A.M. from Miami-Dade County, Florida writes:
Dear Mister Condo,
I share a dryer vent with my neighbor as well as others share with their neighbor We were budgeted in 2019 and 2020 for dryer vent cleaning. Several excuses have been made to not clean and the money was used for something else according to the property manager. What options do we have as the dryer vents are clogged and not been cleaned in years?
Mister Condo replies:
A.M., I am sorry you haven’t had your dryer vents cleaned as promised. Clogged dryer vents are a true fire hazard not to mention the inefficiency it creates when trying to dry clothes. You didn’t tell me who made the excuses for not getting it done but I wouldn’t take lip service from anyone on this potential “life and death” fire safety issue. A letter to the Board is in order. Notifying your local Fire Department may not be such a bad idea either as they will not be happy that your request for a fire safety item is going ignored. Finally, if the dryer vent can be easily serviced by a local dryer vent cleaning contractor, you might want to get a quote and even consider paying for it yourself this one time just so you know it is done correctly. That is not an ideal solution but it would give you peace of mind about simple fire prevention. Good luck!
This is unfortunately more typical than you might realize. The property manager isn’t going to go to combat with the board (although they should), if the board decided to use those dedicated funds elsewhere. Many people have no idea how dangerous dryer fires are, clogged vents and the internal workings get lint. You may find some helpful articles on the internet about dryers such as yours (ie commercial or residential) that explains how often the vents should be serviced, the importance of having it done professionally and thoroughly, and the dangers.
You could ask your local fire marshal about it. The Fire Marshal may find there are many Life Safety code issues that need correction. I feel the local fire marshal is a good ally – some complexes think the Fire Marshal shows up as a waste of time and money to make them do pretend problems. Not so. Find out what can make your buildings safer, some fire marshals have articles on the internet, you may be surprised to learn that appliances such as washers and dryers, etc. should not be hooked into electricity by extension cords. They must be directly connected to properly installed outlets.