Dryer Vent Cleaning in Silver City, NM
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Step 1 of 3: Equipment
Cold air turns lint into a plug
Your dryer pushes warm, damp air out through the vent, and from December through February it is pushing it into a duct that sits in air averaging 27°F outside. That air cools fast once it hits the cold metal, and the moisture in it beads up on the vent walls. Lint does not just blow through after that. It sticks.
Once it sticks, the next load adds more, and the vent narrows a little at a time. A dryer that cannot push air out through a choked vent runs hotter and takes longer to dry a load, and the exhaust it cannot get rid of ends up back in the house.
- 27°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 dry a lot of towels and bedding, lint builds up faster and the vent may need attention more than once a year. A vent that takes longer than it should to dry a load is telling you it is due.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can clean the parts you can reach, but most of the vent run is inside the wall and out of sight. A vacuum at the dryer end and at the outside hood will pull out surface lint, but it will not reach lint packed in a bend halfway through the run. A full cleaning needs a brush and rod system run the length of the duct, or a vacuum strong enough to pull lint from the far end.
- What are the signs of a clogged dryer vent?
- Clothes that take more than one cycle to dry, a dryer that runs hot to the touch, and a burning smell are the clearest signs. Check the outside vent hood while the dryer runs. If the flap barely opens or you feel little to no airflow, the vent is restricted. Heavy lint around the lint trap door or a musty smell in the laundry room are also worth paying attention to.