Dryer Vent Cleaning in Longview, WA
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Step 1 of 3: Equipment
Cold vents make lint stick
Your dryer pushes out warm, damp air every time it runs. Longview winters run long, with nights averaging 33°F from December through February, and that air hits a cold vent and cools fast. The moisture in it beads up on the duct walls, and lint sticks to that damp surface instead of blowing straight through to the outside.
Over time that buildup narrows the vent. Air moves slower, the dryer takes longer to dry a load, and the motor runs hotter than it should. A vent packed with damp lint is also a fire risk, since lint burns easily once something ignites it.
- 33°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 run large loads often, or your duct has a few bends in it, lint builds up faster and you may need to clean it more than once a year. A dryer vent that's never cleaned is a fire risk, so don't let it go past a year.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can clean the lint trap and reach into the first few feet of duct yourself, but that's not the same as clearing the whole run. Lint collects at the bends and at the far end near the outside vent hood, places a vacuum hose can't reach. A contractor with a proper brush and rod kit can clear the full length of the duct, not just the part you can get to by hand.
- What are the signs of a clogged dryer vent?
- Clothes taking longer than usual to dry is the first sign. Others are the outside of the dryer feeling hot to the touch, a burning smell during the cycle, less airflow than usual coming from the outside vent hood, and lint collecting around the door seal or on the floor behind the machine. Any one of these means air isn't moving through the duct like it should, and that lint is a fire risk the longer it sits.