At Owens Chimney Systems, we feel strongly about educating our customers about the best fire safety practices. Our chimney technicians have spent a lot of time in training and certification sessions from the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) learning how to reduce fire hazards in the home. Not only have we learned the best ways to ensure fire safety for chimneys and fireplaces, but we also know how to prevent dryer vents from starting residential fires by 
professionally cleaning the vents. You may wonder why a chimney company would provide dryer vent cleaning services, but your dryer vent system works similarly to your chimney as an exhaust system. You can trust us to keep your family safe from accidental fires involving both of these venting systems in your home. We would like to tell you more about why dirty dryer vents increase your risk of a residential fire.
Why are dirty dryer vents so dangerous?
The statistics tell us exactly how hazardous it can be to ignore dirty dryer vents. The US Fire Administration (USFA) reports that 2,900 residential fires are caused by clothes dryers every year. These fires are responsible for approximately 5 deaths, 100 injuries, and $35 million in property damages. What is the reason for most of these fires? Dirty dryer vents causes the majority of fires, and this means a professional dryer vent cleaning would have most likely prevented these fires from occurring. Your clothes dryer produces a lot of lint every time you use it, and lint is so flammable that the Boy Scouts of America recommend using it to easily and quickly start campfires. You may think you are removing all of the lint from your dryer vent when you clean the lint tray, but lint can get deep down into the vent and accumulate to clog the vent. When your dryer vent is clogged, your dryer overheats to the point of reaching an internal temperature that is hot enough to ignite the lint. When Owens Chimney Systems cleans your dryer vent, we will take care to remove every piece of lint from the vent, which will greatly reduce this fire hazard.
What are the other benefits of having my dryer vent professionally cleaned?
When your vent is clogged, your clothes dryer will not work as efficiently as it should. Your dryer overheats, and this can cause important parts within your dryer to wear out earlier than they should. When your heating element stops working, it can be expensive to repair or replace. You may even need to purchase a new clothes dryer. Another problem that happens when your dryer vent is clogged is your dryer takes longer than one cycle to completely dry a load of clothes. If you ever notice your clothes are damp after going through a full drying cycle, your vent is probably dirty and clogged. A professional dryer vent cleaning from Owens Chimney Systems will prolong the life of your dryer and keep it working efficiently so that it can dry clothes in one cycle, which saves you money on your utility bills.
Avoid clothes dryer fires in your home. Contact us at Owens Chimney Systems to schedule an appointment for our dryer vent cleaning services today.