Dryer Vent Cleaning in Northwest Indiana
The lint screen catches most of the lint. The rest is in a four-inch pipe inside your wall, and it is flammable.
By Mark Jason, owner of NWI Chimney Sweep · 34 years in the trade
How a clogged vent announces itself
A clogged dryer vent shows up as longer drying times, a hot laundry room, and a hood flap that barely opens.
- A normal load needs two cycles, or towels come out hot but damp.
- The top of the dryer and the laundry room are noticeably warm while it runs.
- The flap on the outside hood barely lifts, or does not move at all.
- Lint collects on the wall or ground around the hood, or behind the dryer.
- A scorched smell, or the dryer shuts itself off mid-cycle on its high-limit thermostat.
That last one is the dryer protecting itself. Each trip of the thermal fuse or limit switch means the exhaust could not leave, and the heater kept adding heat to a drum full of lint and fabric.
Why length and elbows matter more than age
The International Residential Code (section M1502) limits a dryer exhaust duct to 35 feet, and every elbow shortens that allowance. Air loses speed at each turn, and slow air drops lint. Laundry rooms in the middle of a house, common in two-story plans, are where we find runs that were over the limit the day they were built.
| Fitting in the run | Length deducted |
|---|---|
| 45-degree elbow | 2.5 feet |
| 90-degree elbow | 5 feet |
| Example: 20 ft of pipe with three 90s | Counts as 35 ft, already at the limit |
A dryer maker may permit a longer run for a specific model; the installation manual governs in that case.
What we do on a dryer vent call
Dryer vent cleaning is five steps: measure airflow, disconnect the dryer, brush the full run, clear the hood, then reconnect and measure again.
Measure before
Where the vent allows, we aim to read airflow at the outside hood with an anemometer while the dryer runs on air-only, so there is a number to beat.
Pull the dryer and the transition hose
The short connector between dryer and wall is taken off and examined. Crushed foil or white vinyl hose is replaced with a listed semi-rigid or foil transition duct no longer than the eight feet the IRC allows.
Brush the run
A spinning brush on flexible rods is driven through the full duct, usually from the outside in, while a vacuum or the dryer’s own blower carries lint out. Roof terminations are brushed from the top.
Clear the hood and the dryer outlet
The damper flap, hood throat and the dryer’s exhaust port are cleaned by hand. A flap stuck open lets in cold air and mice; one stuck closed is a blockage.
Reconnect and measure again
Joints are sealed with foil tape or clamps, never screws that protrude into the airstream and snag lint. Where a first reading was possible, we aim to take the second at the same spot.
Problems we point out, and what is outside the job
During a dryer vent cleaning we flag anything that will clog the duct again, and we do not re-route or rebuild the duct. Typical finds are plastic flex duct buried in a wall, a run that ends in the attic, crawlspace or garage instead of outdoors, a bird guard or insect screen over the hood, joints taped with cloth duct tape, or a duct that sags and holds water. You are told what was found and shown where.
Cleaning does not include re-routing a duct through finished walls, cutting a new exterior termination, servicing the inside of the dryer cabinet, or cleaning the home’s heating and cooling ductwork. That last item is a separate job that uses different equipment and is not part of a dryer vent visit. A gas dryer adds one more reason to keep the vent open: its exhaust carries combustion gases, including carbon monoxide, along with the lint. Many customers pair the visit with a fireplace sweep while we are already there.
What affects the cost of dryer vent cleaning
Dryer vent cleaning cost depends on the length of the run, the number of elbows, where the vent exits, and how packed it is. A short run straight through an outside wall is quick. A long run with several elbows above a finished ceiling takes longer, and a roof termination adds ladder and roof time. Bird nests, crushed sections and a transition hose that needs replacing add to the visit. The published starting price is on the dryer vent cleaning pricing page.
We clean dryer vents across the service area, including Merrillville, Ross, Portage and Schererville.
Dryer vent questions
How often should a dryer vent be cleaned?
Once a year suits most households. Clean sooner with a large family, pets that shed, a run over 25 feet, or a roof termination. Drying time is the real gauge: when a load starts taking longer, the duct is filling.
Why do my clothes need two cycles to dry?
A dryer removes water by blowing moist air outside. When lint narrows the duct, that air stays in the drum, so heat rises but moisture cannot leave. The heating element is rarely the cause when clothes come out hot and wet.
Is flexible foil or plastic duct acceptable for a dryer?
Only a listed transition duct may be flexible, and only for the short exposed connection behind the dryer. The concealed run must be smooth rigid metal, four inches across. White vinyl hose should not be used anywhere. These dryer duct rules come from section M1502 of the International Residential Code.
Can a dryer vent into the garage, attic or crawlspace?
No. The code requires exhaust to discharge outdoors. Venting indoors dumps gallons of water vapor and lint into the structure, and with a gas dryer it releases combustion gases there too. If your dryer vent ends in one of those spaces, the duct needs extending to an outside wall or the roof.
Should I put a screen over the dryer hood to keep birds out?
No. Screens are prohibited on dryer terminations because lint mats over the mesh within weeks. Use a hood with a gravity damper or louvers that close on their own when the dryer stops. A proper dryer vent hood keeps birds out without a screen.
Can you clean a dryer vent that exits through the roof?
Yes. It is brushed from the roof jack downward and the cap is cleared by hand. Roof runs clog faster since lint must be pushed uphill, and many roof caps have a small flap that sticks. Roof-terminated dryer vents are worth cleaning every year.
I empty the lint screen every load. Is that not enough?
It is necessary but not sufficient. Fine lint passes through and around the screen on every cycle and settles wherever the air slows, mainly at elbows. Fabric softener sheets also leave a film on the screen that reduces airflow. Only cleaning the dryer vent itself clears those deposits.
Do booster fans solve a long dryer run?
A listed dryer exhaust duct power ventilator can help on a run that cannot be shortened, but it adds a part to maintain and its blades collect lint. Shortening or straightening the duct is the better fix where the layout allows.
Dryer taking two cycles? Call before the next load.
A person answers the phone from 7am to 9pm, every day of the week.
Call (219) 203-9797