Dryer Vent Cleaning in Rutland, VT
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It takes about a minute.
Cold air and a wet vent don't mix
Your dryer pushes warm, damp air out through a vent that runs through a cold house for most of the year. On a night near 12 degrees, that vent is cold all the way through. The warm air cools fast once it hits those walls, and the moisture it's carrying has nowhere to go but back onto the lint riding along with it. Lint that would blow through a warm, dry vent sticks instead.
Over a winter that lint builds into a real blockage, not just a coating. A blocked vent forces your dryer to push air against resistance it wasn't built for, and it keeps the moisture from that load inside the vent instead of outside your house.
- 12°F
- the average winter night, and cold vents catch damp lint
- 9 months
- September through May, the vent stays cold
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
- How often should a dryer vent be cleaned?
- Once a year is right for most homes. If you run loads almost every day, or the vent run is long with a lot of turns, check it sooner. A vent that takes longer than it used to, or leaves the laundry room warmer than usual, has already built up lint before the year is out.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can clear the first few feet from inside, at the dryer and at the wall, with a vacuum and a brush kit. What you usually can't reach is the rest of the run out to the vent hood, especially if it's long or has bends in it. A contractor uses a rotary brush that runs the full length and pulls lint out at the hood end, which is the part most homeowners can't get to.
- What are the signs of a clogged dryer vent?
- Clothes that take two cycles to dry, a dryer that runs hot to the touch, and a burning smell are the clearest signs. Lint building up around the vent hood outside, or the hood flap barely moving when the dryer runs, points the same way. Any of these means airflow is restricted, and a restricted vent is a fire risk as well as a wasted cycle.