Dryer Vent Cleaning in Phillipsburg, NJ
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Cold vents make lint stick
Your dryer pushes out warm, damp air every load. That air has to travel through a vent that runs through a cold attic or along an outside wall, and from December through February the air out there averages 21°F. The warm air cools fast inside that cold metal, and when it cools, the moisture in it settles on the vent walls. Lint sticks to a damp surface a lot better than a dry one.
Over a winter that runs eight months long, that buildup narrows the vent a little at a time. A narrower vent means the dryer has to push harder to move the same air, and the lint sitting inside it is the thing that catches fire.
- 21°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?
- Most manufacturers recommend once a year, and that is a good baseline for any household. Lint builds up inside the vent run even when you clean the lint screen every time, since the screen only catches part of it. A contractor can tell you if your particular setup needs it more often, based on the length of the run and how many bends it has.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can clean the first few feet near the dryer, but that is not the whole vent. Most runs travel several feet through the wall or ceiling to the outside hood, often with a bend or two, and lint collects past where a homeowner brush can reach. A contractor uses a longer rod and brush system built to clear the full run 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 more than one cycle to dry are the clearest sign. Others include the top of the dryer feeling hot to the touch, a burning smell while it runs, and little to no airflow or lint at the outside vent hood when the dryer is on. If you notice more than one of these, it is worth having the vent checked before running the dryer again.