Your Residents Deserve Professional Inspections
Every state has requirements for keeping multi-unit buildings free of fire hazards. Fire codes may differ between states, but the same idea holds true: getting annual inspections for fireplaces, dryer vents, and chimneys is critical to the safety of residents and the property itself. That’s why there are National fire and safety codes that require annual inspections.
Not every resident is responsible, or knowledgeable about the fire hazard a clogged dryer vent can cause. While it’s important that residents clean out lint traps, it’s even more important to make sure the dryer vents hoses are cleaned and inspected every year.
While you or your maintenance staff may be tempted to perform inspections yourself, you’ll save so much more money and time by hiring a professional cleaning service like Asurety.
Problems with dryer vents
Excess drying times
Most “normal” cycles on newer dryers require about 40 minutes of drying time for average clothing like T-shirts and jeans. If clothing is taking significantly longer than 40 minutes to dry, then an inspection of the system should be made. Over time, the mechanical parts of a dryer do wear out, but most often, excessive drying times are due to a clog in the dryer vent.
Burning Smell
Anytime a resident tells you about a “funny” smell, you want to check it out.
When a motor is strained beyond its abilities, there’s quite often a metallic burning smell. Strain on a motor can cause sparks, or heat that melts rubber, or it could cause the ignition of wiring or surrounding dust and fibers.
Hot Exterior
We can’t stress enough that a clogged dryer vent not only could start a fire within the vent hose, a clog could strain the motor of the dryer causing a mechanical failure. This mechanical failure could result in a fire within the dryer, or within the electrical wires of your laundry room.
It’s not common for many of us to have a reason to come in physical contact with our dryer once we start a cycle. Yet, feeling the sides of the dryer as it’s running can be further evidence that the dryer vent is clogged. A dryer will run hot when the motor is having to strain to dry clothes due to a clogged dryer. That’s why a quick feel of the sides of the dryer during or directly after a cycle can tell you a lot about how well it is functioning.
Sizable Lint
The lint trap in a dryer is a wire mesh filter designed to catch fibers, hairs and other debris before the hot air is vented out through the dryer’s vent hose. If the lint trap weren’t in place, lint would build up quickly in the vent hose, and the chances of a fire or mechanical failure would increase substantially. Likewise, when a lint trap is in place but isn’t cleaned out regularly, the strain on the machine could result in performance failures or a fire.
If a resident is cleaning the lint trap at every use, and there is an abnormally large amount of lint in the trap, this is an indication of a clogged dryer vent. Without a clear vent hose to transport out the smaller fibers, hairs and debris that pass through the lint trap, there’s even more build-up of lint in the trap. Be sure to tell your residents to “report excessive lint!”
The importance of a professional
A professional cleaning service will know to look for each of those possible problems above. They’ll make sure to inspect not only the cleanliness—or lack thereof—of the dryer vent hoses, they’ll also visually inspect the wear and tear, the age, the joints, and the junctions between the dryer and the outside vent exit.
A professional service will have a number of tools that will help them get into the nooks and crannies of the dryer vent to make sure the dryer vent is clear of lint or hair. They’ll also keep an eye out for any mold in or around the dryer vent. Mold can be an indication of a leak, or aging materials, or clogged venting. Aside from causing deterioration of the home, mold can also cause health problems for tenants.
If you leave this sort of service up to a property staff member, there could be things that get overlooked which could result in hefty fines from the Fire Marshal. In addition, property managers and owners risk harm to residents or loss of property if a fire breaks out due to a clogged dryer vent.
The professionals at Asurety
Asurety is a licensed, bonded, insured company with a trusted, quality reputation for providing thorough and accurate fireplace, dryer vent and chimney inspections.
Our solutions experts take their job seriously, and they pride themselves on the thorough and detailed reporting they provide to property managers like you. They make sure to explain every part of the inspection report, so that you understand what you need to fix before the Fire Marshal comes. By setting you up to succeed with the Fire Marshal, we’re making sure that he or she perceives you as the caring, responsible, detailed property manager that you are. Who doesn’t love a few extra brownie points from the Fire Marshal?
Time and again, we hear from our customers about the time and money we saved them. Properties who formerly failed inspections, have since passed with flying colors now that they have hired Asurety.
Let the dryer vent professionals at Asurety ensure the ease and success of your next inspection by the Fire Marshal.