sometimes it is the side or roof of the property.
TOOLS
The tools needed for this are a simple dryer vent cleaning brush, drill and shop vacuum.
CONCLUSION
When we onboard a rental property, we will notate our Property Spec Sheet with the information of whether the property needs to have the dryer vent professionally cleaned. We clean all dryer vents every other year on odd years and can do so more often if requested. Doing this ensures the safety of the investment and the residents.
