Birds & Dryer Vents

Spring is here, the weather is getting warmer, and the birds are coming out! The thing about birds, though, is that they can be bad for your dryer vent. How so? Well, if you’ve noticed that your dryer is taking a longer time to dry clothes this season, there’s a good possibility that you have a bird’s nest stuck in the dryer vent somewhere.

But wait—why would birds build their nests in your dryer vents? It might seem like an odd place to you, but for birds, dryer vents are incredibly attractive for several reasons. These include:

• Vents are nice and warm
• Vents are far from predators
• Vents protect from rain and other elements
• Vents aren’t on the ground

However, vents have a downside for birds, too; they (particularly baby birds) can fall into the vent exhaust pipe where it’s a challenge for them to escape. Overall, though, the pros far outweigh the cons for dryer vents making good homes for nests.
So, if your dryer isn’t working quite like it should and you suspect it’s because of a bird nest somewhere in your vents, how will you know for sure? Well, there are a few signs you should watch for that will let you know. These are:

• Sounds of chirping
• Scratching noises
• Unpleasant odors (especially if some poor bird has died in your vents; without a doubt you’ll know by the smell)

What’s the solution, then? How do you get birds out of your vents once they’re there? First, if you see live birds hanging around outside your home near the vents, your best bet is to call your local critter control to have the birds safely removed. And if you were hearing chirping or scratching in your vents previously, but not any longer (and there’s no foul smell indicating a bird has died), then the birds probably moved out on their own.

The problem now is that they’ve left a nest in there. And that nest is not only posing a fire risk to your home (due to the straw, leaves, and other random items birds use to make nests), but the humidity from your vents could spread any bird-related diseases, such as histoplasmosis, throughout your home. Yikes! This is when you call in the professional dryer vent cleaners to get rid of the nest and the rest of the mess, so your home is safe once again!

Having birds move into your dryer vents certainly isn’t ideal, so pay attention this spring and look for any signs you might have some. If you do, get rid of them immediately and call us to get your vents spic’n’span again!

We’re the experts for professional New Haven, CT, dryer vent cleaning and repair! Give us a call so Dryer Vent Wizard of New Haven can help you save energy, time, and money. Some of the towns we service include: Branford, CT, Naugatuck, CT, Milford, CT, and many others!