Dryer Vent Cleaning in Dothan, AL
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Step 1 of 3: Equipment
Cold nights make the lint stick
Your dryer pushes warm, damp air out through the vent. On winter nights here, when temperatures average 41°F, that vent runs cold, and the warm air cools fast inside it. Lint carried along in the damp air sticks to the cold walls instead of blowing straight through to the outside.
That buildup narrows the vent a little more each time the dryer runs. Airflow drops, the dryer takes longer to dry a load, and the motor runs hotter than it should. A vent that is choked with lint is also a fire risk, since lint is what catches.
- 41°F
- the average winter night, and cold vents catch damp lint
- 5 months
- November through March, 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 your vent run is long with several bends in it, have it checked more often than that. A vent that stays clear lets the dryer push hot air outside instead of back into the room, and it keeps lint from building up where it can catch fire.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can clean the lint trap and the first few feet behind the dryer yourself, and you should do that often. But most of the lint that causes problems sits further down the duct, past the bends, where a vacuum hose from either end usually cannot reach. A contractor uses a brush and rod system built to travel the full length of the vent and clear it out, including the hood on the outside wall.
- What are the signs of a clogged dryer vent?
- Clothes that take two cycles to dry, or come out hot to the touch but still damp, are the clearest sign. Others include the dryer running hotter than usual, a burning smell, or weak airflow at the outside vent hood when the dryer is running. Lint building up around the lint trap area faster than normal is also worth paying attention to.