Dryer Vent Cleaning in Salem, NJ
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Step 1 of 3: Equipment
What cold nights do to your dryer vent
Every load sends warm, damp air out through the vent and into the cold. From December through February, Salem County nights average 28°F, and that vent runs through cold space most of the way out. The air cools fast once it hits that cold metal, and the moisture in it turns to damp on the vent walls. Lint does not slide through damp walls. It sticks.
That buildup narrows the path the air has to take to get out. A dryer that cannot push its exhaust out fast enough runs hotter and takes longer to dry a load, and the lint packed inside is what a fire needs.
- 28°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 for most households, more often if you dry clothes almost every day or you have a long duct run to the outside. Lint builds up along the inside of the vent even when the lint trap is clean, and it narrows the path air needs to escape through. A vent that runs straight out through a nearby wall clears easier than one that snakes through the attic or over a long distance, so a longer or bent run is worth checking more than once a year.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can clean the first few feet near the machine yourself, but the full run is hard to reach without the right brush and rod setup. Disconnect the vent from the back of the dryer and you can clear lint by hand or with a long flexible brush. The part that causes most problems is further down the duct, past the bends, and a shop vac at the wall opening cannot reach that far. If your vent run is long or has more than one turn, a contractor with a full-length brush kit will get to what you cannot.
- What are the signs of a clogged dryer vent?
- Clothes take longer than one cycle to dry, the top of the dryer feels hot to the touch, and the outside vent hood barely moves when the dryer is running. A burning smell or a musty smell partway through the cycle is another sign, since trapped lint holds heat and moisture instead of letting it out. Check the vent hood outside while the dryer runs. If the flap opens weakly or not at all, air is not getting out the way it should.