Dryer Vent Cleaning in Bakersfield, CA
Tell us about your home, and a licensed contractor who covers Kern County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Step 1 of 3: Equipment
Cold vents catch more lint
Every load of laundry pushes warm, damp air out through the vent. On a winter night here, when temperatures average 37 degrees, that air hits cold metal and cools fast. The moisture in it beads up on the vent walls, and lint sticks to wet surfaces far more than dry ones.
That buildup narrows the vent a little more each time. Airflow drops, the dryer takes longer to finish, and the motor and heating element work harder to do the same job. Left alone, a partly blocked vent is one of the more common causes of a dryer fire.
- 37°F
- the average winter night, and cold vents catch damp lint
- 6 months
- November through April, 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?
- A contractor can tell you how often based on how you use the dryer and how the vent is run, but once a year is a reasonable starting point for most households. If you run large loads often, or the vent run is long or has a lot of turns, lint builds up faster and it needs checking more than once a year. A dryer that takes longer than normal to dry a load is telling you it needs attention sooner, no matter when it was last cleaned.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can clean the section right behind the dryer and the outside vent hood yourself with a vent brush kit. What you usually cannot reach is lint packed further down the duct, especially where it runs through a wall or attic before it gets outside. A contractor has the tools to clear the full length and check that the vent hood flap opens and closes 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 burnt smell during the cycle are the main ones. You might also notice little to no airflow at the outside vent hood when the dryer is running, or lint collecting around the hood itself. Any of these on their own is worth checking, since a clogged vent that gets ignored is a fire risk, not just a drying problem.