Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Dryer Vent Cleaning LaGrange The Wizard Explains how Dryer Lint is Formed


Dryer vent cleaning LaGrange: Dryer vent cleaning eliminates a fire hazard while prolonging the life of your dryer and your clothing. Dryer vent cleaning saves energy and prevents mold and mildew damage to homes. Do you understand why dryer vent cleaning is so important?

Failure to clean dryer vents is the number one cause dryer related fires. Dryer lint is the culprit. What do you know about dryer lint and how it is formed?

How is dryer lint formed? Where does dryer lint come from?

The lint screen traps about 60% of lint removed from tumbling laundry. Dryer lint is simply small fibers that are shed from clothing as it agitates in your washer. Heat and tumbling motions cause clothing and other materials in the dryer to break down and produce lint.

The dryer forces heated air through laundry as it tumbles in the rotating dryer drum, allowing clothing fibers to break loose and form clumps of lint.

As the dryer heats and dries your laundry, it also dries the lint. Air flow forces the lint into the lint screen. Remember, I mentioned that only 60% of dryer lint is trapped in the lint screen. Where does the rest go? Great question. The answer is pretty scary!

Lint is evil and sneaky; it can escape into the back of your dryer and your dryer vent system. In the dryer cabinet, lint can cause problems with the motor, belts, pulleys, and other moving parts inside the dryer.

Dryer lint is the main ingredient required for a rapidly spreading dryer fire. As dryer lint builds up in the dryer ducts air flow is blocked. As air flow is reduced, heat and moisture cannot easily escape. Now, the lint, that should be dry, is moist. It sticks to the sides of your dryer duct and attracts more lint. Add a small spark from inside the dryer to the lint built up in your dryer duct to complete the recipe for a devastating fire.

In addition to causing the fire, lint provides ample fuel to keep it burning and allow it to do serious damage to your property.




Over 15,000 dryer fires are reported annually, with failure to clean dryer vents being the number one cause. Dryer fires cause millions of dollars in property damage and death and injury to people and pets every year.

The lint screen needs to be cleaned after EVERY load of laundry. Professional dryer vent cleaning is recommended periodically by the U.S. Fire Administration to keep dryers operating safely and efficiently.

Manny and Joyce Diesman own Dryer Vent Wizard of Greater Chicago, providing dryer vent cleaning, dryer vent repair, dryer vent installation, for residential and commercial buildings in the Greater Chicago area, Western Springs, Hillside, McCook, Hodgkins, LaGrange, Indian Head Park, Countryside, Justice, Summit, Brookfield, Berwyn, Chicago, Westchester, Broadview, Hines, Riverside, Forest Park, Cicero, Warrenville, Naperville, Lisle, Woodridge, Winfield, Ontarioville, Wheaton, Carol Stream, Glendale Heights, Hanover Park, Bloomingdale, Roselle, Streamwood, Hoffman Estates, Schaumburg, Glen Ellyn, Lombard, Medinah, Addison, Villa Park, Elmhurst and neighboring cities and communities.

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Saturday, January 2, 2010

Dryer Vent Cleaning and Winter Safety Tips from the Wizard of LaGrange

Dryer vent cleaning helps clothes dryers operate efficiently, saving energy while eliminating a potential fire hazard. If you have a gas dryer with inadequate ventilation, then you also have a possible carbon monoxide threat. Here are some additional winter safety tips:

Keep ice and snow cleared away from all vents on the outside of your home, on the ground and the roof. It is important to keep dryer vents and furnace vents clear so toxic fumes and gas by-products can be released from your home.

Be careful with space heaters. Keep combustibles away from the heater. Do not use kerosene heaters as a supplementary heat source in your home. This is a safety hazard and a carbon monoxide threat.

Check smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors; make sure all have fresh batteries. Keep a working fire extinguisher in your home.

Properly maintain your fireplace and dispose of ashes with care.

Thousands of dryer fires occur each year; failure to clean dryer vents is the leading cause. Dryer vent cleaning prevents fires, conserves energy, extends dryer life and reduces the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.



There are more fires and carbon monoxide accidents during the winter months. When temperatures are below freezing, the house is closed up; therefore, carbon monoxide levels can increase more quickly.

These winter safety tips are provided by Manny and Joyce Diesman, owners of Dryer Vent Wizard. Dryer vent systems are their only specialty and focus, making them the experts. Dryer Vent Wizard services ensure your clothes dryer operates safely and efficiently.

Manny and Joyce provide Dryer vent cleaning, dryer vent repair, dryer vent installation, for residential and commercial buildings in the Greater Chicago area, Western Springs, Hillside, McCook, Hodgkins, LaGrange, Indian Head Park, Countryside, Justice, Summit, Brookfield, Berwyn, Chicago, Westchester, Broadview, Hines, Riverside, Forest Park, Cicero, Warrenville, Naperville, Lisle, Woodridge, Winfield, Ontarioville, Wheaton, Carol Stream, Glendale Heights, Hanover Park, Bloomingdale, Roselle, Streamwood, Hoffman Estates, Schaumburg, Glen Ellyn, Lombard, Medinah, Addison, Villa Park, Elmhurst and neighboring cities and communities.

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Dryer Vent Cleaning - The Wizard of LaGrange Speaks Out

Don’t Let Your Dryer Start a Fire! Keep Your LaGrange, Illinois Home Safe and Sound

Dryer Vent Cleaning is Important! Most people have their furnaces cleaned regularly; however, very few people think of the clothes dryer in relation to appliance maintenance. According to the National Fire Protection Association over 15,000 dryer fires are reported each year. Failure to clean the dryer vent and duct system is the cause of most of these fires. Believe it or not, your clothes dryer is more likely to cause a fire than your furnace or stove! Dryer Vent Wizard recommends annual dryer vent cleaning.

Dryer Vent Cleaning Prevents Carbon Monoxide Poisoning in LaGrange, Illinois


Besides being a fire hazard, improper dryer venting also poses a carbon monoxide risk. The dryer vent system removes gas by-products from your home if you have a gas dryer. Dryer Vent Wizard recommends a complete inspection of your dryer vent system to be sure it is functioning safely.

Dryer Vent Cleaning Reduces Energy Bills for LaGrange, Illinois Residents

When a dryer vent and the dryer ducts are clogged with lint, air flow is restricted, causing your dryer to work harder and use more energy. This creates higher utility bills and a greater chance of the appliance breaking down. Appliance repairs and/or replacement can be expensive. You can prolong the life of your clothes dryer with proper dryer vent cleaning and maintenance. Dryer Vent Wizard provides dryer vent cleaning, maintenance, repairs, installation and dryer vent inspections for homes and businesses in your area.

Dryer Vent Cleaning Prevents Fires in LaGrange, Illinois

A clothes dryer fire is caused by lint build-up which restricts airflow and leads to overheating. Dryers produce a lot of lint and simply cleaning the lint screen is not enough. Though the lint filter catches most of the lint, some will escape and end up in the dryer vent system. The dryer ducts remove lint and moisture from your clothes; the moist lint doesn’t always make it to the vent outside of your home. It can stick to the sides of the ducts where it builds up and eventually dries to a hard paste. This hard paste attracts more sticky lint, eventually creating a blockage which can cause a fire.

Dryer Vent Inspections and UL Safety Standards in LaGrange, Illinois

Underwriters Laboratories is an independent product safety certification organization that has been testing products for safety for over a century. Dryer Vent Wizard will inspect your dryer vent system to be sure it meets UL Safety standards in your community.

Dryer Vent Wizard of LaGrange, Illinois Recommends Shorter Dryer Ducts

It used be that most clothes dryers were in the basement, on an outside wall, with a relatively short, straight vent to the outdoors. These days many newer homes tend to have their laundry area located away from an outside wall; some are on the second floor. This means dryer vents are much longer and contain some elbows and bends where lint can accumulate. They’re also harder to reach therefore more difficult to keep cleaned. The ideal dryer vent system is short and straight. Dryer Vent Wizard has special tools for reaching the hard to get to places.

Dryer Vent Wizard of LaGrange, Illinois Uses Rigid Venting Material, not Vinyl

Dryer ducts should be made of rigid or semi-rigid metal, not the flexible foil or vinyl type that was used in the old days. The flexible vinyl type of tubing crushes easily and restricts air-flow. Dryer Vent Wizard professionally installs semi-rigid metal dryer vent systems in homes and commercial buildings.

Dryer Vent Wizard of LaGrange, Illinois Inspects to Ensure Proper Installation

Dryer Vent Wizard does not advise use of sheet metal screws when attaching multiple sections of vent pipe together. They use foil tape instead to eliminate protuberances that cause obstructions where lint can accumulate, eventually leading to a restriction which hampers dryer vent cleaning and allows lint to build up.

Wash the Lint Screen to Remove Residue Build-up

Few people are aware that the dryer vent screen should be washed thoroughly with warm soapy water every few months to remove residue build up caused by dryer sheets. It is actually possible for the lint screen to have so much build-up on it that it will hold water! This definitely restricts air flow and causes the dryer to take more than one cycle to properly dry a load of clothes.

Bugs, Mice, Birds and Critters in LaGrange, Illinois

If you have mice in your house, you have probably called exterminators or tried your own critter traps to get rid of the pests. But this is just a temporary solution until more critters come in. The only effective way to get rid of them for good is to stop them from getting into your home in the first place. The one major path of entry that mice have into your home is the dryer vent.

Birds have been known to build nests in dryer vents which prevent lint from escaping. Bees, wasps and hornets nests have also been found in dryer vents. Dryer Vent Wizard recommends annual dryer vent cleaning and regular inspections to be sure the dryer vent system is free of clogs.

Dryer Vent Cleaning and Tips from Dryer Vent Wizard of LaGrange, Illinois


• Make sure your dryer vent system is up to city, state and manufacturer’s codes
• Replace plastic or foil vent with semi-rigid or solid metal material
• Keep the lint screen clean; check before and after each load
• Wash lint screens with soap and water every few months to remove residue from fabric softener sheets
• Have professional dryer vent cleaning done annually
• Don't keep combustibles like chemical cleaning products or chemical laden rags near your clothes dryer
• Don't leave the house or go to sleep with your dryer running
• In cold weather, check outside vent cover to make sure it's not blocked or frozen shut

Dryer Vent Wizard of LaGrange, Illinois Shares Warning Signs to Watch for

• The dryer takes more than one cycle to get a load dry
• No lint visible on lint screen
• Dryer repeatedly stops during a cycle
• Clothes have moldy smell after dry cycle
• Clothes are very hot after a dry cycle

Dryer Vent Wizard is the dryer vent cleaning and repair expert to call for service. The service call is very little compared to the loss of your home or the lives of you and your family if you should experience a clothes dryer fire.

Please watch this video provided by Dryer Vent Wizard of LaGrange, Illinois

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/26507771#26507771


Dryer Vent Wizard, provides Dryer vent cleaning, dryer vent repair, dryer vent installation, for residential and commercial buildings in the Greater Chicago area, Western Springs, Hillside, McCook, Hodgkins, LaGrange, Indian Head Park, Countryside, Justice, Summit, Brookfield, Berwyn, Chicago, Westchester, Broadview, Hines, Riverside, Forest Park, Cicero, Warrenville, Naperville, Lisle, Woodridge, Winfield, Ontarioville, Wheaton, Carol Stream, Glendale Heights, Hanover Park, Bloomingdale, Roselle, Streamwood, Hoffman Estates, Schaumburg, Glen Ellyn, Lombard, Medinah, Addison, Villa Park, Elmhurst and neighboring cities and communities.

60629, 60632, 60636, 60621, 60609, 60637, 60653, 60615, 60649, 60623, 60608, 60607, 60616, 60602, 60605, 60604, 60603, 60558, 60162, 60525, 60526, 60458, 60501, 60513, 60534, 60538, 60402, 60154, 60155, 60141, 60546, 60804, 60555, 60563, 60540, 60565, 60532, 60517, 60190, 60103, 60187, 60188, 60139, 60133, 60108, 60172, 60107, 60169, 60193, 60194, 60137, 60148, 60157, 60101, 60181, 60126