Simple Habits That Will Make Your Dryer Last Longer

Clothes dryers are an essential part of any home. They make it easy to do laundry by reducing the amount of time needed to clean and dry it. Due to this importance as well as the fact that they are somewhat costly, it’s important to keep them optimally functional for as long as one can. Having an active approach in making the dryer work as expected and last longer will not only reduce the overall cost of using the dryer, but will also prolong its life. Some of the measures one can put in place to facilitate this include:

Using aluminum vent tubing

The quality of tubing used in the dryer has a huge impact on the overall reliability of the machine. Plastic tubing might be cheap, but it tends to break down faster which makes it expensive in the long term. The tubing is also exposed to high temperatures, so when it’s made of aluminum it could increase the risk of fires. In fact, this is why it does not meet federal fire safety minimum standards. If you ever have to replace the tubing in a dryer, make sure that you use aluminum instead of plastic.

Remove the lint after every drying cycle

Every dryer has a lint filter or trap that stores lint from every laundry load. Most dryers are designed such that they have the capacity to hold lint from multiple cycles. However, removing it after every cycle is better since it ensures that it does not accumulate too much. Most lint filters are easy to access, so this should not be difficult for you. With time, it will become routine for you to do this.

Clean the vent tube annually

Blockages of the vent tube account for a huge proportion of damage to dryers. Making an effort to clean them every year is recommended to avoid this. This should be a thorough process, and so should ideally be done by a professional. Some dryers will need dismantling in order to clean the vent, which is also an indication for getting a professional to do it.

Be familiar with what’s normal

Most dryer problems are not sudden, they develop slowly over time. Catching them before they have had time to evolve will make it cheaper to maintain the dryer since the problem will have been identified at an early stage. A good proxy for the functional state of the dryer is the drying time. If you notice that it takes longer for the dryer to work, chances are that it has a problem that has to be sorted out. Calling a repair specialist at this point in time will help identify the problem and fix it before the dryer stops working completely.

Habitually check the vent cap

Most dryers have a vent cap which is located outside the house, normally mounted on a wall. Always make a point of checking that it’s clear of any blockage since this might compromise its function.

With these simple rules, you can easily maintain your dryer in an optimal state for a long time.