Ventilation vents and longer turns can restrict air flow, causing lint to accumulate inside. To prevent this, an external lint trap is usually installed in clothes dryers that are located on an interior wall or when the length of the dryer vent exceeds 20 to 30 feet. The shorter the overall length of the vent tube and the fewer the number of elbows or turns in the tube, the better. New dryers will only carry air and lint for approximately 18 feet, not including elbows or curves.
To ensure proper ventilation, check the outdoor vent hood for lint buildup. If the vent cap is covered with lint, use a vacuum to vacuum up the outside buildup or add an outdoor lint collector. Be sure to periodically remove and empty the outer fluff mesh to prevent it from accumulating and obstructing ventilation in a potentially dangerous way. Energenics lint filters are a great option for removing 98% of all lint and collecting it automatically.
This ensures low backpressure, resulting in safer and more efficient drying. Additionally, keep in mind that the internal screens of the dryers are designed to fit under the dryer within a specific space. Only ventilated dryers can have primary and secondary lint traps that protect the appliance and its ventilation system from damage caused by the accumulation of fibers in the fabric. Cleaning the lint filter after each load of clothes is important for protecting your appliance from fire, as well as keeping its energy consumption at bay and minimizing drying time. Ventilated dryers use aluminum sheets, semi-rigid ducts, periscope or rigid metal to remove the hot air they generate to dry clothes.
If you have a bedroom window in the basement just below your terrace, you should not use an extension in the ventilation to direct it below the terrace. Secondary lint traps cannot be used with unvented dryers because they don't have a ventilation system. Flexible plastic or sheet metal ducts that were once commonly used to connect dryers to outdoor vents are now banned by most local building codes.Even if you clean the lint filter after each load of clothes, the dryer vent must be cleaned annually. The USFA also reports that “the lack of dryer cleanliness (34 percent) is the leading cause of fires in household clothes dryers”.
The length of the dryer exhaust hoses varies from model to model, so you need to calculate how far the dryer will be from the nearest outside window or wall to know which exhaust hose to choose. Ventilated dryers can be powered by electricity or gas, and you must choose a ventilation system that is suitable for your chosen dryer.Cleaning both the lint buildup from your dryer and cleaning its vents annually is essential for avoiding fire risk and ensuring your family's safety. It is important to remember that regular maintenance is key when it comes to keeping your home safe from fire hazards caused by lint buildup in your dryer vents. To sum up, when choosing a lint filter for your dryer vent, make sure you take into account factors such as length of vent tube, number of elbows or turns in tube, type of dryer (ventilated or unvented), type of fuel (electricity or gas), and distance from nearest outside window or wall. Additionally, remember that regular maintenance is key when it comes to keeping your home safe from fire hazards caused by lint buildup in your dryer vents.
