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A white plastic dryer or bathroom exhaust vent hood mounted on gray horizontal lap siding.

Dryer Vent Cleaning in Parkston, SD

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Step 1 of 3: Equipment
A white exhaust vent cap mounted on gray vinyl lap siding on the exterior of a house.

Cold vents make lint stick

Your dryer pushes out warm, damp air. Homes here need heat from October through May, and for a good stretch of that, December through February, nights average 12°F. That cold reaches the vent, and warm exhaust cools fast against its walls. The moisture in that air drops out, and the lint riding along with it sticks to the wet metal instead of blowing outside.

That buildup narrows the vent a little more each month. A dryer pushing exhaust through a choked vent runs hotter and takes longer to dry a load, and packed lint is what a dryer vent fire needs to start.

12°F
the average winter night, and cold vents catch damp lint
8 months
October through May, the vent stays cold
Line-art isometric illustration of a front-loading dryer in a room corner, connected by a flexible duct through the wall to an exterior vent hood.
Your vent runs coldest from November through March.

NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals

How often should a dryer vent be cleaned?
Have it cleaned once a year. Lint builds up along the whole vent run, not just in the trap, and that buildup is what slows the dryer down and strains the motor. If loads are taking longer to dry than they used to, don't wait for the year mark, have it checked sooner.
Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
You can clean the first few feet from the back of the dryer with a vent brush kit, and that's worth doing between professional cleanings. But most runs bend through walls or up through a roof, and lint sitting deep in those bends is hard to reach and hard to know you got. A contractor has rods and a camera to clear the whole run and confirm it's clear.
What are the signs of a clogged dryer vent?
Clothes coming out hot but still damp is the clearest sign. Others are a laundry room that feels warmer than usual while the dryer runs, a burning smell, or the outside vent hood barely pushing air when you hold your hand near it. If you notice any of these, it's worth having the vent checked before running more loads.
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