Dryer Vent Cleaning in Prescott Valley, AZ
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It takes about a minute.
Cold vents turn lint into a wall on the inside
The air coming out of your dryer is warm and full of moisture. Once it hits the vent, it has to travel through metal that sits at whatever temperature the outside air is. On a winter night here, that can mean going from a hot, wet exhaust stream to a duct sitting near 31°F in just a few feet. The moisture in that air condenses on the cold walls of the vent, and the lint riding along with it sticks instead of blowing on through.
That buildup does not stay in one spot. It narrows the path a little more each month, and a duct that is October through April in a house that needs heat all winter gets seven months of that cooling effect working against it. A vent that is choked with damp lint pushes moist air back toward the dryer instead of outside, and it gives that lint somewhere to catch.
- 31°F
- the average winter night, and cold vents catch damp lint
- 7 months
- October through April, the vent stays cold
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
- How often should a dryer vent be cleaned?
- Once a year is right for most households. Lint builds up along the length of the vent, not just in the lint trap, and that buildup is what slows the airflow and makes the dryer work harder. A dryer that is drying more slowly than it used to is often overdue.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can clean the part you can reach, but the vent usually bends through walls or a ceiling before it reaches the outside, and lint collects at every bend. Without the right length of brush or a vacuum built for it, those bends are hard to clear on your own. A contractor has the tools to reach the full run and clear it without damaging the ductwork.
- What are the signs of a clogged dryer vent?
- Clothes that take more than one cycle to dry is the clearest sign. Others include the top of the dryer feeling hot to the touch, a burning smell during the cycle, or little airflow when you hold your hand near the outside vent hood while the dryer runs. Lint gathering around the vent hood outside is also a sign it is not clearing like it should.