Secondary Lint Trap for Gas Dryer
A Secondary lint trap is an appliance of drying machines that catch the fibers produced by clothes while drying. Thus enhancing the efficiency of dryers, reduces the possible fire hazard caused by lint.
Secondary Lint Trap for Gas Dryer
One of the problematic aspects of clothes dryers is the lint. Lint shed from the clothes causes some serious issues such as clogging up the dryer vent, preventing the flow of air, making the clothes damp and most importantly increasing the risk of fire hazards. Therefore, most drying machines have built-in lint traps.
However, primary or built-in lint traps are not always enough to reduce the lint problem. In many cases, built-in traps can not catch all the lint and get easily clogged up. Also, the exhaust fan may not be strong enough to carry lint for a long distance. In these cases, a secondary lint trap just saves the day.
What is a lint trap?
While drying our clothes in typical dryers, high heat and continuous stirring of clothes cause the clothes to lose some of their fibers. These fibers accumulate inside the dryer vents, inhibiting the normal drying process. Therefore, it is important to filter out all kinds of exhausts along with the lint.
Thus dryers require an appliance that is able to remove these exhausts, and a lint trap just works for this purpose. A lint trap captures the lint shed from clothes thus preventing the clogging up of fibers and restrictions of airflows.
There are two kinds of lint traps based on the infrastructure.
- Built-in or primary lint trap
- Secondary lint trap
Secondary lint trap for gas dryers
Even though most dryers consist of a built-in lint trap, sometimes it becomes mandatory to install a secondary one.
The average length of the dryer vent should be small. The shorter the dryer vent is, the better the vent pipe exhausts, and the less amount of lint is clogged up into the pipe. When the vent pipe has to run longer, there will be a greater number of elbows and turns to cause the lint to clog up faster than usual.
Furthermore, for a longer vent pipe, the exhaust fan will require more power for the moisture to be able to pass outside through the pipe. In case the fan isn’t powerful enough, the moisture and lint will never make it outside. For this problem, a useful solution is to install the secondary lint traps.
A secondary lint trap is a square-shaped box that can trap the lint inside it. It has a window on the front side that can be opened to remove or clean the lint. It is generally mounted above the dryer and attached to its exhaust. Anyway, the lint from the exhaust is caught by the secondary lint traps.
Things to Consider
However, before choosing a secondary lint trap, the most important thing to consider is whether the dryer is run by gas or electricity. Gas dryers are more complicated because these dryers must be vented since they produce carbon monoxide.
Nonetheless, a gas dryer dries the clothes two times faster than an electric one even though the installation and maintenance cost is much higher.
Fire risk of dryers
Lint produced from clothes is very flammable. It can easily catch fires if overheated. Each year serious fire accidents occur due to the lint produced in dryers.
Accumulated lint blocks the vent pipe and restricts the airflow, thus generating excessive heat. This excessive amount of heat can result in fire. As a result, fire hazard by dryers is a very common incident.
There is always the risk of fire in drying machines. However, lint traps can reduce their percentage if they are cleaned regularly. A clogged lint trap prevents exhausting hot air from the dryer, which can cause a gas dryer to smell like gas.
Cleaning the secondary lint traps
Cleaning the lint traps is probably the most important thing to keep the dryers safe from all kinds of hazards, also to ensure the effective and optimum use of dryers by reducing the energy or power usage.
However, the lint trap should be cleaned after each load of laundry. To clean the trap, the trap needs to be detached first, then it should be washed thoroughly, so no lint is present in the trap. Regular cleaning of lint traps lessens the possibility of lint-related accidents.
FAQ
Q: Can I use a dryer without a lint trap?
A: Most of the dryers have built-in lint traps, whereas some require external lint traps along with the built-in one. Using a drying machine with no lint trap is very dangerous. It might get bad and you need to repair the dryer. So you must not use a dryer without a lint trap.
Q: Why is my lint trap always empty?
A: Less lint means fewer problems. But it is very abnormal for a dryer to not produce lint at all. Whenever this situation occurs, you must realize that there are some issues with the machine, and using that machine is risky. Therefore you should get the dryer serviced.
To Conclude
A secondary lint trap is a very useful appliance. Even though it can’t assure a hundred percent safety, it is sure to catch the majority of the lint produced from dryers. Moreover, secondary lint traps can catch the lint that can’t be caught by the dryer’s lint screen, thus giving a better and safer experience of drying clothes.
Integrating a secondary lint trap with your gas clothes dryer is crucial for mitigating the risk of dryer fires. These traps work in tandem with the standard dryer lint trap box, effectively eliminating excess lint that could otherwise clog dyer exhaust ducts. Not only does this additional safety measure enhance the efficiency of your dryer exhaust fan, but it also significantly reduces the risk of fire hazards associated with lint accumulation in dryer transition ducts.
Moreover, while both gas and electric clothes dryers benefit from improved lint management, it’s particularly vital for gas clothes dryers. The use of a secondary lint trap ensures that the exhaust duct remains clear, thereby optimizing the dryer’s performance and safety. Regular maintenance and cleaning of these lint traps are essential to ensure their effectiveness and to maintain a safe, efficient laundry environment in your home.
