Video: Dryer Vent Safety

MARTINEZ — Rafi Benbenishti: Hi, I want to give you a tip about dryer vents. Very important facts about dryer vents: there is about 15,000 houses burned every year from clogged dryer vents, about 99 million dollars property damage, about 15 people die every year and 400 injured. The best advice I can give as far as dryer vents; Number one, make sure you never turn on the dryer when you’re not at home. Before you leave home, before you go to sleep, make sure the dryer is off. Before and after every load, you want to make sure that you clean the lint filter. Even check inside the dryer, around the drum, beneath the filter to make sure that there is no buildup of lint, because that could cause a fire.

The closed dryer vent works by forcing hot air outside of the rigid galvanized pipe to the exterior of the home. That pipe can get condensation and can cause the pipe to get clogged. As the pipe gets clogged, that would restrict the air flow of the dryer vent. That’s a potential fire hazard. You want to make sure that the dryer vent is completely cleaned and making sure that the air flow to the exterior part of the home. That is the best way to check by yourself to see if you have any issues, or potential issues for the future. Check the exterior vent, make sure the airflow is strong. If the airflow is strong, then you know that you don’t have a problem as of the moment.

In case you go to check the exterior vent and the airflow is not strong, or there is no airflow at all, that’s when you need to call your local expert and make sure that they come to check your dryer. Check behind the dryer. Make sure the vent is not broken or squished. Pretty much then, that’s when you want to call your local professional, have them come over and fix the problem.