Dryer Vent Cleaning in Alexandria, MN
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Step 1 of 3: Equipment
Cold vents catch the lint your dryer pushes out
Your dryer pushes out warm, damp air every time it runs. In a vent that runs through cold space, that air cools fast, and lint sticks to the damp walls instead of blowing straight through. Over the nine months a year Alexandria homes are heating, that vent stays cold most of the time, so the lint keeps building instead of clearing out.
A vent clogged with lint cannot move air the way it should. The dryer runs longer to dry the same load, and the heat and moisture it can't push outside stays in the line, right where the lint has already caught.
- 5°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. Lint builds up inside the duct itself, not just in the trap, and that's what a yearly cleaning clears out. If the vent run is long or has several bends, more lint can catch along the way, so it's worth having a contractor check it if drying times start creeping up before the year is out.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can clean the first few feet from the back of the dryer, but most of the vent run is out of reach without the right equipment. Vents often travel through walls or up through the roof, and lint can pack in well past where a household vacuum or brush reaches. A contractor uses a rotating brush and vacuum sized for the full length of the duct.
- 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, and a burning smell when it's running are the clearest signs. You might also notice less airflow at the outside vent hood, or lint gathering around the hood itself. Any of these means air isn't moving through the duct the way it should, and that lint is a fire risk sitting in the line.