Dryer Vent Cleaning in Boulder, CO
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It takes about a minute.
Step 1 of 3: Equipment
Cold cuts the vent's runtime short
Your dryer pushes out warm, damp air, and that air needs to stay warm long enough to carry the lint outside. On a night near 17 degrees, the metal of the vent is cold enough that the air loses its heat fast. The moisture in it settles on the vent walls, and lint sticks there instead of blowing through.
Over a winter that runs September through June, that buildup has ten months to grow. A vent that is narrowed by lint makes the dryer work harder to push air through it, and a duct that is already restricted has less room to spare.
- 17°F
- the average winter night, and cold vents catch damp lint
- 10 months
- September through June, the vent stays cold
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NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
- How often should a dryer vent be cleaned?
- Once a year is right for most households. If you run big loads often, or you have a long vent run with a lot of turns, check it sooner. Lint builds up along the inside of the duct even when the lint trap looks clean, and that buildup is what causes the problems.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can clean the part you can reach, which is usually just the first few feet behind the dryer. A vent cleaning brush kit handles that section well. The rest of the run, especially if it goes up through a wall or out through the roof, needs a longer rod system or a shop vacuum with real suction, and most people do not have either on hand.
- What are the signs of a clogged dryer vent?
- Clothes take more than one cycle to dry, the outside of the dryer feels hot to the touch, and the room smells warm or musty during a cycle. Check the vent hood outside too. If little or no air is moving out of it while the dryer runs, the duct is blocked somewhere between the dryer and the hood.