Dryer Vent Cleaning in Hurricane, WV
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Step 1 of 3: Equipment
Cold vents in Hurricane make lint stick
Your dryer pushes out warm, damp air every load. From October through April, that air hits a vent run sitting in cold space, with winter nights averaging 27°F. The moisture cools fast against the cold walls of the vent, and the lint in that air sticks instead of blowing on through to the outside.
Over a winter, that buildup narrows the vent. Air moves slower, so the next load's moisture has even more surface to cling to. A blocked vent means your dryer runs longer to dry a load, and it means the moist air has to go somewhere. Some of it backs up into the house instead of outside.
- 27°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 is the general rule. Lint builds up along the inside of the duct even when you clean the trap every load, and a year is usually long enough for enough of it to collect and slow the airflow. If your dryer runs longer than it used to or the vent hood outside barely puffs air when the dryer is on, don't wait for the year mark.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can clean the parts you can reach, but you can't clean the whole run yourself unless it's short and straight. A vent brush kit sold at any hardware store will get lint out of the first several feet from the dryer and at the outside hood. Longer runs, ones with bends, or vents that go up through a roof need a rod system or a vacuum strong enough to pull lint the full length, and most homeowners don't have either.
- What are the signs of a clogged dryer vent?
- Clothes taking longer than usual to dry is the first sign, and it's the one most people notice. Others are the dryer or the laundry room getting hotter than normal while it runs, a burning smell, lint showing up around the door seal, and little to no air coming out of the vent hood outside when the dryer is going. Any one of these means the vent needs a look before the next load.