This picture is of a dryer vent made of metal foil covered flex venting. According to the homeowner it was installed three years ago. The homeowner is a married nurse with no children. She dries two loads of laundry per week. Notice the lint build up. This is a fire waiting to happen! As you may already know from cleaning out your lint trap, dryers produce very large quantities of lint. Most homeowners assume the lint trap catches all the lint, and all we need to do is clean it out after each load. It is recommended that dryer vents be professionally cleaned at least once a year. Traditionally, most clothes dryers were located in the basement of a home. Today many newer homes tend to have dryers located on the 2nd floor in a bedroom, bathroom, hall, closet or kitchen. Because of the newer locations, dryers tend to be vented longer distances. Longer vents are generally installed with sharp turns and bends to accommodate the structure of the home. As a result, dryer vents are harder to clean and have more places for lint to gather.

A full load of wet clothes placed in a dryer contains about one half gallon of water. As water is removed, lint is created from the clothes. Each time you use your dryer, lint builds up more and more. When the lint build-up is too much, it causes the dryer to work harder resulting in higher operating costs and increased repair bills. Did you know one-half inch of lint build up in a 4" diameter duct reduces its efficiency by 44%? A dryer is the most expensive appliance in your home to operate, you don't want to make it more costly than it already is. Many insurance companies are now mandating that dryer vents in condominium complexes, town houses and other facilities be cleaned, and repaired if necessary, to reduce any risk of fire. In many cases this includes the replacement of white vinyl plastic coated flexible venting with metal duct work. While most building codes require metal ducts we recommend that you avoid using the metal foil covered flex types as well. Metal foil covered flex is a little easier to install but can reduce air flow due to its corrugated design and will contribute to lint buildup in the ducting over a period of time.

Even worse, flex ducts can become crushed or curled up on the floor behind your dryer which blocks air flow and cause your dryer to over heat which can cause a dryer vent fire. The more bends in your venting the greater the reduction in air flow and more areas where the lint can accumulate. Some home owners think it is acceptable to vent the dryer indoors if it is a large open room. There are several reasons this is not a good idea. In the first place, most building codes prohibit this type of venting. This extra humidity released from you dryer is exactly the tropical climate that mildew thrives upon and will eventually condense on installation, timbers and metal, causing them to deteriorate, rot or rust. Never leave your house or go to bed with your dryer running! Most of our customers call when they no longer have air flow and the dryer is taking much longer to dry a load of clothes. Dryer vent cleaning should be performed yearly and if you use your dryer daily you should consider a seasonal cleaning.

DuctPro uses the RoVac system which is the most advanced equipment of its type. Using a combination of suction from a high powered vacuum and rotating brushes, the lint build-up is removed safely and effectively. best way to clean louvered blindsOur system also contains the specialty tools needed to remove blockages such as birds nests.best vacuum cleaner reviews south africa DuctPro offers dryer vent cleaning, bird nest removal, and dryer vent repairs on residential homes, apartments, townhouses, condos and duplex's.air duct cleaning los angeles ca Is your dryer a fire hazard? bridge home services duct cleaning

- Details what you need to know about preventing dryer fires in your home (Dateline NBC)best vacuum cleaner upright bag Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! best vacuum for cleaning carpeted stairsSome forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads. 783 posts, read 683,804 times 35,788 posts, read 36,271,380 times 4,107 posts, read 8,487,817 times 26,534 posts, read 57,221,272 times First, I would worry that any excessively long / bend filled duct run is prone to excessive lint collection. Second I would worry that any duct that is plugged out with lint is likely at least a stressed from the excessive weight that can be caused by wet lint, that may lead to a serious leak / rupture when subjected to the impact of high speed leaf blower.

Third I worry that blown air alone will not adequately remove all the lint in ductwork. The recommended method of cleaning ductwork is usually to use a high volume low pressure truck mounted vacuum cleaner along with air whips and / or brushes to more safely do this. I would strongly recommend reading through these guidelines on the the maximum length of a dry duct: Dryer Vent Safety - Int'l Association of Certified Home Inspectors (InterNACHI) 2,031 posts, read 3,199,032 times 14,538 posts, read 42,446,495 times 350 posts, read 474,887 times Originally Posted by Catdancer I am pretty sure you can buy extension pieces. 2,898 posts, read 4,073,777 times Originally Posted by harry chickpea Perhaps a bit off-topic, but what happens to long stove vents? Clogged with soot, which can't be easily cleaned by the homeowner? Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum.