Dryer Vent Cleaning in Rochester, MN
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Cold vents trap the lint your dryer pushes out
Your dryer pushes out warm, damp air every time it runs. That air has to travel through a vent that sits in cold space, behind the wall or up through the attic. Once it hits December and the vent itself is cold, the moisture in that exhaust cools fast and the lint riding along with it sticks to the duct walls instead of blowing outside.
Over a winter that runs from September to May, that buildup narrows the vent a little at a time. A duct that is supposed to carry moist air straight outdoors starts holding onto both the moisture and the lint, and the dryer has to push harder to get exhaust through it.
- 10°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 the general rule for a household running one dryer regularly. If you run several loads a day or have a longer duct run to the outside, check it sooner. Lint builds up inside the vent even when the lint trap is cleaned every load, because the trap never catches all of it.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can clean the first few feet near the dryer and at the outside hood yourself with a vacuum and a long brush. What's harder to reach is the full run of duct behind the wall or through the attic, especially if it bends or is long. A contractor uses a rod system or a camera to clear the whole length and check that the outside hood flap opens freely.
- What are the signs of a clogged dryer vent?
- Clothes taking longer than one cycle to dry is the clearest sign. Others are the outside of the dryer feeling hot to the touch, a burnt smell during the cycle, or little to no airflow at the outside vent hood when the dryer is running. Lint collecting around the hood opening outside is also worth checking, since it means the vent isn't pushing air out the way it should.