Do I need to have my ducts cleaned?

Are you wondering if you need to schedule a duct cleaning service? Here are a few indications that you do:

• People and pets are getting sick more often

• Dust is accumulating faster on your furniture

• You suspect you have a pest problem

• It’s been more than a year since your last duct cleaning

Regular deep cleaning of your home’s air ducts should be part of your general HVAC maintenance. Not only does the accumulation of dirt circulate in your home – including spreading mold spores, but it also builds up in the furnace, heat pump, and air conditioner. This, in turn, causes more friction on the appliance’s moving parts which can make them wear out faster. So, not only will regular air duct cleaning keep your home cleaner and smelling nicer, but it will also extend the life of your heating and cooling system!

Is dryer vent cleaning really necessary?

Cleaning these vents isn't just important for your clothes and time (and sanity). Over months and years, lint can accumulate in these ducts and mix with hot air and ignite, creating a fire hazard. Every year, dryer duct fires cause $35 million in damages, hundreds of injuries and even deaths.

Save Bird Families

Spring is around the corner. With Spring comes birds looking for a place to nest. If your dryer vent is on the side of your home and you do not have a vent cover installed, birds WILL build a nest in your vent. They see a condominium, not a dryer vent. This causes server issues. First, a blocked dryer vent is a HUGE fire hazard. A birds nest will, without a doubt smell and back up in to your home and is a health hazard. Have a vent cover installed so that the birds build nests in places that wont be a hazard to your family or theirs. We will help.

830-320-0773

EXCESSIVE LINT, EXTREME HEAT. A DRYER FIRE WAITING TO HAPPEN

Dryer vents are the pipes that are connected to dryers that help remove excess water content from the washed clothes. It works by centrifugal technique; the water loaded clothes are slammed and rotated within the dryer, which collects the heavy water particles. Then, those particles disposed off through the dryer vent to outer environment. This exposure to the outer environment allows pollutants and molds to enter the ducts, that will become their host and breeding part where molds grow and start to choke the ducts.

A choked dryer duct faces problems in removing water content since the diameter is reduced and the water flow stops at points. This causes decreases in output, machine starts to heat up, causing technical faults and efficiency issues of the dryer.

Flammable materials should be kept far away from heat sources. However, in household dryers, lint can collect dangerously close to the heating element. To protect your household from a common fire hazard, call on Patriot Dryer Vent Cleaning for routine dryer vent cleaning services.

Danger! Dryer Fires are Real

Dryer Fire Facts.

An estimated 2,900 clothes dryer fires in residential buildings are reported to U.S. fire departments each year and cause an estimated 5 deaths, 100 injuries, and $35 million in property loss. ■ Clothes dryer fire incidence in residential buildings was higher in the fall and winter months, peaking in January at 11 percent. ■ Failure to clean (34 percent) was the leading factor contributing to the ignition of clothes dryer fires in residential buildings. ■ Dust, fiber, and lint (28 percent) and clothing not on a person (27 percent) were, by far, the leading items first ignited in clothes dryer fires in residential buildings. ■ Fifty-four percent of clothes dryer fires in residential buildings were confined to the object of origin.

How to Prevent Clothes Dryer Fires

Very few people realize the danger of clothes dryer fires. However, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, there are an estimated annual 15,500 fires, 10 deaths and 10 injuries due to clothes dryer fires. Several hundred people a year are also subjected to carbon monoxide poisoning from improper dryer vent setups. The financial costs come to nearly $100,000,000 per year. In some cases faulty appliances are to blame, but many fires can be prevented with proper dryer venting.

How Clothes Dryer Fires Occurs

Lint accumulation and reduced airflow feed on each other to provide conditions ripe for a fire. Lint is a highly combustible material, which, interestingly enough, is one of the ingredients in a recipe for home-made fire starters. A number of dryer vent problems contribute to this.

A growing problem

Traditionally, most clothes dryers were in the basement. However, nowadays many newer homes tend to have dryers located away from an outside wall in bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens and hall closets. These new locations mean dryers tend to be vented longer distances and vents are generally installed with sharp turns and bends to accommodate the structure of the home. As a result, dryer vents are harder to reach, and also create more places for lint to gather. The ideal solution is to have short, straight, dryer duct venting. However, a dryer vent booster, while not the ideal approach, can improve your dryer venting in cases where your venting is longer and/or has more bends than it should. In addition to creating a fire hazard, if the venting is too long and/or has two many bends, it will cause your dryer to take much longer than necessary to dry loads.

Inside the Dryer

Lint is the biggest culprit here. As you know from cleaning out your lint filter, dryers produce very large quantities of lint. Most people assume their lint traps catch all the lint, and that all they need to do is clean them out after each load. However, a significant amount of this lint is not caught by the lint trap and builds up inside the dryer-even on the heating element! If you are skeptical, try this experiment: pull out the lint trap and look underneath it- you may find large mounds of lint staring at you. Lint can build up on the heating element and in other places inside the dryer, causing it to overheat and possibly catch fire. As a rule, a fire starts from a spark in the machine. However, improper clothes dryer venting practices outside the dryer can play a key role in this process.

Outside the Dryer

There are many improper dryer vent practices which restrict airflow and lead to lint buildup, the two main preventable causes of clothes dryer fires.  Some of the most common and important dryer vent mistakes are:

1. Dryer vents are too long and/or have too many bends, but don’t use a dryer duct booster, resulting in lint buildup. When it comes to dryer vents, shorter and straighter is better.

2. Use of flammable, flimsy plastic or foil duct extenders. Only metal vents should be used, which is what most manufacturers specify. Metal vents also resist crushing better than plastic and foil, which allows the air and lint to be carried out of the system. Reduced airflow from build-up or crushing can cause overheating and wear out the clothes and appliance faster. In fact, many state and local municipalities have placed requirements on new and remodeling projects to include all metal dryer venting.

3. Inadequate clearance space between dryer and wall. Many people create problems by putting their dryer right against the wall, crushing the venting material in the process. The cumulative effect of reduced airflow and the resulting lint build-up prevent the dryer from drying at the normal rate. This causes the high temperature limit safety switch to cycle on and off to control the heater. Most high temperature limit safety switches were not designed to continuously cycle on and off, so they fail over a period of time.

4. Failure to clean the dryer duct.

Your Dryer May be Failing If:

The clothes are taking an inordinately long period of time to dry, come out hotter than usual or if the vent hood flapper doesn’t open. Maintenance is needed in these cases.

Only You Can Prevent Clothes Dryer Fires

Proper Installation & Choice of Building Materials

1. Make sure the dryer duct is made of solid metallic material. Both vinyl and foil are combustible and spiral-wound surfaces tend to catch lint more readily.

2. The dryer duct should vent to the exterior and in no case should it vent to the attic or crawlspace. Avoid the use of inside heat recovery diverter valves or termination boxes, which do not comply with current standards.

3. Avoid kinking or crushing the dryer duct to make up for installation in tight quarters -this further restricts airflow. If you really want to save the extra space, the Dryerbox is a new invention that allows the dryer to be safely installed against the wall.

4. Minimize the length of the exhaust duct (maximum recommended lengths depend on a number of factors, such as number of bends, and vary by model-check with your manufacturer for their specifications). If this is not possible, you can install a dryer duct booster.

5. If at all possible, use 4-inch diameter vent pipe and exterior exhaust hoods that have openings of sixteen square inches or more, which offer the least resistance to air flow.

6. Don’t use screws to put your vent pipe together – the screw shafts inside the piping collect lint and cause additional friction.

Keep the Dryer Duct in Good Condition

Disconnect, clean and inspect the dryer duct run on a regular basis, or hire a professional company to clean the dryer duct. This will reduce the fire hazard, increase the dryer’s efficiency and increase its lifespan. In addition, you are less likely to experience water damage.

Keep Your Dryer as Lint-Free as Possible

By keeping your dryer clean, not only will you significantly reduce the fire hazard, you will also save money as your dryer will run more efficiently and last longer. To keep your dryer clean:

1. Use a lint brush or vacuum attachment to remove accumulated lint from under the lint trap and other accessible places on a periodic basis.

2. Every 1-3 years, depending upon usage, have the dryer taken apart and thoroughly cleaned out by a qualified service technician.

3. Clean the lint trap after each load.

Is It Time To Have Your Chimney and Fireplace Cleaned?

It’s easy to forget about your chimney and fireplace until you’re ready to light a fire in your fireplace or crank up the heat, but did you know that, according to the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) Code 211, “all chimneys, fireplaces, and vents shall be inspected at least once a year?” The reason being that, even if you had your chimney inspected last year, all the burning since then, paired with the freezing, thawing, settling, and water damage that can occur as a result of the rain, snow, and weather changes in the last year can rapidly turn a safe chimney flue into an unsafe one.

Dryer Duct Termination Texas Code

According to the International Residential Code, duct termination should be outside the home and at least three feet away from doors and windows. For the best safety results and use of your dryer, make sure that you follow all of the manufacturer’s installation guides. Furthermore, duct terminations need to be equipped with a backdraft damper, and you should not install any type of screen.

Contact us for a free inspection.

Fireplace Danger

Creosote is a category of carbonaceous chemicals formed by the distillation of various tars and pyrolysis of plant-derived material, such as wood or fossil fuel. They are typically used as preservatives or antiseptics.[2]

Some creosote types were used historically as a treatment for components of seagoing and outdoor wood structures to prevent rot (e.g., bridgework and railroad ties, see image). Samples may be found commonly inside chimney flues, where the coal or wood burns under variable conditions, producing soot and tarry smoke. Creosotes are the principal chemicals responsible for the stability, scent, and flavor characteristic of smoked meat; the name is derived from Greek κρέας (kreas) 'meat', and σωτήρ (sōtēr) 'preserver'.[3]

The two main kinds recognized in industry are coal-tar creosote and wood-tar creosote. The coal-tar variety, having stronger and more toxic properties, has chiefly been used as a preservative for wood; coal-tar creosote was also formerly used as an escharotic, to burn malignant skin tissue, and in dentistry, to prevent necrosis, before its carcinogenic properties became known.[4][5] The wood-tar variety has been used for meat preservation, ship treatment, and such medical purposes as an anaesthetic, antiseptic, astringent, expectorant, and laxative, though these have mostly been replaced by modern formulations.[citation needed]

Varieties of creosote have also been made from both oil shale and petroleum, and are known as oil-tar creosote when derived from oil tar, and as water-gas-tar creosote when derived from the tar of water gas.[citation needed] Creosote also has been made from pre-coal formations such as lignite, yielding lignite-tar creosote, and peat, yielding peat-tar creosote.[citation needed]

Fireplace Maintenance

With our professional chimney sweep cleaning service, your house will stay safe. Does your house smell like smoke, even when you don’t have a fire lit? Do you have a foul smell
coming from your fireplace? If you answered yes to either of these questions, it could mean that your chimney is lined with creosote, which is the soot byproduct from burning wood.

Every fireplace generates creosote, simply as a nature of being used, but over time the build-up of this soot can create some real problems. For example, decreased airflow from a buildup of soot will greatly impact the performance of your chimney and fireplace and will also increase the danger of fire and carbon monoxide.

Dryer Fire

For many households and other establishments, the clothes dryer is an indispensable convenience and necessity. However, damaging fires can occur if clothes dryers are not properly installed and maintained. Eighty-four percent of clothes dryer fires that occurred in buildings took place in residential buildings.1, 2 Because the residential building portion of these fires predominates, the primary focus of this analysis addresses the characteristics of clothes dryer fires in residential buildings reported to the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS). The focus is on fires reported from 2008 to 2010, the most recent data available at the time of this analysis. From 2008 to 2010, fire departments responded to an estimated 2,900 clothes dryer fires in residential buildings each year across the Nation.3 These fires resulted in an annual average loss of 5 deaths, 100 injuries, and $35 million in property loss.

The Hows and Whys of a Clothes Dryer Fire

A clothes dryer works by forcing hot air through a turning drum. Wet clothes placed in the drum are then dried by moving hot air. It is possible for a full load of wet clothes to contain as much as one and a half gallons of water. Lint, consisting mostly of small fibers from the clothes and debris in or on the clothes, is created from the clothes as the clothes tumble in the drum. While much of the lint is trapped by the dryer’s filter, lint is also carried through the vent system along with moist air.4 Lint is a highly combustible material that can accumulate both in the dryer and in the dryer vent. Accumulated lint leads to reduced airflow and can pose a potential fire hazard.5 In addition to the accumulation of lint, blockage in dryer exhaust vents also can occur from the nests of small birds or other animals or from damages to the venting system itself. A compromised vent will not exhaust properly to the outside. As a result, overheating may occur and a fire may ensue.

Can a bird nest in a dryer vent cause a fire?

During the spring, birds like to use dryer vents as a cozy place to build a nest. When the vent is blocked with a nest -- or anything else -- hot air builds up and can catch deposits of lint in the vent, potentially setting the dryer on fire. Contact us for help.

Rookies Guide to Drying Clothes

Dry Right

Dryer settings are simpler than washer settings. Here’s a quick tour.

Automatic dry is an energy-efficient option (compared with timed drying)—it automatically shuts off when sensors detect all clothes are dry.

Regular/heavy dry is the fastest and hottest setting, ideal for heavier fabrics and bath towels.

Delicate dry relies on lower heat, so drying time is longer for those delicate items.

Permanent Press dry works well for business-casual types (just like the wash cycle) and uses medium heat.

“Fluff air” doesn’t really dry at all. Sans heat, it draws in room temperature air to freshen up stiff, delicate, or shrinkable fabrics like linen pants, down coats, drapes, and pillows. It’s also useful for technical fabrics like wicking sportswear or soft-shell jackets that would be damaged by a heat setting.

I wouldn’t want you to ruin your coolest jacket because of a foolish laundry mistake. Take it from me—the guy who once washed his leather jacket.

For more information on dryer vent cleaning contact us.

8 Benefits of Annual Dryer Vent Cleaning

1. Reduce Drying Time – When lint starts to build up in your dryer vent it begins to slowly restrict the airflow from the dryer exhaust system. This causes your dryer to have to work harder in order to properly dry your clothes. If you’re using a sensor-dry setting you may not notice your dryer is taking longer to dry but this can cause serious problems over time. Removing these hazardous blockages each year will eliminate this problem.

2. Increase the Lifespan of Your Dryer – When you get your dryer duct cleaned on an annual basis you eliminate blockages,big or small, that cause unnecessary wear and tear on your dryer and decrease the overall lifespan. Heating elements and fuses are two of the most common parts that burn out on dryers for this very reason.

3. Save Money on Your Energy Bill – This one is pretty obvious. If your dryer is working harder and longer then normal, that means it’s using more electricity then normal, to get the job done. You can save up to $40 each month simply by eliminating this risk with annual cleanings.

4. Eliminate the Risk of Mold Build Up – In extreme cases, your dryer duct may get severely clogged, restricting airflow over 90% and practically suffocating your dryer. When your dryer can’t properly exhaust the hot moist air while operating, the air will condensate (turn to water). In some cases we’ve seen gallons of water sitting in a dryer vent. This poses a serious risk of mold build up if the problem is not resolved. If you’re getting lint removed from your dryer ventilation system each year it’s practically impossible for this to happen.

5. Reduce the Amount of Dust in Your Home – If your dryer vent is blocked and your dryer can’t properly dry your clothes, can you guess what else it can’t effectively do? Remove lint from your clothes! You may get away with running your dryer a couple of times to properly dry your clothes but there’s a good chance lint and dust hasn’t effectively been removed. You don’t want to keep dealing with that annoying dust in your home do you? Annual dryer vent cleaning is the answer.

6. Reduce the Risk of a Fire – According to the National Fire Protection Association, fire departments responded to an average of 15,970 home fires caused by dryers between 2010-2014. That’s a lot of fires that could have been avoided with a simple solution. It’s not worth the risk of losing your home, or worse, risking the lives of your family. Thankfully, this is a problem that many news networks are creating awareness about so hopefully soon those statistics will significantly improve.

7. Reduce the Risk of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning – This one applies to gas dryers. Gas dryers have to properly exhaust Carbon Monoxide, a deadly gas, to the exterior of your home. If this process is restricted by blockages in the line, the harmful gas can force it’s way into your home which can cause serious or even fatal health complications over time. Getting your dryer vent professionally cleaned and inspected will reduce this risk. If you don’t own a gas dryer, no worries!

8. Eliminate Stress – If you’re not currently getting your dryer vent cleaned on an annual basis and you’re worried about a fire or any of the other concerns mentioned in this post, that alone is enough reason to go ahead an make it a priority! Stressing over your dryer each time you dry clothes distracts you from much more productive things you could be focusing on and quite frankly, it’s unhealthy! Eliminate this unnecessary stress by marking it off your to-do list each year and enjoy peaceful nights of sleep again at last!

Choosing the Right Company

If you’re considering getting this done, here are a few things to take into consideration before choosing a company.

• Does the company specialize in this service?

• Do they stay up to date on current codes and will they spot hazards and make corrections along the way?

• What is their cleaning process? Do they clean only from one end of the duct or both?

• Will they thoroughly inspect your vent and provide pictures of the completed work?

• Are they a local company that takes pride in the quality of work they offer?

• Are their services reasonably priced?

• Do they have a good reputation in the local community? Do they have good reviews?

Patriot Dryer Vent Cleaning specialize in Dryer Vent Cleaning in San Antonio and Corpus Christi, Texas.

If you are looking for Dryer Vent Cleaning give us a call at 830-320-0773 or simply send us an email at james@cleanmydryervent.org

When Clothes Take Longer than Usual to Dry

One of the first warning signs that your dryer may be clogged and needs urgent dryer duct cleaning San Antonio servicing is when you notice that it takes longer than usual to dry your clothes. The fact that you have owned the dryer for quite some time means that you know when it is not acting as it should. Once the drying duration doubles or triples, then something is wrong with the unit. The dryer begins to push moist, warm air through the dryer’s vents during an ongoing drying cycle. The clogged vent then traps air in your clothes, causing them to take longer to dry. When your clothes stay damp for long, they tend to consume more energy to dry as well. If this happens a few times, you need to consider getting the experts to look at the duct and probably clean it.

We will help. Schedule today at www.cleanmydryervent.org

D80 D95 Error Codes

The d80 error means the dryer is 80% clogged either in the air exhaust hose, wall ducts, or the vent outside. –

This can be cleaned by your professional dryer vent cleaning company Patriot Dryer Vent Cleaning. Schedule your appointment on line today to have this error cleared.

Dryer Related Fire in San Antonio

See all of the detailed here.

Dryer Vent Fires Are Real

There’s a hidden fire hazard in almost every home. Removing lint from the dryer is only partially preventing a fire. The lint filter is only catching a small percentage of lint, the rest passes through directly into the dryer vent hose. Over time, lint can build up in the hose and catch fire. You must clean dryer vents annually.

According to the U.S. Fire Administration:

• 2,900 fires caused by dryers are reported every year

• Each year they cause an estimated 5 deaths, 100 injuries and $35 million in property loss

• 34% of dryer fires are caused by filing to clean them

Signs your dryer vent is clogged or improperly installed:

• If you notice it takes longer than usual to dry clothes (this is actually costing you more money per load)

• The outside of the dryer is hot to the touch

• You smell something burning when the dryer is running

Tips for preventing dryer fires:

• It’s recommended that you have your dryer vent hose cleaned at least once a year.

• There are ways to clean the vent yourself, but it’s always recommended you have a professional take care of the cleaning every six months. (this runs around $100-$150)

• Never leave home or go to sleep while your dryer is on.

• Make sure the covering to the dryer vent outside opens when the dryer is on.

• Inspect the vent hose behind the dryer, make sure it’s not damaged or crushed.

• Buy dryers that use moisture sensors rather than ordinary thermostats to end the auto-dry cycle. Thermostats can allow the dryer to run longer than necessary.

My dryer isn’t drying my clothes.

In most cases, if the dryer is getting hot but the clothes are not drying in one cycle, the dryer vent system has blockage. Lint builds up over time and begins to block the dryer vent path. Connect with us and schedule an appointment so we can solve this problem for you at www.cleanmydryervent.org