Without regular cleaning of your ducting with gas tumble dryers, the risk of fire increases significantly. There are other costly issues as well, such as increased energy costs and more breakdowns and repairs. So how does duct cleaning help and why is it essential?

Air Flow

Gas tumble dryers remove hot moist air through the ducting, enabling the laundry to dry. Good airflow is therefore critical to the operation of a tumble dryer – if the airflow is restricted making it harder to remove the hot moist air, the dryer performance will suffer.

What Are The Issues?

As tumble dryers operate, they emit lint and fluff. Much of this will be captured by lint screens and filters, but some particles will pass through these and go into the ducting. This lint sticks to the sides and will build up over time. This is an image at a site we recently took over with 2 tumble dryers, they had not been having their ducts cleaned, and this is the amount of fluff we cleaned out!

The build-up of lint can cause a number of risks and issues:

  • Fire – Lint is combustible, and gas tumble dryers have a naked flame. With the lint and naked flame in close proximity, fire is always a risk – the majority of fires in laundry rooms will be caused by blocked ducting.
  • Increased energy costs – your dryer is having to work harder and drying times will be extended, meaning it is less efficient and more energy hungry.
  • Poor drying performance – the dryer cannot expel the hot moist air as effectively and efficiently, and the drying results will be poorer.
  • Breakdowns and downtime – if the machine is working harder and less efficiently, this will inevitably lead to more breakdowns and downtime, and higher repair costs over time.
  • Decreased lifespan of the machine – following on from more breakdowns and working harder and less efficiently, the dryer will not last as long, meaning a new machine will be required quicker.
  • Compliance – an employer must by law provide a safe working environment for employees (including Annual Gas Safety checks by a Gas Safe registered company and engineer). Failure to meet legal requirements can lead to penalties and prosecution.

JTM Service Duct Cleaning Service

JTM Service are a Gas Safe Registered company and our engineers are Gas Safe registered, specifically for commercial laundry appliances. We recommend regular duct cleaning, at least every 6-12 months, and our engineers are trained and carry the necessary equipment to conduct a full inspection and clean of your dryer ducts to ensure that you remain safe and compliant and improve your machines performance and efficiency. We offer additional services including the Annual Gas Safety Inspection which is legally required – see https://jtmservice.co.uk/gas-inspections/ for more information.

For more information and advice on dryer duct cleaning and how JTM Service can support you, please contact us on 0113 2572221 or info@jtmservice.co.uk.