Dryer Vent Cleaning in Newark, NJ
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Cold vents catch more lint
Your dryer pushes out warm, damp air every load. That air has to travel through a vent that runs through a house that only needs heat eight months of the year, from October through May, on nights that average 25°F. The warm air cools fast inside that cold metal, and the moisture in it turns to dampness on the vent walls. Lint sticks to damp walls instead of blowing straight through.
Once lint builds up along the vent, it narrows the path air has to take to get outside. That slows the whole dryer down and leaves damp air with nowhere to go but back into the vent, where more lint catches on it next load.
- 25°F
- the average winter night, and cold vents catch damp lint
- 8 months
- October through May, the vent stays cold
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
- How often should a dryer vent be cleaned?
- Once a year for most households. Lint builds up inside the vent run, not just the trap, and a year is usually long enough for enough of it to collect and slow the airflow down. A household that runs the dryer more than most, or has a longer vent run, may need it checked sooner.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can clean the parts you can reach, but not the whole vent. Pull the dryer out, disconnect the flexible hose, and clear lint from the hose and the wall opening by hand or with a brush made for this. The rest of the run, especially where it bends or goes up through the wall or roof, needs a rod-and-brush kit long enough to reach the vent hood outside, and most homeowners do not have one. If your vent run is long or has more than a turn or two, a contractor with the right length of rod can clear the whole thing in one pass.
- What are the signs of a clogged dryer vent?
- Clothes that take longer than one cycle to dry, or come out hot instead of just warm, are the clearest sign. Others include the dryer's outside area feeling hot to the touch, a burning smell while it runs, or the vent hood flap outside barely moving when the dryer is on. Lint dust around the lint trap slot or on the floor behind the dryer is also a sign air is not moving through the vent the way it should.