Dryer Vent Cleaning in Iowa City, IA
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Step 1 of 3: Equipment
Cold vents make lint stick
Your dryer pushes out warm, damp air, and that air has to travel through a vent that sits in a cold attic or wall most of the year. Winter nights here average 16°F from December through February, so that vent runs cold for months at a time. The moisture in the exhaust cools fast against those cold walls, and lint sticks to the damp surface instead of blowing outside.
Once lint builds up along the vent, it blocks the path exhaust needs to escape. Air backs up, moisture has nowhere to go, and the dryer has to push harder to get rid of it.
- 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. Lint builds up inside the duct even when the lint trap is clean, because the trap only catches what passes through it while the drum is tumbling. If you notice drying times creeping up before the year is out, that's a sign it needs cleaning sooner.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can clean part of it. A vent brush kit will get lint out of the first several feet from the dryer and out at the wall or roof cap, and that's worth doing between professional cleanings. What you can't reach that way is the middle of a long run or a duct with turns in it, and that's where lint tends to pack in tightest. A contractor uses a longer rod system and can check the vent hood outside to make sure it opens freely and isn't blocked by debris.
- What are the signs of a clogged dryer vent?
- Clothes that take longer than they used to, or come out hot instead of dry, are the clearest sign. Others include the outside of the dryer feeling hot to the touch, a burning smell, or the vent hood flap outside barely moving when the dryer runs. Lint showing up around the door seal, when it used to stay in the trap, is another sign the duct isn't drawing air the way it should.