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HOW DO CLOTHES DRYERS WORK?

Pleasant Hill Chimney Cleaning

We’ve discussed the importance of clean dryer vents, but most people don’t even know how a dryer works and the impact the vents have on things. I wanted to take a moment and explain how dryer vents work. The following is the simplistic explanation of how clothes dryers work:

  1. Air comes to the main body of the dryer through a hole in the front.
  2. The air then passes by a heating element in the dryer and goes into its tumbler to begin drying the clothes.
  3. Afterwards, the air then goes through the holes in the door and to the lint screen.
  4. Once it’s through the lint screen, the air goes past a duct in the front of the dryer and into the fan.
  5. The dryer fan pushes the air into the duct and out through the back of the dryer where it should make its way out of the house. However, if this passageway is dirty/clogged, it can be a very serious fire hazard.

Here are descriptions of some key features of clothes dryers:

HEATING ELEMENT

The dryer heating element is usually made of nichrome wire. Most people do not understand this terminology but think of the wiring you see in your toaster over to make it toast your bread. The heating element uses a high amount of power, up to 6,000 watts. In order to ensure the air goes through this key piece before it goes into the tumbler area, there is a metal stamping to direct the air.

TUMBLER

This piece is where you place your clothes for drying. After going through the heating element, the hot air goes through your clothes to dry them.

DOOR HOLES

Following the clothes being dried, the air then goes through holes in the dryer door and head to the lint screen.

LINT SCREEN

This is the dryer section that traps some of the particles that are on clothes and in the air.

FAN

This is a big device that pushes the air out of the dryer and to the outside world through a duct/dryer vent.

Dryer vents serve an important role in being a highway for the exiting air from dryers. If it gets clogged or too dirty, it poses a fire hazard. We highly recommend regular cleanings.

Now that your chimney is clean, take a moment and have your dryer vents cleaned to avoid issues and provide choices. If you have questions or want to have your Bay Area home inspected, please contact Sal at the Irish Sweep.

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