Tools Of The Dryer Vent Cleaning Trade

Posted on: 28 July 2015

Out of the 3,700 structure fires that occur each year, according to the National Fire Protection Association, at least 9 percent of those fires were linked to washers and dryers. If you operate or manage a laundromat, dormitory or any other commercial facility with several industrial dryers, you may be concerned about the potential fire hazard that a clogged dryer vent can pose.

As you hire a commercial dryer vent cleaning service, you might wonder what tools they'll use to get the job done. The following goes in-depth about the most common tools used in the trade and their effectiveness at removing lint buildup.

Rotary Brushes

The rotary brush is perhaps the most common tool you'll see in use by most commercial dryer vent cleaning services. This relatively simple tool is designed to scrub accumulated lint from the walls of the dryer duct. Rotary brushes rely on motorized devices such as a drill or an attachment connected to a compressed air source to function.

Available in a wide variety of sizes, rotary brushes often prove effective at agitating and dislodging accumulated lint. However, these attachments have a couple of faults. Although cleaning brushes are effective for removing large accumulations of dryer lint, they still have a tendency to push lint further into the duct. The brushes can also prove somewhat difficult to maneuver around tight spaces.

Flexible Rods

Flexible rod attachments offer another way of clearing out excess lint. Instead of utilizing the scrubbing action common with soft-bristled brushes, these attachments feature a series of soft plastic rods connected to one end of a motorized device or compressed air tool. When activated, the rods create a whipping motion that helps remove lint buildup from the walls of the dryer duct. While most flexible rod systems use soft plastic rods, some attachments offer stiffer plastic or metal rods for dealing with stubborn blockages and lint accumulation.

One advantage that the flexible rod system has over rotary brushes that they can fit through extraordinarily small access holes and within formerly unreachable crevices, making them far more versatile than their soft-bristled counterparts. The rods also come in a wide variety of lengths for nearly any type of duct, allowing them to be used in extremely long duct runs.

Nest Removal Tools

In many cases, it's not just excess lint accumulation that poses a problem for your commercial dryers. Birds, rodents and other small creatures can find the snug confines of your dryer ducts a rather comfortable place to settle in and build a nest, especially with an abundance of nesting material right in their grasp.

It can be tough to bust through nests created by birds and small rodents using conventional brushes and rods. Instead, your vent cleaning specialist may resort to bird and rodent nest removal tools to get the job done. These tools come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but they're all capable of destroying and loosening nesting material within dryer vents.

HEPA Vacuum

Heavy-duty vacuums also play a role in removing accumulated lint and other dryer vent debris. These vacuums are typically fitted with HEPA filtration systems to prevent the fine dust within dryer lint from spreading into indoor areas. These vacuums may also feature a wide variety of attachments to further agitate and collect leftover debris from hard-to-reach areas.

It's always a good idea to know what type of tools your commercial dryer vent cleaning service, such as Clearzone Services, brings to the table. In addition to experience, cost and customer satisfaction, you can use the above knowledge to help aid in your search for a reliable and trustworthy cleaning service.

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Summer is Upon Us – Is Your AC Working?

Hi. My name is Laurie Waters. The HVAC contractor was just out at our house last week and did I ever get a lesson from him. You see, we had a warm spell hit and I went to turn our air conditioning on for the first time since last summer. Much to my dismay, it wasn’t working. All I got was a blast of warm air. The fan was bringing the outdoor heat inside. Thank goodness it wasn’t anything major. My unit needed Freon. While he was here, the contractor taught me how to do some routine maintenance around my unit, vents, and filters. I’m going to share this information with you. I hope you find it to be useful.

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