5 signs your dryer vent is a fire hazard
Thousands of house fires a year start in the dryer vent. Here's how to spot the warning signs.
Lint is one of the most flammable materials in your home, and a clogged dryer vent traps both lint and heat. These are the five signs we see most often on service calls.
1. Clothes take more than one cycle
If a normal load needs two cycles to dry, airflow is restricted. The dryer is working harder, running hotter, and pushing lint back into the duct.
2. A hot laundry room
Heat that should be exhausted outside is staying inside. That's a blocked or disconnected vent line.
3. A burning smell
A scorched or burnt-lint smell during a cycle means lint is sitting against a hot surface. Stop using the dryer and get it inspected.
4. The outside vent flap doesn't open
Run the dryer and check the exterior hood. Weak airflow or a flap that never opens means the line is packed.
5. It's been over a year
Most households need annual dryer vent cleaning. Long runs, flexible foil ducting, or a large family push that closer to every six months.
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