Dryer Vent Cleaning in Port Huron, MI
Tell us about your home, and a licensed contractor who covers St. Clair County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Step 1 of 3: Equipment
Cold makes the lint stick
Your dryer pushes out warm, damp air every time it runs. Once that air hits the cold metal of the vent, it cools fast, and the moisture in it beads up on the walls of the duct. Lint sticks to wet metal a lot easier than dry metal, so the buildup packs in tighter and faster than you'd expect.
With 8 months of heating a year and winter nights averaging 20°F, that vent stays cold most of the time your dryer is working against it. A vent clogged with damp lint pushes exhaust back toward the dryer instead of outside, and that's the setup that leads to overheating and house fires.
- 20°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 for most households. A vent that runs long or has a lot of turns collects lint faster and may need attention more than once a year. If you notice clothes taking longer to dry, that is a sign the vent needs cleaning sooner, whatever the calendar says.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can clean the lint trap and the first few feet of duct behind the dryer yourself. The rest of the run is harder to reach, especially where it bends or passes through a wall or roof, and a shop vac or brush from the inside often cannot reach a clog further down. A contractor has rods and brushes built to clear the full length of the vent, including the hood outside where lint and debris tend to collect.
- What are the signs of a clogged dryer vent?
- Clothes that take longer than one cycle to dry, a dryer that feels hot to the touch on the outside, and a burning smell when it runs are the main signs. You might also notice little to no airflow at the outside vent hood when the dryer is on, or lint collecting around the hood flap. Any of these means the vent needs to be checked before the dryer runs again.