Dryer Vent Cleaning in Paducah, KY
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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. From December through February, nights here average 29°F, and that vent run is cold well before the air gets to the end of it. The warm air cools fast, and the moisture in it turns to dampness on the walls of the vent. Lint sticks to a damp wall a lot better than it slides through a dry one.
That buildup narrows the vent a little at a time. A dryer that can't push air out has to push it somewhere, and the heat and moisture it's built to send outside end up staying in the vent instead.
- 29°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 if you have a longer run of duct between the dryer and the outside wall, check it more often than that. The lint builds up along the whole length of the vent, not just at the machine, so a vent that looks clear at the back of the dryer can still be blocked further down.
- 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 buildup sits further down the duct, around bends and at the outside vent hood, and reaching that takes a brush and rod system long enough to run the full length. A contractor can also check that the vent hood flap opens freely and that the duct itself is still sound.
- What are the signs of a clogged dryer vent?
- Clothes that take longer than they used to, or come out hot to the touch but still damp, are the clearest sign. Others are a burning smell while the dryer runs, a laundry room that feels warmer or more humid than usual, and lint you can see gathered at the outside vent hood. If the flap on that outside hood barely moves when the dryer is running, air is not getting through the way it should.