Dryer Vent Cleaning in Taos, NM
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Step 1 of 3: Equipment
Cold vents make lint stick
Your dryer pushes out warm, damp air, and in a Taos winter that air hits a vent run sitting in cold space. Nights average 14°F from December through February, so the air cools fast once it leaves the drum. Moisture drops out of it inside the duct, and lint clings to those damp walls instead of blowing outside.
Layer after layer, that buildup narrows the vent. Air backs up, the dryer runs hotter and longer to do the same load, and the lint sitting in the duct has more chance to catch.
- 14°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 based on how the vent is run and how much the dryer gets used, but check it at least once a year regardless. Lint builds up inside the duct even when the lint trap looks clean, and that buildup is what slows the dryer down and puts a strain on the heating element. A long vent run or a household that runs the dryer often will need it checked more than once a year.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can clean the part you can reach, but that is usually only the first few feet. Most vent runs bend through a wall or ceiling and end outside at a hood, and lint collects all along the way, not just near the dryer. A brush or vacuum from the dryer end will not reach a clog further down the line, and a contractor can run a rod the full length and check that the outside hood opens and closes the way it should.
- What are the signs of a clogged dryer vent?
- Clothes that take longer than one cycle to dry, a dryer that runs hot to the touch, and a burning smell when it is running. You may also notice less airflow coming out of the outside vent hood when the dryer is on, or lint gathering around the hood itself. Any one of these is worth checking before you run another load.