As a Wenatchee Home Inspections service one of the items that we seem to find frequently is poor dryer ducting. This usually has couple main reasons, the ducting is inaccessible or in a place that no one has ventured in many years and everyone seems to be very familiar with the flexible foil/plastic ducting, so it's okay, right! WRONG!
All too often the dryer duct will terminate in a crawl space that can elevate moisture levels which is an invite to wood destroying insects and organisms (and one heck of a mess). The duct should terminate to the exterior of the home.
But the main reason for proper dryer ducting is fire. The Product Safety Commission estimates that in 1998, clothes dryers were associated with 15,600 fires. My friends in the fire department will verify this fact.
Dryer fires can occur when lint builds up in the dryer or in the exhaust duct. Lint will block the flow of air and allow excessive heat build-up. Dryer fires will most likely start in the dryer venting and lint trap.
Standard building practices typically state that the dryer duct be no more than 25 feet long. It should be 2.5 feet shorter than 25 feet for every 45-degree bend and 5 feet shorter for every 90-degree bend. Ducts should be smooth metal with a minimum diameter of 4". Flexible ducts shouldn't be used. The ducts shouldn't have screws or connectors that could collect lint. The male ends of the duct should face the direction of the airflow.
The duct should vent to the outside and the vent should be at least 3 feet from any other opening. The vent should also have a cap with a damper to keep vermin out of the home. There shouldn't be a screen over the opening since it would trap lint.
Some signs that may be time to clean or replace your ducts are; if clothing is still damp at the end of a typical drying cycle or drying requires longer times than normal, clothes are hotter than normal at the end of the drying cycle, the outside of dryer gets very hot, the outside exhaust vent flapper does not open very much indicating low exhaust velocity, the laundry room becomes more humid than it is usually and a burnt smell is evident in the laundry room.
With a little maintenance of the duct work and dryer you can help prevent this scenario from occurring.
Wenatchee Home Inspections- Fire in the Hose
NCW Home Inspections LLC-509-670-9572NCW Home Inspections, LLC is located in Wenatchee Washington serving Chelan County, Douglas County, Kittitas County, Okanogan County and Grant County Washington.
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