appliance tip of the month

Many people have the dreaded experience of removing clothes from the dryer only to find that they are still damp or wet.  In this article we are going to address the most common reason why dryers just aren’t drying.

 

The most common culprit is the ducting that receives hot air and moisture from the dryer and moves it out of the house. There are many points along the way that can get clogged and cause moisture to remain in the dryer drum instead of being channeled out to the great outdoors.  There are two sides to the ducting. The first travels from the dryer to the wall. The second section travels through the wall to the outside of the house.  Most states require that dryer vent ducting from the wall to the outside be no more than 36 feet in length when built and designed.  Approaching even half that length and the dry time really starts to increase.  Another factor in vent ducting design are turns.  Every 90-degree turn in the ducting increases dry time by 25%.  For example, if it takes one hour to dry 8 towels, ducting with one turn takes 75 minutes, two turns will take 90 minutes, and so on.  It’s not uncommon for folks to buy an 8-foot-long duct and attach it from the dyer to the wall with several turns like a rattlesnake ready to strike. That’s not including any turns underneath drywall and in the attic space.  This will increase dry time tremendously and if clogged, will ultimately damage dryer components and cause the dryer to break down and not operate.  You should be aware of your dryer vent ducting design and length. If you are lucky you may have a two-foot straight shot from the wall to the backyard or side of the house.   If you live in a two-story house you may have a very long duct design. Even one-story houses can have ducting up to 20 feet or more depending on how it was designed or modified during remodeling.  Also, most homeowners can inspect the dryer vent exhaust cap on the outside of the house. You may be surprised to find a bird’s nest or lint just absolutely choking the cap door or louvers which can no longer open or close.

 

The heating circuit includes several electrical components starting from the plug at the wall, fuses, thermostats, heating element, timer or main computer board, and back to the wall outlet.  If any component in this circuit is faulty, the dryer will shut down completely or tumble without heating. Clogged ducting stresses all the components in the heating circuit and can cause one of them to open the circuit and shut the dryer down. A professional dryer repair technician will need to test and repair the dryer. However, if the ducting is not cleaned, dryer failure will most likely occur again in the near future.

 

Dryer vent duct cleaning should be done annually to avoid a costly dryer repair or a house fire.

 

Need a cleaning or a dryer repair?  Give us a call today to schedule service.