Dryer vents needs routine maintenance for fire safety.
The lint from dryers is flammable and can build up on the insides of ducts. Especially problematic are the types of dryer ducts that are corrugated or flexible. The worst of these is the white plastic ones that are no longer allowed on dryers due to their high risk of fire. If you have this type of vent pipe on your dryer get it changed now.
Another very common type of dryer vent is flexible metal foil type vent pipe.
This foil covered plastic vent pipe and is only marginally better than its cousin the white flexible plastic duct. The interesting thing about this pipe is that it is “UL Listed” for installation on dryers—but only as a transition from the dryer to the smooth wall pipe in the wall or floor. This is the main reason we are seeing it installed, and even approved by jurisdictional building inspectors, even though, it is expressly forbidden by the installation instructions of most dryer manufacturers. Maytag does not allow it and here is a picture of what Whirlpool’s installation instructions have to say about it:
Keep in mind that in a “pissing match” between “Building Codes” and “Manufacturer’s Instructions”—the Manufacturer wins.
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