Dryer Vent Cleaning in Pullman, WA
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It takes about a minute.
Step 1 of 3: Equipment
Cold air and a wet vent don't mix
Your dryer pushes out warm, damp air every load. Once that air hits the cold metal of the vent, on nights that average 27°F from December through February, it cools fast. The moisture in it lands on the vent walls instead of blowing outside, and lint sticks to the wet spots instead of riding through.
That buildup narrows the vent a little more each month. A dryer that has to push air through a choked vent runs hotter and takes longer to dry a load, and the lint packed inside it is what catches fire.
- 27°F
- the average winter night, and cold vents catch damp lint
- 9 months
- September through May, 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 several loads run back to back most days, or the vent has a long run with several turns, it fills up faster and is worth checking more often. Lint builds up inside the duct where you can't see it, not just in the trap, so the yearly cleaning matters even when the lint screen looks fine.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can handle part of it, but not all of it. Pulling the dryer out and vacuuming the first few feet of duct, plus clearing the outside vent hood, is something most people can do. The rest of the run, especially where it passes through a wall or up through a roof, needs a brush system built for the full length, and a roof vent is not a safe place to be working alone.
- What are the signs of a clogged dryer vent?
- Clothes that take two cycles to dry when one used to be enough is the clearest sign. Others include the top of the dryer feeling hot to the touch, a burning smell during the cycle, and the outside vent hood flap barely moving or not opening at all when the dryer runs. Lint collecting around the vent opening outside is also worth checking for.