Dryer Vent Cleaning in Colorado Springs, CO
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It takes about a minute.
Cold vents trap the moisture your dryer pushes out
Your dryer pushes out warm, damp air every time it runs. That air has to travel through a vent that sits in cold space, behind walls or up through the attic, and on a night near 17°F the metal cools fast. The warm air hits those cold walls and the moisture in it turns back to water before it ever gets outside.
Lint sticks to a damp surface far better than it sticks to a dry one. Once a layer builds up, it holds even more moisture against the vent wall, and the next load adds another layer on top. Over a winter that runs September through May, the buildup narrows the vent until the dryer is pushing air through a much smaller opening than it was built for.
- 17°F
- the average winter night, and cold vents catch damp lint
- 9 months
- September through May, the vent stays cold
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 the duct run between the dryer and the outside wall is long, check it more often than that. Lint builds up along the whole path, not just at the vent hood, so a straight short run stays clear longer than one with turns in it.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can clear the lint trap and the first few feet behind the dryer yourself, but that only reaches part of the run. Most vents travel several feet through the wall and out, with at least one bend in most homes, and lint collects at every turn. A shop vac and a brush from the outside hood will get some of it, but a contractor uses a rod system that reaches the full length and pulls out what you can't see or reach.
- What are the signs of a clogged dryer vent?
- Clothes coming out hot to the touch but still damp after a full cycle is the clearest sign. A burning smell, the dryer running longer than it used to, or the outside vent hood barely moving air when the dryer is on all point the same way. Check the hood itself too. If the flap doesn't open much or lint is caked around it, air isn't getting out like it should.