Dryer Vent Cleaning in Sedalia, MO
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Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Step 1 of 3: Equipment
Cold nights turn dryer lint into a wall inside your vent
Every load sends warm, damp air down the vent toward the outside wall. On a night near 24 degrees, that air cools fast once it hits the metal, and the moisture in it beads up on the sides of the duct. Lint sticks to a wet wall a lot easier than it sticks to a dry one, and layer by layer the vent narrows.
A narrowed vent cannot push air out the way it should. The dryer runs longer to dry the same load, and the heat it can't vent out has nowhere to go but back into the house.
- 24°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 is the standard rule, more often if you run the dryer daily or have a long vent run. Lint builds up inside the duct even when the lint trap is clean, and it collects fastest where the vent has bends or turns. A house with a short, straight vent can sometimes go longer, but a year is a safe habit to keep.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can clean the section you can reach, but most homeowners cannot get to the whole vent. A vent brush kit will clear lint near the dryer and near the outside hood, but the duct often runs through walls, ceilings, or long horizontal stretches you cannot see into. If the vent is long or has several turns, a contractor with the right equipment can clear the full length and check that the vent hood outside is opening and closing 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 are the main signs. You might also notice little to no airflow at the outside vent hood when the dryer is running, or lint collecting around the hood flap. Any of these means lint is blocking the duct, and it should be cleared before it gets worse.