The stuff you see in the photo is dryer vent lint. And in this case the dryer vent was completely stuffed. Dryer vent fires are more common events than one might think. But if you look at it not necessarily unexpected. When you dry your clothes, you are using flame and very hot air, in the case of a gas dryer. Dryer vents can get full of a very fine lint, which is extremely flammable, that combination can produce “dryer vent fires”.
Here is a video of a dryer vent cleaning done in Chino Hills, California.
Here is a video showing a clogged dryer vent and the cleaning of the vent.
Most people do not realize how important it is to keep your dryer vent free of debris. Dryer vent cleaning is essential for the safety of you and your family and home. If your dryer vent is clogged, it can catch fire and destroy your home. Below is a video of a dirty dry vent and a video of a dryer vent being cleaned.
This is a photo of a very very dirty dryer vent. It was a rental property and the owner had a reputation of not doing any upkeep on the property. You can see that the lint has charred and very nearly to catch on fire. That this landlord put the lives of others at risk due to dryer vent fire is appalling. Making money over human loss or life is just wrong.
Pardon my little rant. But this was so close to catching on fire and it could have happened at night and lots of nasty things……
BEFORE CLEANING
AFTER CLEANING
Here I am a professional in the trade of cleaning dryer vents. And to my embarrassment, I recently had a situation come up. My wife complained of smelling smoke when she dried some clothes. I poopooed her. First, that is never a good idea. But here is where my “knowledge” got in the way of actually looking at her complaint. I “knew” my dryer vent exited my dryer thru a 18″ flex hose and went directly outside thru a 5″ wall, so it could not be a problem. In my mind, there was no way the vent could be plugged and capable of causing a fire. When I finally got around to looking at it, I found that the maid had pushed the dryer vent back, too far against the wall, and crimped the flexible vent nearly closed. This did not allow full exhaust flow, lint built up, and the heat sensor did not shut off the dryer. Low and behold, the trapped lint actually started to smoulder. It was quite by luck, that I did not have a full on fire. The inside of the dryer actually turned black!! Read more
