Dryer Vent Cleaning in Scottsville, VA
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It takes about a minute.
Step 1 of 3: Equipment
Cold vents catch more lint
Every load pushes warm, damp air out through the vent. Where that vent runs through a cold space during the winter months, with nights averaging 28°F, the air cools fast and the moisture in it settles on the vent walls. Lint sticks to a damp wall instead of blowing straight through.
Over a winter that buildup narrows the vent. The dryer has to push harder to move the same air, and the exhaust that should leave the house lingers in the duct instead.
- 28°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 you have a longer duct run out to the roof or an outside wall, check it sooner. Lint builds up along the length of the vent, not just at the lint trap, and that buildup is what slows the dryer down and pushes drying times up.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can clean the parts you can reach, but you cannot clean the whole vent from inside the house. Pull the dryer out, disconnect the duct, and clear out what has collected right behind the machine. The rest of the run, especially where it turns and where it exits outside, needs a vent brush and rod set built for the full length, or a contractor with that equipment.
- What are the signs of a clogged dryer vent?
- Clothes that take two cycles to dry, a dryer that feels hot to the touch on the outside, and a burning smell partway through a load. Check the outside vent hood too. If the flap barely moves or does not open at all when the dryer runs, air is not getting out and lint is building up somewhere in the line.