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Every year, firefighters deal with roughly 37,000 fires at industrial properties, including laundry facilities. The primary cause of fires in industrial laundries is spontaneous combustion.
Whether you manage a large industrial laundry or a small family-owned laundromat, your commercial dryer can create a fire hazard. Lint is often the culprit.
Commercial dryer vent cleaning helps prevent lint buildup, eliminating a major fire hazard. But there’s more to the story than fire prevention.
Read on to find out what dryer vent cleaning can do for your Gainesville, Florida laundry business.
Commercial Dryer Vent Cleaning and Fires
In 2021, a catastrophic fire in Boca Raton laundromat caused $1 million in damages and destroyed a family’s 35-year-old business. At the time, the fire department could not say what caused the fire. Perhaps it was spontaneous combustion, or maybe it was a dryer lint fire.
In a commercial laundry facility, dryer lint is a significant issue.
Lint is highly combustible due to the synthetics used in clothing. When the dryer heats up, the lint also heats up to the point of ignition.
Part of your daily maintenance should include cleaning the lint filters on your commercial dryers. Lint that isn’t filtered may stick to the dryer vent hose and eventually accumulate enough to clog the vent.
At that point, you have a fire hazard. One way to prevent dangerous lint buildup is to schedule commercial dryer vent cleaning.
Is Commercial Dryer Vent Cleaning Necessary?
Efficiency in a laundromat is important not only to you but also to your customers. Optimizing dryer efficiency is a time-saving measure your customers will appreciate. It also saves them (and you) money.
Clean dryer vents are crucial for optimal efficiency. By allowing better airflow, clean vents allow the dryer to operate more effectively. This results in reduced drying time.
From a customer perspective, an efficient dryer saves valuable time. It also means the customer won’t need to keep feeding the dryer money.
As a laundry owner, efficient dryers contribute to lower energy consumption. Your cost savings come in the form of lower utility bills.
Regular dryer vent cleaning and inspection is a simple yet impactful maintenance task that can enhance the performance of commercial dryers.
How Often Should a Commercial Dryer Vent be Cleaned?
At average usage levels, you should have your dryer vents cleaned approximately every 3-5 years.
Dirty Dryer Vents and Dryer Breakdowns
Equipment breakdowns in a commercial laundry can bring business to a halt. Even one dryer out of service is an inconvenience and costs the business money.
Accumulated lint can cause the dryer to overheat. Overheating can lead to mechanical failures, including:
- Damaged heating elements
- Motor failure
- Belt damage
- Thermostat malfunction
These are costly repairs, not to mention the cost of downtime. An out-of-service dryer is a missed income opportunity. It also puts more stress on your other dryers.
Dryer vent care helps reduce breakdowns and ensures your dryers operate smoothly.
Lint Can Cause Excessive Wear and Tear
Accumulated lint can cause excessive friction and strain on a dryer’s moving parts. The drum’s bearings and the belt system are particularly susceptible.
Failing to clean dryer vents causes more wear and tear on a dryer, reducing the dryer’s lifespan.
By removing lint buildup, dryer vent cleaning minimizes the friction and abrasion that these components endure during operation. The reduction in wear and tear not only prevents premature deterioration but also helps maintain the dryer’s overall performance and efficiency.
Investing in dryer vent maintenance is a proactive measure. It helps preserve the longevity of commercial dryers, ensuring continued reliability and functionality.
Dryer Vent Care and Air Quality
Maintaining air quality in Gainesville, FL, is a challenge, considering the area’s high humidity levels. Blocked dryer vents aggravate moisture buildup. Excessive moisture creates an ideal environment for mold and mildew growth.
In a humid climate, this issue is particularly concerning. Mold and mildew can compromise indoor air quality. If you manage the laundry equipment in a residential building, it’s up to you to ensure your equipment doesn’t impact air quality.
Regular vent cleaning is essential to prevent air quality problems. Clean vents help ensure that air circulating indoors remains clean and free from harmful pollutants, reducing the risk of health issues.
Lint Buildup and Carbon Monoxide
Dryer vent safety doesn’t only reduce fire risk. It also helps prevent carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.
You hear more about CO poisoning in homes where there’s a faulty gas furnace. CO poisoning can be an issue in laundromats, especially when using gas-powered dryers.
Gas-powered dryers in laundromats emit carbon monoxide during operation. Blocked or poorly maintained dryer vents can allow CO to accumulate indoors. This creates a serious health risk to customers and staff.
Along with proper ventilation and CO detectors, regular inspection and maintenance of dryer vents help prevent CO buildup.
Clogged Dryer Vents Wear Out Fabric
Dirty dryer vents don’t only impact wear and tear on your equipment. Lint buildup also causes wear and tear on many fabrics.
Lint buildup inside the dryer drum can adhere to clothing during the drying process. Excessive lint on clothes affects their appearance and can cause fabric fibers to weaken prematurely.
By maintaining dryer vents, you can ensure that your customers’ clothing emerges from the dryer clean and free of lint, preserving quality and extending lifespan.
This attention to detail demonstrates a commitment to customer satisfaction and helps differentiate your business in a competitive market.
Clean Dryer Vents Make Happy Customers
Earlier we mentioned how efficiency matters to not only you but also to your customers. Efficient dryers dry faster and require less money to operate. It’s all part of the customer experience.
Clean dryer vents contribute to a positive customer experience in commercial settings. Whether you manage a laundromat or you have commercial driers in a hotel setting, the customer’s experience matters.
By ensuring efficient dry times, your businesses can improve customer satisfaction. That usually encourages repeat visits. Regular dryer vent cleaning is an investment in customer loyalty and the success of your business.
Contact Envirovac for Commercial Dryer Vent Cleaning Today
Maintaining your commercial dryer is vital for performance and safety. Professional cleaning of dryer vents should be part of your maintenance program.
For customers in Gainesville, FL, and surrounding areas, Envirovac Air Duct Cleaning is the leading contractor for dryer vent cleaning services. With over 30 years of expertise, we offer unmatched service quality.
Protect your property, enhance efficiency, and safeguard indoor air quality by requesting an estimate today.
