Dryer Vent Cleaning in Scranton, PA
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Cold vents catch lint that a warm one would pass through
Your dryer pushes out warm, damp air, and that air has to travel through a vent that sits in a cold house for most of the year. From September through May the metal of that vent is cold, so the warm air cools fast as it moves through it. Moisture beads up on the inside walls, and lint sticks to the wet spots instead of blowing out the hood.
On a night near 19°F that cooling happens even faster, so the first few feet of vent do most of the collecting. Over a winter that buildup narrows the path the air has to take, and a duct that is choked with lint can't vent the moisture out of the house the way it should.
- 19°F
- the average winter night, and cold vents catch damp lint
- 9 months
- September through May, the vent stays cold
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
- How often should a dryer vent be cleaned?
- Once a year for most households. If you run the dryer for a large family or dry loads every day, check it sooner, since lint builds up faster with heavier use. A vent that runs long or short, with tight turns, also collects lint faster and may need attention more than once a year.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can clean the part you can reach, but that is usually not the whole job. A vacuum and a brush from the dryer end will pull lint out of the first few feet of duct. The rest of the run, especially where it bends or passes through a wall to the outside hood, needs a longer rod system or a technician who can reach the full length and clear the hood flap too.
- 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 on the outside, and a musty smell in the laundry room are the main signs. Check the outside vent hood while the dryer runs. If the flap barely opens or you feel little to no airflow, the duct is restricted somewhere along its length.