Dryer Vent Cleaning in Belleville, IL
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Step 1 of 3: Equipment
Cold vents make lint stick
Your dryer pushes out warm, damp air every time it runs. Once that air hits the cold vent, the moisture cools fast, and lint clinging to it sticks to the walls of the duct instead of blowing out the hood. On nights that average 26°F through the winter, that happens over and over.
A vent narrowed by packed lint pushes hot, damp air back toward the dryer instead of outside. Over a winter of that, the buildup only gets thicker.
- 26°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 big loads often, or you have a longer duct run to the outside, check it sooner. A vent that is clean at the start of one winter can still build up lint by the next, so once a year keeps it from becoming a fire risk.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can clean the lint trap and the first few feet of duct yourself with a vent brush kit. What you usually cannot reach is the rest of the run to the outside wall or roof cap, especially if it bends or travels any distance. A contractor has the rods and the vacuum to clear the whole length and check the outside hood is opening and closing the way it should.
- What are the signs of a clogged dryer vent?
- Clothes that take longer than one cycle to dry, or come out hot to the touch instead of just warm, are the clearest sign. You may also notice the outside vent hood barely moves when the dryer runs, or lint gathering around it instead of blowing clear. A burning smell or a dryer that shuts off mid-cycle means the clog has gone on long enough that it should be checked soon.