Dryer Vent Cleaning in Watertown, SD
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Step 1 of 3: Equipment
Cold vents make lint stick
Your dryer pushes out warm, damp air, and in a Watertown winter that air hits a vent run sitting in cold space. The moisture in that exhaust cools fast against the cold walls of the vent, and lint clings to anything damp. Over a season that buildup narrows the vent, and a dryer that can't push air out takes longer to dry a load and runs hotter doing it.
With winter lasting from September through May here, that vent stays cold most of the year, so the same thing keeps happening load after load unless the vent gets cleared out.
- 6°F
- the average winter night, and cold vents catch damp lint
- 9 months
- September 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 is the standard rule, and it holds true here too. Lint builds up inside the vent run every time you dry a load, and a full year of use is enough to narrow the path air needs to escape through. If you notice clothes drying slower than they used to, that is a sign to check it before the year is up.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can clean the parts you can reach, but that is usually not the whole vent. Pulling the dryer out and vacuuming the first few feet of duct, plus clearing the lint trap and the hood outside where the vent exits the house, is worth doing. The trouble is the rest of the run, especially if it bends, goes through a wall, or travels any real distance to the outside. A contractor has brushes and rods built to clear the full length and check that the vent hood flap is moving freely once the job is done.
- What are the signs of a clogged dryer vent?
- Clothes taking longer than one cycle to dry is the clearest sign. Others include the outside of the dryer feeling hot to the touch, a burnt smell during the cycle, and the room getting noticeably warmer or more humid while it runs. Check the vent hood outside too. If the flap barely moves or you feel weak airflow there while the dryer is on, lint is blocking the path somewhere along the run.