Dryer Vent Cleaning and Repair – Clogged Dryer Vents, Dryer Lint, Dryer Fires, Carbon Monoxide

Gas powered appliances are typically cheaper to operate than electric, but they do require maintenance to ensure they are working safely and efficiently. All gas appliances must be properly vented to eliminate the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. This includes gas clothes dryers!

As your wet laundry tumbles in your gas dryer, and the dryer burns gas fuel, the by-products, including carbon monoxide, must be safely vented from your home. The dryer vent system is responsible for removing heat, moisture and gas by-products by forcing it out through the dryer vent outside. By law, all gas dryers must be vented outside.

I’m sure you clean the lint screen after every load, as you should, but did you know that only 60 percent of the lint that is removed from your laundry ends up in the lint filter? The rest escapes to the inside of the dryer, around the motor, belts and pulleys, or into the dryer vent system. As the dryer lint sticks to the sides of the dryer ducts, it builds up and reduces the air flow your dryer desperately needs in order to work safely and efficiently.

When the dryer vent is clogged with lint, it makes it harder for the hot, moist air to escape. Lint build-up in dryer vent systems can cause dangerous levels of carbon monoxide to enter your home too. Carbon monoxide is odorless, colorless, difficult to detect, and it is deadly!

Some of the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include:

Dizziness
Headaches
Nausea
Eyes burning
Feeling faint and tired

Many people who experience these symptoms don’t realize it until it's too late. They attribute their symptoms to some other ailment. With carbon monoxide, you will not smell the fuel leak as it takes over your home.

What if you are feeling the symptoms?

Consider yourself very lucky if you experience the symptoms before you pass out and die! If you are having any of the above symptoms, even if you are not sure of the cause, turn off gas appliances and go outside for some fresh air. If you feel better within a few minutes, chances are likely that there is a carbon monoxide leak in your home.

Go back inside, just long enough to open windows and call your local gas company to report your concern; then, go to a safe place to wait for them to arrive. If you symptoms are very severe, you may need to have a neighbor watch for the gas company while you go to the hospital for treatment. They will have the necessary equipment to test for carbon monoxide and fix the problem. Chances are, you will need to have your appliance repaired or replaced.

The best way to deal with carbon monoxide poisoning is to prevent it in the first place. Like the furnace, which most people have serviced regularly, a clothes dryer should also have periodic professional inspection, cleaning and maintenance. A professional will clean everything out, be sure there is proper air flow and let you know if there are any parts that may soon become problems, so you can catch them before they occur.

Dryer vent cleaning and maintenance are recommended annually to prevent dryer fires, carbon monoxide poisoning and to ensure your dryer is operating efficiently to reduce energy bills. The cost of this service is very little compared to the loss of your home or your life.

D. Benson is the head of franchising for Dryer Vent Wizard, a company who provides dryer vent cleaning, dryer vent repair, dryer vent installation and dryer lint cleaning for consumers and businesses in over 50 major market areas in the US.


Dryer Vent Wizard is a nationwide company servicing many market areas including Boise, ID; Charlotte, NC; San Diego, CA; Leesburg, VA; Arlington, VA, Fairfax, VA; Connecticut; Raleigh, NC; Washington DC, VA; Livonia, MI; Denver, CO; Cleveland, OH; Boston, MA; Massachusetts, New Hampshire; Birmingham, MI; Bloomfield Hills, MI; Wausau, WI; Long Island, NY; Sacramento, CA; Temecula, CA; Baltimore, MD; Columbus, OH; Minneapolis, MN; St. Joseph, MO; Kansas City, MO; Boca Raton, FL; Atlanta, GA; York, PA; Lancaster, PA; Nashville, TN; Murfreesboro, TN; Seattle, WA; Chicago, IL; Santa Rosa, CA; Vallejo, CA; San Francisco, CA; Fresno, CA; Louisville, KY; Cincinnati, OH; Birmingham, AL; Baltimore, MD; Pittsburg, PA; Modesto, CA; Syracuse, NY