Dryer Vent Cleaning in Cañon City, CO
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Step 1 of 3: Equipment
Cold vents make lint stick
Your dryer pushes out warm, damp air, and in Cañon City that air is hitting a vent that runs through cold space much of the year. Winter nights here average 15°F from December through February, and the vent stays cold right along with everything else outside. Warm air cools fast inside it, and lint clings to the damp walls instead of blowing straight out to the vent hood.
That buildup narrows the vent a little at a time. Less air gets out, so the dryer runs longer to do the same load, and the lint that should have left the house stays packed inside the duct.
- 15°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?
- A contractor can tell you the right schedule for your setup, since it depends on the length and shape of the duct run. Lint builds up inside the vent even when the lint trap gets cleaned after every load, and enough of it collects over time to slow the airflow. A longer or bent run traps more lint than a short straight one, so two houses on the same street can need different schedules.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can clean the parts you can reach, but most homes have vent runs a homeowner cannot fully clear. Pulling the dryer out and vacuuming near the connection, and clearing the outside vent hood of lint and debris, are both worth doing. The straight sections are the easy part. Where the duct bends, runs through a wall, or travels a longer distance to the outside, lint packs in and a shop vacuum from either end will not reach it. A contractor uses a brush and rod system built for the full length of the run.
- What are the signs of a clogged dryer vent?
- Clothes that take longer than they used to, or come out hot instead of dry, are the clearest sign. Others include the outside of the dryer feeling hot to the touch, a burning smell during a cycle, and less lint than usual showing up in the trap because it is getting caught in the vent instead. If the vent hood outside barely moves air when the dryer is running, that confirms it. Any of these is worth having checked, since a blocked vent forces the dryer to run hotter and longer than it was built to.