Whether you run the maintenance department for a hotel, motel, healthcare facility, or hospital – making sure that dryer vents are cleaned regularly is important for a number of reasons – including preventing fires.
How Does This Happen
A fire can start most anywhere but one of the hazards of using a dryer with a dirty vent is that it causes fires. What happen is that the lint builds up and then the airflow in the vent is obstructed. This causes exhaust gases to build up and when combined with the lint that is built up on the sides, it can cause a fire breakout.
Clean the Vents to Prevent This
A simple solution to some of the fire hazards is to simply make sure that the dryer vents are clean. You should also make sure that lint traps are clean as well. Cleaning the vents and lint traps not only help prevent fires but makes the dryer work more efficiently and this not only saves the facility money but it makes sure that laundry dries faster which helps everyone working in the laundry area. (Or in facilities where customers or guests use the laundry center, it helps them get their clothing done faster).
Avoiding The Hazards Reduces Risk
Along with this potential hazard another one is present as well. If moisture and the exhaust is not able to escape from the building, the dryer has to work harder and can build up heat, which can cause a fire. On another less disastrous note, it also makes laundry take longer to dry and this uses the machine harder and more often than needed. Simply schedule the time and dates it needs to be done and you're all set. Once that time and date comes up, the employee at your facility gets the work order automatically and you never have to worry that this is something that is forgotten or pushed to the side and not done.
Read More: Research Different Fire Protection Systems
One of the great things about CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management Software) is that you can easily schedule preventative maintenance, like having the dryer vents and lint traps cleaned on a regular basis.
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