Dryer Vent Cleaning in Concord, NC
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Step 1 of 3: Equipment
Cold nights turn dryer lint into a wall
Your dryer pushes out warm, damp air every time it runs. On winter nights that average 32°F here, that air hits the cold walls of the vent and cools fast. The moisture in it settles on the lint passing through, and instead of blowing outside, that lint sticks.
Over a winter that buildup narrows the vent from the inside. Air that should vent outside backs up instead, and the dryer has to push harder to get rid of it.
- 32°F
- the average winter night, and cold vents catch damp lint
- 7 months
- October through April, 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 run large loads often, or if you notice towels and jeans taking longer to dry, clean it sooner. Lint builds up along the length of the vent, not just in the trap, and that buildup is what forces the dryer to work harder.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can clean the lint trap and the first foot or two of the duct yourself, and you should do that part often. The rest of the run is harder to reach, especially where the vent bends or passes through a wall to the outside hood, and a shop vac alone will not pull lint out of those sections. A contractor uses a 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 feels hot to the touch on the outside, a burning smell, or weak airflow at the outside vent hood when the dryer is running. Lint around the lint trap slot or door is another sign. Any of these means air is not moving through the duct the way it should, and that is worth having looked at.