The most common cause of dryer fires is lint that builds up in the dryer vent. Lint is hugely combustible and can quickly burst into flames when there is not enough air circulation from the dryer vent to the outside of the building. Follow the steps below to clean a dryer vent and avoid a potentially lethal situation. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Unplug the dryer. If it is a gas dryer, turn the gas off. Move the dryer away from the wall only as far as the dryer vent will allow. This is typically about two feet.
2. Loosen the vent clamp on the back of the dryer with a screwdriver. Remove the vent from the back of the dryer.
3. Remove lint from the vent and also from the hole in the back of the dryer. The majority of lint will be found toward the end of the vent hose. If there seems to be more built up in the middle you can straighten a wire coat hanger and push it from the middle to either end.
4. Replace the vent clamp and slide the dryer back to its original spot.
5. Go to the outside of the house and remove the vent cover. You may have to scrape away some caulk from around the cover. The foot-long vent tube should slide right out. Remove lint from inside the hole. You may have to use the clothes hanger again if there is debris that you can't reach. Slide the vent tube back in and replace the cover.
6. Plug the dryer back in and, if it is a gas appliance, turn the gas back on. Run the dryer for a few minutes to make sure air is unobstructed while flowing through the vent.
Tags: back dryer, dryer vent, dryer back, lint from, Remove lint