The most common cause of dryer fires is lint that builds up in the dryer vent. Lint is hugely combustible and can quickly burst into flames when there is not enough air circulation from the dryer vent to the outside of the building. Follow the steps below to clean a dryer vent and avoid a potentially lethal situation.

"Quick and Easy Method"

• Remove the quick disconnects from the Quick and Easy box.

• Reach into the vent hose, and pull out any lint and buildup. A shop-vac or house vacuum cleaner can help reach inside and usually does a good job of removing the lint.

• Remove the vent on the outside of the house as well. This one may have caulking around the cover, as well as screws. Use a razor knife to cut away the caulk. It may have a sleeve about a foot long. If this is the case, slide it straight out.

• Reach in and clean out the lint or insert your vacuum cleaner tubing into the dryer exhaust tubing. You can reach as far as your arm will go or use the vacuum tubing.

• Look into the vent to see if you missed anything. If it's out of reach use a plumber's snake or other tool (vacuum cleaner tubing).

"The Traditional Method"

• Unplug the dryer (from both gas & electric). If you have a gas dryer, shut off the gas.

• Pull the dryer out to the extension of your vent, (this may require crawling over the dryer).

• Using a screwdriver or nut driver, loosen the 4" clamp (vent clamp) on the back of the dryer.

• Slide the vent off the dryer (be careful to not kink or crush the hose).

• Reach into the hole on the back of the dryer, and pull out any lint and buildup. Reach in as far as you can. A shop or house vacuum cleaner can help reach inside and usually does a good job of removing the lint.

• Reach into the vent tubing you just took off and pull out lint from there, as well. The vacuum works well here also.

• Look at the ends. Most of the lint will build at the ends (within a foot), and not so much in the middle of the vents. If you do find a large buildup in the middle, you can use a plumbing snake to pull it out. A coat hanger or dowel can also extend your reach if the path is fairly straight. However, these can get caught in the material and even cause leaks. Try the flexible hose on your vacuum cleaner to reach inside, whether it is running or not.

• Slide the clamp back over the vent, reattach the vent, tighten the clamp, and slide dryer back into place (be careful to not kink or crush the hose).

• Remove the vent on the outside of the house as well. This one may have caulking around the cover, as well as screws. Use a razor knife to cut away the caulk. It may have a sleeve about a foot long. If this is the case, slide it straight out.

• Reach in and clean out the lint or insert your vacuum cleaner tubing into the dryer exhaust tubing. You can reach as far as your arm will go or use the vacuum tubing.

• Look into the vent to see if you missed anything. If it's out of reach use a plumber's snake or other tool (vacuum cleaner tubing).

• Turn on gas and plug unit back in.

• Run dryer on air fluff for 10 minutes. Debris you just loosened may fly out, so don't stand right outside.

• Recheck the outside vent for obstructions and reattach the outside vent.

Dryer Vent Cleaning Tips

• Clean the lint filter every time you run your dryer. It will help keep lint from building up in the vent (but not prevent it completely). It will also help your dryer run as efficiently as it can.

• While cleaning the vents, you may also want to remove the bottom front panel of the dryer and clean there also. Pay attention to the area around the lint filter, too.

• If your dryer vent is very long with several bends, and you have a leaf blower, you can buy a rubber hose adapter that fits onto both the leaf blower end and the vent piece sticking out of the wall (mine was a 3" to 4" adapter - found in the outdoor PVC pipe area of a home and garden box store), along with some hose clamps. Clamp everything down tightly, and turn leaf blower on. It might surprise you how much lint comes out of the vent even after cleaning it with conventional methods. Some vacuum cleaners also reverse to blow air. If you can't find a fitting, you may be able to improvise one.

• There are devices available to clean out the entire tube, from dryer to roof, basically a brush on a flexible pole. You will not need this except for the worst cases.

• Your dryer outlet may not be on the roof, but sticking out the side of the house. It will always vent directly to the outdoors.

Warning!

• Reach in and out of the vent slowly. There are many sharp screws and edges inside the vent. Use caution. Wear gloves and use tools wherever possible.

• Clean the vent every year or two. Buildup can cause a fire.

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