Dryer Vent Cleaning in Fort Collins, CO
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Step 1 of 3: Equipment
Cold vents catch the lint your dryer pushes out
Your dryer pushes out warm, damp air. In Fort Collins that air is moving through a vent that sits inside walls cooled by nights averaging 15°F from December through February. The warm air cools fast once it hits that cold metal, and the moisture in it turns to a film on the inside of the vent. Lint sticks to that film instead of blowing straight through to the outside.
Over time that buildup narrows the vent. Air moves slower, so the dryer takes longer to dry a load and runs hotter doing it. A vent packed with lint is also fuel sitting next to a heat source.
- 15°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?
- A contractor can tell you for sure, but the vent needs a look at least once a year. If you run large loads often or dry a lot of towels and bedding, lint builds up faster and the vent needs attention sooner than that. A duct that runs long or has several bends also traps more lint along the way than a short, straight one.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can clean the first few feet near the dryer and the outside hood yourself. A vacuum with a hose attachment reaches the lint sitting right behind the machine, and clearing the flap and screen on the outside hood takes just a few minutes. The stretch of duct running through the wall or ceiling is harder to reach and clean well without the right brushes and rods, so a contractor is the safer choice for the full length of the run.
- What are the signs of a clogged dryer vent?
- Clothes that take longer than usual to dry, or come out hot to the touch at the end of the cycle, are the clearest sign. You might also notice the dryer itself running hotter than normal, a burning smell during the cycle, or lint gathering around the outside vent hood instead of blowing clear. If the outside flap barely moves or stays shut while the dryer runs, air isn't getting through the way it should.