Dryer Vent Cleaning in Tucson, AZ
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Step 1 of 3: Equipment
What a cold vent does to the lint inside it
Your dryer pushes out warm, damp air every load. Tucson winter nights average 38°F from December through February, and that's cold next to the air coming out of the duct. The moisture in that air condenses on the vent walls once it cools, and lint sticks to a damp surface far more than a dry one.
Over a winter that buildup narrows the vent and slows the air moving through it. A vent that can't push air out fast enough backs moisture up into the duct, and it makes the dryer run longer to dry the same load.
- 38°F
- the average winter night, and cold vents catch damp lint
- 5 months
- November through March, 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 dry a lot of loads, for a large family or a lot of towels and bedding, it is worth checking more often than that. Lint builds up along the whole length of the vent, not just in the trap, and that buildup is what slows the airflow down.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can clean the first few feet, but you cannot clean the whole run yourself. A dryer vent brush reaches the section behind the machine, and that is worth doing between professional cleanings. The rest of the vent runs through the wall and out to the outside hood, and that part needs a longer rod system or a vacuum pulled from the outside end to clear it out fully.
- 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 outside of the dryer feeling hot to the touch, a burning smell during the cycle, and the vent hood outside barely moving air when the dryer is running. Lint showing up around the door seal or the trap filling up faster than it used to are also signs the air is not moving the way it should.