Eight dryer vents at one property in Oak Harbor, WA, and every one of them had a bird nest in it. Behind each nest, the lint had backed up into the line. Caleb cleared all eight. His note from the job says it plainly: this is why it is a good idea to get your dryer vents cleaned.
What Came Out of Eight Dryer Vents in Oak Harbor, WA
The photos tell it better than we can. Nest after nest came out of the hoods: dry grass, a few twigs, dead leaves, and a lot of white feathers. Behind the nests was grey dryer lint, packed in where it could not escape. In a couple of the piles you can see the two together, nesting grass and lint tangled into one clump.
The vents sit low on the wall, a couple of feet above the foundation, in a double hood on vinyl siding. That low, sheltered spot is part of why this happens.
Why Birds Nest in Ground-Level Dryer Vents on Whidbey Island
To a small bird, a dryer vent hood is a dry cave with a roof on it. It is out of the wind and rain, it is warm every time someone runs a load, and the lint inside is soft nesting material already delivered. Once a flap gets stuck open, even a little, birds move in, usually in spring. In a building with a row of vents on one wall, birds that find one vent tend to find the rest.
How We Cleared a Bird Nest and the Lint Behind It From a Dryer Vent
Pulling the nest out of the hood is the easy part. The lint that built up behind it is the part that matters, because that is the blockage that makes a dryer run hot. On this job Caleb worked each line from the outside hood with a cleaning cable run up the duct, pulled the nest material out, and kept going until the lint behind it came out too. Then onto the next vent, eight times.
If you have a stack of dryers on one wall, like an apartment building, a townhouse row, or a condo association, this is the kind of job our dryer vent cleaning service handles every week across Oak Harbor and the rest of Whidbey Island.
Signs a Bird Nest Is Blocking Your Dryer Vent
- Grass, twigs or feathers sticking out of the vent hood outside.
- A hood flap that does not open when the dryer is running.
- Birds going in and out of the vent, or chirping near the laundry room.
- Clothes that take two cycles to dry.
- A dryer or laundry room that feels hotter than it used to.
Any one of these is worth a look. More than one usually means the line is blocked.
Keeping Birds Out of Your Dryer Vent After Cleaning
A hood with a working flap is the first line of defense, so a cracked or stuck flap is worth replacing. Some homeowners add a guard over the hood. Guards do keep birds out, but they also catch lint, and a guard that nobody cleans turns into its own blockage. We saw exactly that on a dryer vent cleaning for a home sale in Oak Harbor a few weeks later. Whatever is on the outside, an annual cleaning keeps the line clear.
Bird Nest in Dryer Vent Questions
Can a bird nest in a dryer vent cause a fire?
It can raise the risk. A nest blocks the hot, damp air leaving the dryer, so lint builds up in the line behind it and the dryer runs hotter and longer. Dry grass and lint together are both flammable. That is why we clear the whole line, not just the nest at the opening.
How do I know if a bird is nesting in my dryer vent?
Look at the outside hood. Grass or twigs poking out of the flap, a flap that no longer opens when the dryer runs, or birds flying in and out are the giveaways. Inside, loads that take two cycles to dry and a dryer that is hot to the touch point to a blocked line.
Should I pull a bird nest out of my dryer vent myself?
You can pull out what you can reach at the hood, but most of the problem is further up the line, where lint has packed in behind the nest. That part needs a cleaning tool run the length of the duct. If there are live chicks, wait until they have left or call us and we will advise.
Do you clean dryer vents on multi-unit properties in Oak Harbor?
Yes. On this job we cleared eight dryer vents at one Oak Harbor property. Apartments, townhouse and condo associations with rows of ground-level vents are a regular part of our dryer vent work on Whidbey Island.
