Dryer Vent Cleaning in Reading, PA
Tell us about your home, and a licensed contractor who covers Berks County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
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 runs through a house sitting in nights near 23°F all winter. The air cools fast in that cold metal, and when it cools, the moisture in it turns back to water. Lint sticks to a wet wall far more than it does to a dry one.
Over a winter that runs from October through May, that buildup narrows the vent a little at a time. A vent that is choked with lint can't move air the way it should, and that leaves the dryer pushing damp air back into the house instead of outside.
- 23°F
- the average winter night, and cold vents catch damp lint
- 8 months
- October through May, the vent stays cold
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
- How often should a dryer vent be cleaned?
- Once a year is the standard rule for a single household. If you run the dryer for a large family, or if the vent run is long or has several bends, check it sooner because lint builds up faster in those setups. A vent that takes longer than it used to to dry a load is telling you it needs attention now, not next year.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can clean the first few feet from the back of the dryer yourself, but that only reaches part of the vent. The full run goes through the wall and out to a hood outside, often with bends you cannot see or reach with a household vacuum. A contractor uses a brush and rod system built to clear the whole length, and can check that the outside hood is opening and closing the way it should.
- What are the signs of a clogged dryer vent?
- Clothes that take more than one cycle to dry, a dryer that runs hot to the touch, and a burning smell are the main signs. Lint at the outside vent hood, or a hood flap that will not open when the dryer runs, points to a blockage further down the line. Any of these on their own is worth a look, since a blocked vent traps heat that the dryer is built to send outside.