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Traditional gas dryers used to emit carbon monoxide, which made it mandatory for everyone to install their dryer vents outside. Modern electric dryers don’t emit gases, so most homeowners have stopped setting up their dryer vents outside their homes. They mainly do this due to structural challenges or to make their home look more appealing. Regardless of their reason, running a dryer venting inside can lead to many health and structural problems.

Mold and Moisture

The purpose of a dryer vent is to transfer moisture from clothes outside the vents. When you place it inside your home, vents produce warm and humid air. This humid and warm air is a major cause of mold infestation.

This mold infestation affects the air quality of your home, can trigger allergic reactions, and causes major structural problems. Building materials like drywall, bricks, or wood absorb moisture from the air and start deteriorating. If your vent opens into your attic, the mold infestation will decrease the lifespan of your room. If it’s venting into the crawlspace, your floors will start to deteriorate. Either way, you’re risking the structural integrity of your home by venting your dryer vents inside your home.

Fire Hazards

Fluffy and dry lint inside your dryer vent is highly flammable. Even if your dryer has a lint trap, it isn’t efficient at collecting all the lint. When your dryer vent is placed inside, these lint particles will spread in the venting area. Any electrical spark or faulty wire will ignite the lint and cause a fire.

Although homeowners vent their dryers into water containers to contain lint accumulation, doing this can cause moisture and mold issues.

Poor Air Quality

The air that comes out of your vent is contaminated with dirt and bacteria, which affects the air quality inside your home. These vents increase the amount of lint and dust around the house. Despite being non-toxic, lint can aggravate breathing problems like asthma if inhaled.

Building Codes Require Outdoor Ventilation of Vents

The International Residential Code requires outdoor vents for all exhaust systems. If your building or region follows this code, vending your dryer inside can be illegal. This can lead to penalties or fines, or you’ll need to rebuild the vents outside your home.

All these reasons make it necessary to send the exhaust outside. This not only allows you to avoid all these problems but also offers efficient dryer applications. If you’re facing structural challenges installing an outdoor vent, you can opt for flexible pipes. They are great for small corners and do a good job sending the exhaust outside the home.

At Chimney and Dryer Vent Services LLC, we offer dryer vent cleaning and inspection services. All our professionals are certified and experienced, and make sure your vents are free from flammable lint and other substances. We also provide chimney repair services. Contact us for more details.

While preparing your house for potential sellers, ensure your chimney and fireplace are also spruced up. A well-built fireplace and chimney can offer great value when selling your home, but a few mistakes can hamper the process.

This blog will explain everything you need about the chimney repairs required to sell a home at a premium price.

Importance of Chimney Inspections Before Selling a Home

Did you know that the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) requires a Level 2 chimney inspection before selling a property? This is to ensure that chimney doesn’t pose any severe risks to the new homeowners and tells you what needs to be fixed. Sometimes, homebuyers get their own chimney inspections before buying a home to be sure. Suppose you didn’t get the right repairs, and your potential buyer finds some problems during their inspection. They might not buy from you or negotiate the price to a lower value.

Here are some issues that you can discover during chimney inspections:

1. Moisture damage from a missing/broken chimney cap, improper flashing or broken crown
2. Improperly connected chimney liner for the fireplace
3. Incorrect chimney flashing
4. Inadequate distance between combustible materials and heating appliances
5. Chimney or fireplace not meeting safety codes due to deterioration, poor maintenance or improper installation

Chimneys or fireplaces that don’t meet the safety requirements can cause carbon monoxide poisoning or fires. Accumulated debris, creosote and soot cause an unhealthy living environment and many health issues. Moisture damage is another common problem with chimneys that lead to structural problems. Knowing these things before selling your home can help you make the required changes.

What is Level 2 Chimney Inspection?

You must be already getting your annual Level 1 inspection, as advised by the authorities. Level 2 inspection is a more in-depth assessment of fireplace and chimney components to address the deeper issues.

Here’s what it looks like:

 

Step 1: A chimney professional will look for creosote buildup, blockages and any other issues in the ventilation system

Step 2: Next, they will inspect the crown, smoke chamber, cap, damper and firebox. They will also check the structural elements of your chimney to ensure its sound structure.

Step 3: They will access the attic and crawlspace to inspect the exterior for any damage or deterioration.

Step 4: Lastly, they will use video cameras to look deeper inside the chimney and all its components.

 

After the inspection, you’ll receive a report that lists all the issues with your chimney and repair recommendations.

 

Chimney Sweeping

Most homeowners also get chimney sweeping services with chimney inspections. This ensures that your chimney is free from soot, creosote or any blockages and is properly cleaned from top to bottom. Getting the necessary repairs and cleaning will give your buyers peace of mind, and they wouldn’t mind paying a premium price.

Chimney and Dryer Vent Services LLC offers a wide range of chimney services in Gainesville, including fireplace cleaning, chimney caps, chimney inspection, repairs and cleaning.  Our team will ensure that your chimney and fireplace are in the perfect shape to help you sell your home quickly and at a good price. Contact us to get started.

If there’s one thing that all homeowners secretly want, it must be a fireplace. Staying warm during the cold season is necessary; everyone prefers to do it in style. Today, gas logs have risen as the perfect alternative to firewood for many reasons. You’re in the right place if you’re looking for reasons to switch from firewood to gas logs.