Dryer Vent Cleaning in Kiryas Joel, NY
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Step 1 of 3: Equipment
Cold vents make lint stick
Your dryer pushes out warm, damp air, and that air has to travel through a vent that sits in a cold space most of the year. From December through February, nights here average 21°F, so the vent walls are cold too. The warm air cools fast inside it, and the moisture that comes off it makes lint cling to the sides instead of blowing through.
With eight months of heating a year, that vent stays cold more than it stays warm. Lint keeps sticking, the buildup keeps narrowing the path, and the dryer has to push harder to move air through a vent that's doing less and less of its job.
- 21°F
- the average winter night, and cold vents catch damp lint
- 8 months
- October 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 large loads often, or a lot of towels and bedding, check the outside vent hood partway through the year to make sure air is still moving freely through it. Lint builds up gradually along the whole vent run, not just at the dryer, so a yearly cleaning keeps it from becoming a blockage.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can clean the lint trap and the first few feet of the vent yourself, but you can't reach the whole run. Most vents travel through walls or ceilings to an outside hood, and lint collects along the entire length, not just near the dryer. A vent brush kit will get you part of the way, but a contractor has the equipment to clear the full duct and check that the outside hood opens and closes as it should.
- What are the signs of a clogged dryer vent?
- Clothes that take more than one cycle to dry, a dryer that runs hot to the touch on the outside, and little to no airflow at the outside vent hood when the dryer is running. A burning smell during a cycle is also a sign, and so is lint collecting around the lint trap door or on the floor behind the dryer. Any one of these on its own is worth checking, and if you notice more than one, get the vent inspected soon.