Dryer lint & vent check (fire safety)
· By Fauquier DIY
When did you last look at your dryer vent? A quick laundry-day check based on U.S. Fire Administration and CPSC guidance.
Laundry-day check: when did you last look at your dryer vent?
What the U.S. Fire Administration and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) say
- Clean the lint filter before or after every load. Never run the dryer without it.
- Clean the back of the dryer, where lint builds up.
- Check the vent behind the dryer. Is it damaged, crushed or blocked?
- Run the dryer and check outside. Air should be coming out, and the vent cover should open.
- Clothes still damp after a normal cycle? CPSC says that can be a sign the filter or duct is blocked.
- Got foil or plastic accordion-style duct? CPSC says to replace it with rigid or semi-rigid metal duct.
⚠ Don't strain the connections
If you pull the dryer out to look behind it, don't yank on any gas or electrical connection.
Gas dryers and new venting
Gas dryers, new venting, and anything that touches the gas line or the electrical supply are jobs for a licensed pro. Follow your dryer's manual.
My advice (not from the sources): if the dryer seems to be acting up, have a service tech look at it before you keep using it.
Sources
- U.S. Fire Administration: Clothes dryer fire safety (PDF)
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission: Clothes dryer safety (PDF)
Source pages are linked as I read them. Pages change, so check the original for the latest.
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Views are my own and not affiliated with any companies or manufacturers mentioned.
Views are my own and not affiliated with any companies or manufacturers mentioned.