Dryer Vent Cleaning in Janesville, WI
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Step 1 of 3: Equipment
Cold vents make lint stick
Your dryer pushes out warm, damp air every time it runs. Once that air hits the cold vent run, in a Janesville winter that means a vent sitting in air near 16°F, it cools fast. The moisture in it has nowhere to go, and the lint riding along in that air sticks to the damp walls of the duct instead of blowing outside.
That buildup narrows the vent a little more each month, from October through May when the cold sets in hard. A vent that is choked with lint can't clear the moist air fast enough, and what backs up can settle in the duct, around the dryer, or in the wall it runs through.
- 16°F
- the average winter night, and cold vents catch damp lint
- 8 months
- October through May, 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. If you run big loads often, or you have a long vent run to the outside, it can fill with lint sooner than that. Watch how long drying takes as a guide between cleanings. If towels or jeans take longer to dry than they used to, the vent is telling you it needs attention.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can clean the first few feet, but you likely can't reach the whole run. A vacuum with a hose attachment or a basic brush kit will get lint out near the dryer and near the outside hood. Most vents bend at least once between the dryer and the wall, and lint tends to build up right at those bends, out of reach of a shop vacuum. A contractor uses rods that reach the full length and can also check that the outside hood flap opens and closes the way it should.
- What are the signs of a clogged dryer vent?
- Clothes that take more than one cycle to dry is the clearest sign. Others include the outside of the dryer feeling hot to the touch, a burnt smell during the cycle, or the vent hood outside barely moving when the dryer runs. Lint around the dryer's lint trap door or a musty smell in the laundry room can also mean lint is trapping moisture in the line. Any of these on their own is worth checking before it gets worse.