Dryer Exhaust Ducts - The Forgotten Duct
Robert Rizen
Vice President | Operations | Technical Trainer | Project Manager | Consulting | Business Coach
Hotel manager: We have had a fire inside our dryer duct, entire hotel full of smoke, can you evaluate for cleaning?
Hotel manager #2: Fire inspector has been here, he has shut down our laundry operation until this gets cleaned and re inspected - we need it done now!
Hospital plant manger: Dryers seem to be running an excessive amount to dry laundry, can you inspect?
University plant manager: Dryer exhaust fan motor has failed, we removed and are horrified to find the duct %100 blocked!
Any of this sound familiar to facility people? Many hotels, hospitals, linen companies, prisons and universities have dryer exhaust ducts. Do these need cleaning? Absolutely! Whether its for routine maintenance, fire prevention, dryer component longevity or fire inspection mandatory, these systems need cleaning.
This is usually a budget cutting item, save money by not cleaning them. I can tell you that dryer exhaust cleaning is cheaper than even a small fire. By a large amount!
Never mind the fire prevention aspect, what about extending the life of your dryers, keeping the exhaust flowing helps to keep temperatures down, less heat equals extended component life for sensors, motors and switches.
Sticky fabric softener and starch build up turns lint into super sticky clumps, this adheres to everything inside the exhaust system. This layer keeps adding on to itself every time you do laundry. Think about how much your machines are in operation hours, days, non stop. Once the pre filter gets full its often not cleaned or simply removed - the staff figured it was better this way.
How would your facility do with the laundry operation shut down for a week or more after a fire or some equipment failures?
Maintenance and proper operation help to keep the machines running. Your facility is a machine isn't it?
Pictured above is a large hotel dryer exhaust system, complaints of a burned out fan motor, strange wet "dog" smell and poor performance where investigated. Dryer lint and fabric softener was over a foot deep in the 50' main trunk line. Obviously cleaning was way over due.
Feel free to contact me for a free inspection of your commercial dryer exhaust system.