Your dryer rarely fails all at once. It slows down. If you've started running a second cycle without thinking about it, the vent is probably the reason. Here are the signs we hear most often from Twin Cities homeowners, in rough order of how urgent they are.
1. Clothes take more than one cycle to dry
This is the number one complaint. When lint restricts the duct, moist air can't leave the drum, so clothes stay damp and the dryer runs longer. If your lint screen is clean and a normal load still needs 90 minutes, the vent is restricted.
2. The dryer is hot to the touch
A dryer with good airflow feels warm on top, not hot. Heat that should be going outside is backing up into the cabinet. This is a safety sign, not just an efficiency one.
3. A burning smell while the dryer runs
Lint is sitting on or near the heating element and scorching. Stop using the dryer and book a cleaning. A burning smell is one of the last warnings you get before a fire.
4. Lint around the outdoor vent cap
Walk outside and look at the cap. Lint hanging from the louvers or matted on a screen means exhaust is struggling to exit. The inside of the duct is almost always worse than what you can see.
5. The outdoor flapper doesn't open
Run the dryer and watch the cap. The flap should swing open and you should feel a strong, warm stream of air. If it barely moves, airflow is weak or the flap is glued shut with lint.
6. The laundry room is humid
Moist exhaust is leaking back into the room, usually from a crushed or disconnected transition hose behind the dryer. Look for condensation on windows or lint on the floor behind the dryer.
7. The dryer shuts off mid-cycle
Modern dryers have thermal fuses that trip when the cabinet overheats. Many customers call us right after an appliance repair tech replaced the fuse and said "get your vent cleaned."
8. Your energy bill crept up
A restricted dryer can use 30% more energy per load. Over a year of family laundry that is roughly $80–$120 in wasted electricity or gas.
9. It's been more than a year
Even without symptoms, the lint is there. Manufacturers and the U.S. Fire Administration recommend annual cleaning. Roof vents and heavy-use households should be on a six-month schedule.
The two-minute test
- Clean the lint screen and start the dryer on high heat with a damp towel inside.
- Go outside to the vent cap. The flapper should be fully open with a strong stream of warm air you can feel from two feet away.
- If the flap is barely open, the air is weak, or you see lint at the cap, you have a restriction.
Spotted two or more of these? Book a cleaning online in about a minute. Flat $139 for wall vents, $199 for roof vents, no trip charge.