The dryer vent is one of the most often overlooked home maintenance items there is. From inside the home you usually don’t see it behind the clothes dryer and you probably walk past the vent cap on the exterior of your home several times a day – but its there and it needs to be properly maintained.

Its important to understand what’s going on with this stretch of ducting.

The connection: Connected to the back of your dryer is a flexible or rigid circular duct. The length of this duct depends on where it exits the home – it could be a short piece straight out through the adjacent wall or it could be a much longer winding stretch that exits high on the wall or the roof. The opposite end of this duct attaches to a plastic or metal vent cap attached from the outside. This configuration allows the air, moisture, and lint produced from the dryer to escape to the outside air.

All dryers will produce lint from your clothing but your dryer’s lint trap doesn’t catch every bit of it. Some lint will stick to the moist walls of the duct and if left unchecked over a period of time, can build up to a partial or full clog.

Obstructed dryer vents can cause:

• More lint on clothing
• Longer drying times
• Damage to dryer (overheating)
• Fire hazard
• Mold growth
• Carbon monoxide poisoning