Dryer Vent Cleaning in St. Louis, MO
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Step 1 of 3: Equipment
Cold vents make lint stick
Your dryer pushes warm, damp air out through the vent, and from December through February that vent sits inside walls averaging 26°F at night. The air cools fast once it hits that cold metal, and the moisture in it condenses on the walls. Lint does not just blow through then. It sticks.
A vent narrowed by wet, packed lint cannot move the air your dryer is pushing. Clothes take longer to dry, the dryer runs hotter than it should, and the exhaust that cannot escape outside has nowhere to go but back into the room or the wall around the vent.
- 26°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 dry a lot of loads or your vent run is long with several bends. Lint builds up inside the duct even when the lint trap is clean, since the trap only catches what stays behind before the air moves on. A vent that runs slow to clean out costs you drying time and puts extra strain on the dryer's heating element.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can clean the parts you can reach, but most homes can't get the whole vent this way. A vacuum and a brush kit will clear the first few feet from the back of the dryer, and that's worth doing on its own. The rest of the run, especially where it bends or passes through a wall or roof, needs a longer rod system or a contractor with the right equipment to reach it.
- What are the signs of a clogged dryer vent?
- Clothes take longer than one cycle to dry, or come out hot to the touch instead of just warm. The outside vent hood flap barely moves or stays shut when the dryer runs, which means air isn't getting through. You might also notice the dryer itself running hotter than usual, or a burnt smell during the cycle. Any of these on their own is worth checking, and if you notice more than one, don't wait on it.