Dryer Vent Cleaning in Rumford, ME
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Cold vents make lint stick
Your dryer pushes out warm, damp air, and in Rumford that air is hitting a vent run sitting in cold space most of the year. Winter nights average 10°F from December through February, and the vent stays cold through the nine months a year homes here need heat. Warm air cools fast in a cold pipe, and the moisture in it settles on the walls of the vent. Lint sticks to a damp surface far more than it does to a dry one, so the buildup packs in tighter over a Rumford winter than it would somewhere warmer.
A vent that is losing airflow to that buildup takes longer to clear the moisture out of your dryer load. That damp air has to go somewhere, and if it is not making it outside, it is settling back in the duct or the room around it.
- 10°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 is right for most households. If you run large loads often, or if the dryer takes longer than it used to, clean it more often than that. A vent that's clogged makes the dryer work harder and run hotter, and that's not something you want to ignore through a Rumford winter when the dryer is likely running more, not less.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can clean the lint trap and the first few feet of the vent yourself, but the full length of the duct is a different job. Most vent runs have bends and go through walls or up through a roof, and lint builds up in those spots where a vacuum or a brush from the dryer end can't reach it. A contractor has the rods and tools to clean the whole run and check the vent hood outside too.
- What are the signs of a clogged dryer vent?
- Clothes that take more than one cycle to dry, a dryer that feels hot to the touch on top or sides, and a burning smell when it runs. Less lint than usual in the trap is another sign, since it means lint is building up somewhere else instead. If the vent hood outside barely moves air when the dryer is on, that's worth checking too.