Why Is My Dryer Taking Forever to Dry Clothes?

Why Is My Dryer Taking Forever to Dry Clothes?

Are you tired of asking “Why Is My Dryer Taking Forever to Dry Clothes!?” Do your clothes require two to three drying cycles? Have you ever worn damp clothes to work?  Is your dryer working as it should?  If you answered yes to any of these, you are in the right place!

Nothing can be more frustrating and exasperating than a dryer that’s taking forever to dry clothes.

Most of the time, dryers start losing their efficiency with age. However, time is not the only factor that’s killing your machine. As per the experts, low maintenance ruins more dryers than age does.

The first thing that you need to understand is how your dryer works.

How Your Dryer Works – How to Keep It Clean

Every dryer dries clothes using hot air. The air is sucked into the dryer through the vents, heated and blown into the room. The heat is derived either from natural gas, propane gas, or electricity.

The moisture-laden air blows and terminates outside the house via a duct with a lint screen near its mouth. When the air blows out of the house, it sucks lint and dirt along with it.

The lint gets stuck in the lint screen, accumulates over time, and blocks the mouth of the dryer, eventually tampering its performance.

So, the best way to keep your dryer running strong is to keep it clean. Cleaning your dryer every six months for light users and two-three times a year for medium to heavy users is recommended.

I’ve Cleaned My Dryer & My Dryer Is Still Taking Forever To Dry My Clothes. What Now?

Besides lint, your dryer may also malfunction if any part of it wears out or breaks. If any of these parts go out, your dryer could start taking forever to dry your clothes. Some of the most common parts that cause a dryer to lose its efficiency are:

Does Your Driver Have a Jammed Blower Wheel?

 A Dryer’s blower wheel along with the drive motor is what drives in the air inside the dryer drum. When any lint or dirt manages to pass the lint screen, it gets stuck into the blower wheel.

Over time, as lint keeps accumulating on the blower wheel, the sleeve of the blower wheel starts to wear out. Due to this, the blower wheel starts to wobble, which eventually makes it hard for the machine to work efficiently.

To determine the condition of your dryer’s blower wheel, remove the dryer and check the airflow. If the flow is weak, check the wheel. If it wobbles, get it replaced.  Schedule an appointment today and Superior Dryer Vent technician will professionally inspect and replace your dryer’s blower wheel.

Want to dry to replace your dryer’s blower wheel yourself? We love our DIY community! Here’s a link to a viable dryer blower wheel. Just call us if you need guidance during the installation.

Once you fix your dryer’s blower wheel your clothes will resume drying fast and in one cycle (not three)!

Have A Gas Powered Dryer? Check Your Solenoid Gas Valve

If you are using a Gas powered dryer, then this is for you. Gas-powered dryers have more than two solenoid coils. The solenoids are what stands between the gas and the burner. A broken solenoid may cause an improper flow of gas into the burner.

Check if the igniter lights the gas after it glows to determine if the solenoid is broken. In the event it doesn’t, it is time for you to replace the valve. It is better to replace the whole set at a time.

Dysfunctioning Moisture Sensor

In modern dryers, manufacturers place motion sensors inside the machine, which sends the moisture level to the control board. The board regulates the hot air flow according to the data. A dysfunctioning moisture sensor may send wrong information to the board, which will eventually hamper its functionality. 

If your dryer is left unmaintained for a prolonged period, your dryer could take forever to dry your clothes. Opting for a professional to assess the issue is a wise choice unless you know what you are doing. An efficient dryer not only dries your clothes fast but also keeps the bill in check. Contact Us today to talk with a professional dryer cleaning and repair expert. Schedule your free dryer vent inspection today or join the waiting list and save money!

 

Dryer Vent Cleaning 101 – 3 Main Benefits to Dryer Vent Cleaning & Maintenance

3 Main Benefits to Dryer Vent Cleaning & Maintenance

Cleaning your dryer vent once a year is a wise idea, but the more, the merrier if you are a frequent user.

Regular maintenance of your dryer helps remove debris and lint, which gets trapped inside your vent over time.

An uncleaned vent can promote the growth of pollutants, allergens, increase risks of fire, and a lot more that can jeopardize your safety.

There are thousands and one reason that shows why you should keep your dryer vent properly clean and avail regular maintenance. 

For you, we have picked the three most important reasons that will help you easily understand why you should keep your dryer clean and maintained.

Speed Up Drying Time

If your dryer is taking more than a cycle to completely dry a load, then the possible reason behind this can be a clogged dryer vent line. Clogged dryer vent line decreases your dryer’s performance and also increases the risk of fire hazard.

Cleaning your dryer vent line will improve its efficiency dramatically. Your clothes will be dried in a single cycle.

You can notice the difference with a single cleaning session of your dryer vent line.

Apart from it, clogged dryer vents will also consume more energy for the same reasons.

Eliminates the Risk of Fire

When it comes to the risk of dryer fires, lint is one of the leading causes that can catch fire and cause heavy property damage.

Lint is a highly combustible material, and when the dryer blows out the moisture from your room, it also sucks up the loose lint from your clothes.

A dryer that has been left uncleaned for a prolonged period will accumulate lint in its vent over time. Lint not only possesses fire hazard risk but possess health risks too.

How?

Accumulated lint blocks the exhaust of your vent. This means it is blocking carbon monoxide from exiting the dryer, which eventually gets trapped inside the dryer room. Being an odorless gas, it will kill you slowly and silently through carbon monoxide poisoning.

Sounds like a scene straight out Final Destination, right?

Every year, thousands of fire cases are reported across the US due to the dryer fire. Cleaning your dryer once a year is a wiser choice than jeopardizing your life.

Keep Your Dryer Running Strong

Whenever your dryer is taking more than a single cycle to dry your clothes, you will end up cursing the dryer or the seller. Though, in most cases, the culprit is hiding inside the dryer.

Lint that has accumulated inside the dryer vents prevents it from functioning efficiently and even causes a complete breakdown.

Clogged dryer vents can dramatically shorten your dryer’s lifespan. Cleaned dryer vents keep your machine running for a longer period with utmost efficiency and also protect you from possible hazards.

Most of us hesitate to spend money on the maintenance of our dryer, but in the long run, we end up spending double for its repair.

So, a wise decision is to clean your dryer vent once a year if you’re a moderate user. In the event, you use it frequently, twice or thrice a year is the best choice.

Not only lint, but uncleaned dryer vents can also be a cozy warm spot for rodents and birds to build their nest as well.