Dryer Vent Cleaning in Middletown, CT
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Step 1 of 3: Equipment
Cold vents make the lint stick
Your dryer pushes out warm, damp air every time it runs. From October through May, the vent it travels through sits in cold space, and on winter nights that average 23°F, that air cools fast. Lint that might otherwise blow straight out sticks to the damp walls of the duct instead.
That buildup narrows the vent a little more each time. A clogged vent means longer dry times and a dryer working harder than it should, and enough lint packed into a vent is a fire risk.
- 23°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 1991–2020 monthly normals
- How often should a dryer vent be cleaned?
- Once a year for most households. If you run big loads often, or your vent run is long or has a lot of turns, cleaning on the shorter end of that range is safer than waiting longer. A load that is taking noticeably longer to dry than it used to is a sign you have already gone too long between cleanings.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can clean the lint trap and the first few feet behind the dryer yourself, but that is not the whole vent. Most vent runs go through a wall and out to a hood on the outside of the house, and lint builds up all along that path, not just near the dryer. A contractor uses a brush and vacuum sized for the full length of the duct, and can check that the vent hood flap outside is opening and closing the way it should.
- What are the signs of a clogged dryer vent?
- Clothes that take longer than one cycle to dry, a dryer that feels hot to the touch on the outside, and a burning smell when it runs are the main ones. Check the outside vent hood too. If the flap barely moves or you feel weak airflow when the dryer is on, lint is blocking the path somewhere between the dryer and the outside wall.