Dryer Vent Cleaning in Binghamton, NY
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It takes about a minute.
Step 1 of 3: Equipment
Cold air turns dryer lint into a wall inside your vent
Your dryer pushes out warm, damp air every load. Once it hits the vent run, that air is moving through a metal duct sitting in cold space, and on nights that average 18°F from December through February, it cools fast. Lint that would otherwise blow straight through sticks to the damp walls of the vent instead.
That buildup narrows the duct a little more with each load. Less air gets out, so the dryer runs hotter and takes longer to dry a load, and the lint sitting in there is exactly what a dryer fire needs.
- 18°F
- the average winter night, and cold vents catch damp lint
- 9 months
- September through May, 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, or your vent run is long or has several bends, check it sooner. Lint builds up inside the duct even when the outside vent hood looks clear, so the yearly cleaning is about what you can't see from either end.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can clean the first few feet from the back of the dryer and the hood outside, but that's not the whole vent. Most runs go through the wall and often through the attic or between floors before they reach outside, and lint collects the whole way. A shop vac and a brush from the hardware store won't reach a bend partway down the line. A contractor uses a rod system or a camera to clear the full length and check that it's actually open end to end.
- What are the signs of a clogged dryer vent?
- Clothes that take two cycles to dry, a laundry room that gets noticeably warmer while the dryer runs, and a burning smell are the main ones. Check the outside vent hood too. If the flap barely moves or doesn't move at all when the dryer's running, air isn't getting through. A dryer that shuts off before clothes are dry can also mean the vent is blocked and the machine is overheating.