Many people don’t realize it but there are a lot of holes in the side of a house. There are outside faucets, air conditioning pipe and ductwork, foundation vents, and even attic and soffit vents up high. While they are all there for a rational purpose necessary to the functioning of the house, they also serve as a four lane highway of unintended consequences unless they are properly installed and maintained.
The slightest gap can open the door to an invasion of rodents, spiders, insects, mold, and all manner of other undesirable visitors. One of the biggest culprits in this avenue of invasion is the ubiquitous dryer vent sealing service. Unlike many other vents and openings in the side of the house, the dryer vent is one that is designed to both open and close rather than just remain in a fixed state depending on how it was originally installed.
As dryer vents age, they can become clogged open or have some of their louvers break off. This makes an occasional entryway into a full time one. In addition, having a four inch wide hole in your house is not conducive to energy efficiency or cleanliness. A lot of dust can get in through an open dryer vent.
If you suspect that you have any of these problems, the solution is to consult with a dryer vent sealing service. They will be glad to check out the one on your house and let you know if it is a problem or about to become one. In some cases, even when a vent is properly installed and still working at its designed standard, it may be so out of date in comparison to a new one that it would probably pay to upgrade anyhow.
The converse could also be true, where the dryer vent is completely clogged up with lint or else blocked by some sort of animal nest so that it is both an obvious fire hazard as well as a way of seriously degrading the efficiency of your dryer. This forces you to use more energy and take more time to achieve the same amount of dryness.
Fortunately, replacing or resealing a defective dryer vent is not an expensive or time consuming operation, merely one where some professional knowledge allows the inspector to make the right call. It is, however, a job best left to the professionals. “Looks okay to me” has been the doom of many homeowners over time.
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