I have Whirlpool dryer that is about 7 years old. Lately, the clothes have not been drying. The dryer does get hot but it takes multiple cycles to dry the clothes. I did take off the back panel and was able to take out some clumps of lint near the vent area. Keep in mind there were small amounts and the vent area was not blocked.

The vent tube to the outside is very old and has a pretty good layer of lint on the inside. I noticed that there is no air coming out of the vent on the outside of the house when the dryer is running. This leads me to believe the venting is clogged. So would a clogged vent result in clothes not drying? And how dangerous is this? Is there any carbon monoxide from this even though the dryer is electric? Thanks in advance!

 

Since you are not burning a fossil fuel there is no carbon monoxide.

You must find and clear the clog in the vent system. There are safety devices designed to prevent overheating but best not to push them. Ultimately you will damage the dryer if you keep running it like that.

 

Lint build up in the ductwork is a serious fire hazard. You can use a brush like below to clean out the dryer vent, but the brush isn't long enough (about 3.5') to clear the duct leading outside. If paying to clean the ductwork isn't an option, replacement of duct is, you only need a few tools and you can get help here.

 

Vent issues are the most common problem with dryers. Clogged vent will lead to overheating, heater coils burn out, thermostats Failure. If a old plastic vent replace it with a hard medal dryer vent. Your problem is classic vent problem.