Dryer vent cleaning is important -- but often overlooked

MOSES LAKE — Not all the maintenance a house needs is visible. Sometimes a potential problem just goes unnoticed until it causes trouble, sometimes serious trouble.  

But a lot of potential problems give off warning signs. Clothes dryers often do when they need a good cleaning.  

Matt Gallaway, owner of Precision Duct cleaning in Moses Lake, said the warning signs can disguise themselves as other problems. 

“I’ve had a couple times where their dryer has actually caught on fire, and they thought it was the electrical system,” Gallaway said. 

That was the case with a recent job.  

“I was there cleaning their HVAC system, and I asked them about their dryer, and they said, ‘Oh, it’s the electrical.’ And I said, ‘Maybe not. Do you mind if a take a look?’ And as soon as I ran the camera – it was just plugged all the way. It’s pretty common.” 

The science is straightforward enough – clothing sheds fibers. The dryer is a restricted system when it comes to getting rid of those fibers.  

“You’re dealing with the lint, so you catch a little bit in your dryer lint trap. A lot gets past that, and that’s where the problem comes,” Gallaway said.  

He examines the part that can’t be seen, he said. 

“I clean the whole lint trap too, but the part behind the wall, the part that runs from the dryer to wherever it vents outside,” he said.  

The warning signs too are pretty straightforward. 

“The first thing that can happen is where, a month ago, your laundry was taking one cycle, and it came out all warm and dry, and all of a sudden, now it’s taking two, maybe three cycles,” he said.  

Dryers come with airflow requirements as well.  

“What a dryer requires to run properly is four inches of breathing room,” Gallaway said. “Once it loses that breathing room, the dryer is supposed to blow the heating element, and that makes it so your dryer doesn’t create heat.” 

That warning sign gets missed.  

“A lot of times, people will blow a heating element, and they’ll just go buy a new dryer,” Gallaway said.  

He’s had customers who go through multiple dryers before they think about checking the vent, he said.  

Sometimes the problem gets bad enough that it causes catastrophic results.  

“That lint – it's a perfect fire starter,” he said. 

Gallaway recommends checking the vent at least once a year.

People who are interested in getting a dryer duct check can contact Precision Duct Cleaning at 509-989-3115 or through the business website, www.ductcleaningmoseslake.com.