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12 | August 30, 2018 | 22nd century media Home Improvement 22ndCenturyMedia.com DON’T LET YOUR DRYER START A FIRE! New Lenox-based business works to make clothes dryers safer Hidden buildup in clothes dryer vent is fire hazard Before WARNING! If your dryer takes longer than one cycle to dry your clothes, then you may have a fire hazard in your vent. Dryer Vent Cleaning Installation Alteration Repair WE ACCEPT SAVE $ 10 ANY SERVICE! 815-215-2090 www.dryerventwizard.com Call Today! After 815-215-2090 www.dryerventwizard.com Most people know they need to clean out their dryer lint tray between each cycle, but what lurks behind the wall is just as important for safety and avoiding fire traps, as well as fully efficient dryer performance. Joe Enzenberger, owner of Dryer Vent Wizard, opened his New Lenox-based business in 2009. Lint is the villain — lint that has been allowed to build up and linger too long in the dryer exhaust vent. It is estimated by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the U.S. Fire Administration that 15,500 fires associated with clothes dryers occur annually. These fires account for an average of 20 deaths, 370 injuries and more than $88 million in property damage. “Failure to clean the dryer vent” was the leading factor cited in U.S. Fire Administration reports. “It is something very few people know about or think about,” said Enzenberger, whose company specializes in dryer vent cleaning, repair, alteration and installation. “It is the leading cause of dryer fires.” Lint accumulation also can cause dryers to stop working or to work inefficiently. A dryer vent clogged with lint can add as much as $18 to $24 per month to energy costs. “Improper venting causes problems, as well,” he said. “The dryer exhaust duct and connections should be made of rigid metal or semi-rigid metal and secured with metal heat-resistant tape rather than duct tape. I often find plastic or foil accordiontype material, which can easily trap lint and is more susceptible to kinks and crushing.” Warning signs include • Clothes are taking more than one cycle to dry, especially jeans and towels. • No lint is visible on lint screen. • Dryer repeatedly stops during a cycle. • Clothes have moldy smell after dry cycle. • Clothes are very hot after a dry cycle. • The top of your dryer is hot to the touch while running. • There’s excess lint left on your clothing. “This has been a consumer education process, but it’s hard to get the word out,” Enzenberger said. “Most don’t call until they have a serious problem with their dryer.” He suggests people treat clothes dryers as a household item in need of regular maintenance. Consumers can protect dryer performance and promote safety by cleaning the lint screen between each use, ensuring the connection between the dryer and wall is made of compliant material and remains unkinked, and having the dryer exhaust duct cleaned regularly. Dryer manufacturers recommend inspection and cleaning at least annually. Now is the perfect time to have an inspection and cleaning of clothes dryers and dryer vent systems. Another important tip: never let your clothes dryer run when you are out of the house or asleep. Submitted by Dryer Vent Wizard. For more information, visit www.willcounty dryervent.com or call (815) 215-2090.
22ndCenturyMedia.com Home improvement 22nd century media | August 30, 2018 | 13 Lindholm Roofing provides a variety of options Are you getting fake news... From a contractor or service provider? No matter what side of the political aisle you’re on, there seems to be bias and an agenda from people presenting us the news. It seems like the truth is harder to come by these days than it’s ever been before. It’s the same in the field of home improvement. Between the storm chasers “flooding” a neighborhood after a heavy downpour promising a homeowner a free roof; or the ad offering a “free” window when you purchase five or more with only an additional $475 to install it; to the composite siding with a factory finished paint coating that the big box store says will last 25 years; what and whom do you believe? A person can make a good decision when he or she has the appropriate and correct information regarding the situation you’re dealing with. It’s also very important to have all the necessary information, so you know what all your options are before one makes a choice or decides on the direction they want to go. It’s getting that information that has become more difficult, and not because there’s too little of it. Quite the contrary, considering the internet, there’s too much of it! Separating the “wheat from the chaff” is an ancient expression that’s never been more appropriate than today. One asks, “what’s true in my instance?” Let me explain a couple of tactics that today’s contractors, wittingly or unwittingly, utilize to make decisions more difficult for you and better for them. Your chimney looks rough and you’re not sure what to do about it. You may even have a leak that seems to be coming from it. A mason or his representative come out and tells you it just needs tuck pointing. Another comes out and sends you an estimate for a complete rebuild of your double flue, two story and 10 foot top to gutter face brick chimney. All of a sudden there goes that vacation you’ve been planning, or you might start wondering how you’re going to balance this with that dental work you’ve committed to. One option seems so inexpensive it’s hard to believe that it could solve the problem, while the other reminds you of the sticker shock you felt when you bought your last SUV. Well, guess what? In this instance, there’s a third option that will handle the problem. The chimney mortar joints can be ground out and tuck pointed, along with one of the capstones replaced and the others reset. The bricks can be washed afterwards and the chimney looks brand new. Some contractors don’t want to offer the harder and more labor intensive solution. Why? Because it’s too much work or they’re not skilled enough. They wouldn’t dare tell you that. The other option might be the contractor’s bias that there’s only one way to do it “right” and that’s for them to do it over. Or worse, forget about what your needs are, his/her child needs braces and you just so happen to come along at the most appropriate time! Imagine that. Lets take another scenario. Your roof doesn’t look that bad to you, but more than one roofer has said that you need a new Please see lindholm, 14 3 rd Generation Family Owned Roofing Company Residential and Commercial • Steep Slope Roofing • Gutters & Downspouts • Flat Roofing • Repairs • Windows & Siding • Masonry • Tuckpointing • Siding • Soffits • Fascia • Storm Damage • Hail Damage • Leak Detection 1949
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