How to Address Long Dry Times with Laundry

If your clothes are taking too long to dry you have come to the right place! This is usually caused by a lack of air flow. In fact, most of the calls we get about dryers are no fault of their own, but because they can’t get the air outside. Read on to find out what causes this and how to fix it.

Good airflow will not only help avoid dryer fires, it will also prevent costly repairs and lower your electricity bill. If your clothes are taking too long to dry, first make sure that your dryer is heating. Simply start a cycle and let it run for a minute or two. Then open the door and stick your hand inside to feel if it’s heating. If you don’t feel any heat, you are likely not just dealing with an air flow problem. Dependable Appliance Repair is happy to get your dryer heating again if this is the problem.

If on the other hand, you discovered that it is indeed producing heat, let’s check out the air flow. Go ahead and start your dryer again. Now go outside and find your dryer vent outlet. If you can get to it, put your hand over the vent while it is running. The air should push against your hand. If it doesn’t, you have poor air flow. Here are some things to check to find the cause.

First, make sure your lint filter is cleaned before every load. Some dryers, like Bosch, can have such a fine screen it needs to be scrubbed with soap and water occasionally to allow air to flow through it. Next, look behind your dryer and make sure the vent connected to your dryer isn’t crushed. Dryer vents should be semi-rigid or rigid metal ducts with a short path to the outdoors and minimal turns. The flexible, “slinky” duct material should only be used as a last resort. This type of vent crushes easily and collects lint much faster. If you must use this, make sure it’s specifically intended for use with dryers.

Your dryer vent should be cleaned once yearly. You may be able to do it yourself or can hire it done. We recommend Dryer Vent Wizard of ENC for dryer vent cleaning, repairs, and installation. They can also install correct venting material if yours needs to be replaced. Running a dryer for a long time with poor airflow will blow its thermal fuse, causing the dryer to be dead, not heat, or not start.

Dryer Vent Wizard of ENC
Phone: (919) 926-1357
Appointments: dryerventwizardofnenc.com

If you want to try cleaning the vent yourself, here is a handy brush kit to hook up to your drill:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SQYX2FH

If you continue to have long dry times after ensuring that there is adequate air flow, please schedule a service call with us! Just give us a call or schedule online for fast, expert repairs.