Replacing A Clothes Dryer
Too often we come across homeowners who have recently replaced their dryer. They experienced excessively long drying times and they are lead to run their clothes dryer for multiple cycles. Spending 2-3 hours to dry 1 load of laundry is not ideal, so the first course of action for many is replacing the dryer.
One of the biggest aspects of our job here at Dryer Vent Cleaning of Delaware is education. Our primary goal is to help homeowners be safe and the best way to do that is by providing enough clear, digestible information about clothes dryers.
Excessive Drying Times
We get a lot of calls every week for dryer vent cleaning services. The biggest reason: long drying times. People believe that because their clothes dryer is taking forever to dry, they need to purchase a new dryer.
Unfortunately, once the new dryer is delivered and hooked up, they are left with the same problem! When your dryer vent is clogged or the airflow is restricted, the warm air being exhausted from the dryer has nowhere to easily escape. This warm air stays in the vent, leaking back into the dryer, preventing the clothes from drying. The best way to expedite this process of drying your clothes is to maximize airflow to the outside world.
What's Behind Your Dryer
When you purchase a new clothes dryer, it’s a great opportunity to take a look to see what is going on back there. It is not too often that you will clean the floors, baseboards, and walls behind the dryer, so this is an excellent time to tidy up and clean away. Not many people are going out of their way to pull the dryer out to clean, so take advantage of the opportunity.
The next important thing to inspect and notate is the material used for the transition hose. A transition hose is short piece of flexible duct connecting the clothes dryer to the duct in the wall that leads outside. Most of the homes we service have a transition hose that is not ideal. They are often flimsy, flammable, crushed, or too long. Upgrading to a material like DryerFlex from Inovate is our go-to option to increase airflow, increase safety, and reduce the risk of a housefire.
Before & After Anemometer Reading
If your old dryer is still set up, consider purchasing an anemometer to get a “before” reading of the airflow coming through your dryer vent. An anemometer reads the velocity of air and can be measured in a variety of different units. Typically, we measure the airflow in terms of feet per minute. Most dryers should be pushing air through the dryer vent at roughly 1500 ft/min at a minimum. If you’re replacing your dryer with a new one, getting a before & after reading could be interesting to see the increase in performance. New dryers may be substantially stronger than older units and may push out the warm air more efficiently than your old unit.
Final Thoughts
If you’re replacing your current clothes dryer, make sure you are replacing it for the right reasons! If you’re unsure about the efficiency of your dryer, considering reaching out to us and let the professionals have a look! Restricted airflow is one of the most common causes for dryer failure, as it puts excessive stress on the dryer unit and the internal components.
If you’d like to learn more or schedule a dryer vent cleaning service, please reach out and we would love to help!