Answers to some of the questions we get asked the most.
This depends on several factors. In houses most often you do not. If you live in a concrete high rise then these ducts are longer and narrower. In this case a dryer booster fan is usually needed.
Most booster fans can be repaired. I carry all parts with me to repair the most common fans. If the fan motor is broken then typically I only need to replace the motor.
A secondary lint box (also known as a dryer lint box) is similar to the lint screen inside your dryer. Its purpose is to catch additional lint before it enters your booster fan and/or duct. If you have a long, problematic duct a secondary lint box will keep your duct clean. It is recommended that you have a very through duct cleaning done before or after installing a secondary lint box.
No! The dryer creates lots of lint which travels through the duct to the outside. If there is a screen then the lint will plug up the screen and the dryer will stop working. The best thing to have is some kind of flapper. If you absolutely must have a screen I recommend one that is 1″ x 1″.
Many booster fans stay on after the dryer shuts off, so it’s obvious that they are working normally.
Some fans shut off at the same time the dryer finishes. To check these, I usually run the dryer for about 30 seconds, then open the dryer door. I listen for the booster fan to shut off and wind down.
A booster fan should be quiet and should sound smooth. If it’s noisier than the dryer or sounds rough, then there is a problem. It’s best to stop using the booster fan immediately to prevent further damage.
Yes! I carry an air sled with me. This allows me to safely move a W/D without risk of damaging floors. Sometimes I need to get behind a W/D to repair a dryer booster fan. The air sled allows me to quickly get this done without any worries.
- Find a company that’s been in business for a long time. Check for quality reviews on google and other sites, make sure they are listed on BBB.org.
- Check that they are fully insured, including Worksafe BC.
- Find out who they clean your ducts. Some companies take short cuts to do very low quality work to make it cheaper.
- If there is any problems with the company follow up on their work?
I carry with me a card processing machine. This allows me to accept payment once a job is complete. I accept Visa, MasterCard, Debit/interac, and Cash.
As a small business we prefer Debit or Cash.
In the case where the owner or manager won’t be there at the time of service, I can send an online invoice to an email or phone number to be paid online with a credit card.
Different models of booster fan have a vastly different life span.
There are very high quality booster fans that can typically last more than 20 years, problem free.
There are also low quality fans that will start to break after just a few years.
2000 to about 2015 there were only a few types of booster fans available. These were high quality and would last a long time. 20 years+ Some now are coming to their end of life and often need repairs or replacement.
Around about 2015, low quality fans started being installed. These fans are very cheaply made. They can start to fail after 4-5 years. Often time I can repair them, when they first start to show problems. But unfortunately I routinely need to replace the fan motor or for some models, I need to replace the whole fan.
Whenever I repair or replace a booster fan. I use quality parts. I expect the fan to work properly for 20 years or more.
Yes, I warranty all work and parts for 5 years.
This doesn’t include routine maintenance. I always tell residents the proper ways to maintain the dryer booster fan.
I also only warranty the parts and work that I do. There are many parts that make up a dryer booster fan. Sometimes different parts may fail and need repair, this wouldn’t be covered.
Whenever I repair a booster fan, I look for worn out or end of life parts. I will typically replace these or suggest that these parts need attention.