Video: Troubleshooting Dryer Vent Issues

SANTA ROSA — Host, Sarah Rutan: If your dryer is dirty or doesn’t seem to be functioning properly, it may be due to a problem with the dryer vent. Today we’re in Santa Rosa with Diamond Certified Expert Contributor Andy Gatley of Best Chimney Sweep to learn more.

Diamond Certified Expert Contributor, Andy Gatley: Hi, I’m Andrew Gatley with Best Chimney Sweep. A couple questions – different questions that customers have asked me over the years. One is how many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop? I don’t know. The other one is with their dryer vent or their dryer. It’s taking too long. The unit is overheating. And either ‘a’ – I just recently had it cleaned, so it really shouldn’t be dirty, or the line is so short I’ve never had any issues with it in the past.

So, a couple of things that could be going on. One, the line that goes from the unit itself to the wall – sometimes the unit will get pushed back and crushed. Then you can’t, you know – no air flow going through. Especially if you have those – either the [Mylar] or those plastic runs – they have a tendency to crimp and be problematic, so that will shut that off. And a good way to check that is, you know, either take a peek in the back, and if you can’t then a good old mirror or flashlight – check in the back and go from there.

Not only do you want to check on the inside for the crimped lines and whatnot, but just want to check on the outside, because what can happen is if you’ve got plants or bushes – somebody walks by – a dog hits it or whatever – you’ve got this, and now you’ve got this. And that will block it off. Something else I find from time to time are kids love to stash toys and things like that in here, so that will definitely block them off. And then of course the other thing, when these things are much higher a lot of times birds will get in there and they’ll put their nest right here, which is great for them. It’s a rent free condo with heat during the winter, but not so good for you. And again, it can cause a problem with drying time and fire hazard.

Host, Sarah Rutan: To learn more from local top-rated companies, visit our Diamond Certified Expert Reports at experts.diamondcertified.org.