Dryer Vent Cleaning in Bluefield, WV
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Cold vents catch more lint
Your dryer pushes out warm, damp air, and that air has to travel through a vent that runs through cold space to get outside. Bluefield winters average 25°F at night from December through February, so the metal of that vent runs cold for months at a time. Warm air hits those cold walls and the moisture in it lands on the metal, and lint sticks to a damp wall far more than it does to a dry one.
That buildup narrows the path the air has to take. A dryer that can't push its exhaust out easily runs hotter and takes longer to dry a load, and the lint packed inside the vent is exactly what a dryer fire needs.
- 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, at least. If you run laundry for a large household or you notice clothes taking longer to dry, check it more often. Lint builds up along the length of the vent, not just in the trap, and a full year of drying puts a lot of lint through that duct.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can clean the lint trap and the first few feet of duct behind the dryer yourself. What you can't reach is the rest of the run out to the vent hood, especially if it bends or travels through the attic or a wall. A contractor uses a brush and vacuum sized for the full length of the vent, so it comes out clean end to end.
- What are the signs of a clogged dryer vent?
- Clothes that take more than one cycle to dry, a dryer that runs hot to the touch, and a burning smell when it's running are the main ones. You might also notice little to no airflow at the vent hood outside when the dryer is on. Any of these means lint is blocking the duct and the dryer is working harder than it should.