Dryer Vent Cleaning in Everett, WA
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Step 1 of 3: Equipment
Cold vents catch more lint
Your dryer pushes out warm, damp air. From September through June, that vent runs through a house where the air around it is cold, and on winter nights here it can drop to 30°F outside. The warm air cools fast once it hits that cold metal, and the moisture in it beads up on the vent walls. Lint sticks to a damp surface much easier than a dry one.
Once lint builds up along the vent, airflow drops. The dryer has to push harder to move the same air, and it takes longer to dry a load. A blocked vent also traps heat inside the dryer, which is where vent fires start.
- 30°F
- the average winter night, and cold vents catch damp lint
- 10 months
- September through June, the vent stays cold
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NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
- How often should a dryer vent be cleaned?
- Once a year for most households. If you dry laundry for a large family or run the dryer almost daily, check it sooner, since more loads push more lint through the duct. A vent that runs long or has several bends also collects lint faster and is worth checking more often.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can clear the first few feet from the back of the dryer with a vent brush kit, and that helps. But most of the duct runs through the wall or ceiling to an outside vent hood, and that stretch is hard to reach and hard to check without the right tools. A contractor can run a brush the full length and confirm the vent hood flap is opening all the way outside.
- What are the signs of a clogged dryer vent?
- Clothes that take more than one cycle to dry, a dryer that runs hot to the touch, or a burnt smell partway through the cycle. Lint building up around the door seal or a musty smell in the laundry room are signs too. Check the outside vent hood while the dryer runs. If the flap barely moves or you feel weak airflow, the duct is likely blocked.