12 replies to this topic

[KurbyMstr]

If there is a problem within the dryer vent in the home, do you service that too?   Do you just clean or will you replace?  This is just the ductwork in the home ie wall, attic, basement.   I have an auger brush that I run through to clean out lint and nests.  But I've found a lot of homes that either it's disconnected somewhere or it's plastice vent.  Just wondering what others do.  Thanks guys.

 

[sh2sh2]

Tell them to call a vent professional, messing with the vents can open up a can of worms in my opinion

[jumptrout]

I clean vents.(ducts)

Replace vents.

Install new vents.

[RegUS_PatOff]

I'm no expert, but if you can't see the entire length of Vent,

I wouldn't touch it unless you wanted to replace it ...

 

Dryer Vent 4" diameter

Vent should be rigid metal.
Short lengths of flexible metal may be OK, if not crimped when moving the Dryer into place.
NO plastic
NO PVC
NO screws
Foil Duct Tape is OK.
With an empty load, Timed Dry, High Heat, the vent temperature should cycle somewhere between 135F and 160F
Check / clean the Dryer Vent
Disconnect the Dryer Vent and check for good air-flow there and where it exits the house.
Check the Vent air temperature at the back of the Dryer.

If you have a Harbor Freight Store near you,
 $ 3.99 sometimes on sale for $ 2.99

[Samurai Appliance Repair Man]

When I was a young (and dumb) man, I messed with dryer vents in all their conceivable fuckupedness. It took years before I realized that 1) I was too old to be screwing about with dryer vents and all the gymnastics and contortions that go with them and 2) I could make more money by doing, on average, 2.1 more troubleshoot/repair jobs in the time it takes to do one dryer vent job with an income gain of more than four times! I finally wised up and focused my service offerings on more "cherry picked" jobs. And life is good!

Edited to add: I have a referral arrangement worked out with Dryer Vent Wizard. When I'm in situations where there's a crappy dryer vent that needs re-working (which is most of them), I hand them a slick Dryer Vent Wizard brochure. When the customer calls them and has the work done, I get a referral fee. Customer's happy because they got a slick new vent; I'm happy because I didn't have to do the installation and then spend the rest of the day picking dryer lint outta my nose and I still got a little "piece o' da action."

[SANTA]

  It seems like laundry rooms and venting are an afterthought in most homes, especially newer homes where the vent is inside the wall and comes out through the roof. You can't risk using a vent brush on flexible venting. I learned that trying to be a nice guy. Good thing I carry a roll of vent tape with me. I make sure the vent connection to dryer is clear and the outside vent cap is functioning and has good air flow. 

 

  One time and only one time I ran a brush down a roof vent that was sealed inside the wall and got it stuck in there. The sun was setting by the time I worked it free.

[tpoindexter]

no more than a few feet, otherwise call vent cleaner or chimney sweep.

[nickfixit]

The standard was 40 feet of equilalent 4 inch smooth walled metal pipe. Each elbow counts as 4 feet and the exterior vent flap counts as 4 feet. I would shy away from vent work, or at least be selective and pass on the really long or poorly designed venting runs.

 

Nick

[RegUS_PatOff]

I live in Wisconsin (with a basement)

with cement floor

The Dryer Vent goes up the wall about 9' and straight through the cement block wall.

Washer on the left of the Dryer , and the Laundry Tub/Sink in the corner (on washer's left)

sorry about the over-use of the icons, but the lay-out is a no-brainer ...

 

I can't imagine some of the "second floor" laundry rooms, and even worse, condominiums ...

when they put the laundry room not-on-an-outside-wall.

floor support / vent / drain / water supply / flooding

[certified tech group 51]

Years ago, I realized that there is money to be made in cleaning out dryer vent systems... .............I purchased the Linteater complete package............On the second job,  a simple job, it was a straight shot  about 20 feet  with a 90 deg. then up thru the floor to the dryer...........I was out side at the vent hood , going in at 3 feet at a time...every once in a while a little resistance as the lint ball got big and you had to pull the brush out with lint......On the third withdrawal, it did not with draw..........I went into the basement and looked into the crawl space............The brush had pushed the 90 deg fitting off and I had all of the phone and data cables wrapped around the brush.. ......about 30 cables................... ( the previous owner was a techno nut, each room had 5 data wires coming from a main distribution box )............The crawl space was about 12 inches high, I am about the same thickness.............. So, the home owner  ( female ) crawls in and unwraps the wires..........The 90 deg fitting it turns out was not a fitting at all  but a  twisted straight piece kinda bent at a 90.....So now , both of us are up in the crawl space, each can only use one hand to reach in past the sewer lines and install a 90 deg. fitting  and a short piece  of duct and then seal with foil tape and hose clamps... ( imagine two sweaty bodies, in a hot confined area covered with lint, trying not to laugh at the predicament )...............That was my last attempt to do vent cleaning .......................If the people need their system cleaned , I tell them I got this fancy set-up you can borrow.. ..............P.S. if anyone wants info on vent cleaning literature and products,  go to Copperfield, they got all of the good stuff................ .  

[Skiter29]

i decided i was going to also do duct cleaning as a side job needless to say that was a bad ideal but anyway this machine(brandname Rotobursh) which cost in excess of $4000 also had dryer duct cleaning attachments the first one i did was a moduler home it was down and 90 degress stright out about 25 feet thought it would be easy $100 i was there 3 hrs all this machine did was push the lint forward most of that was wet lint it did clean the duct but i was about 10 feet short of pushing it thru and i had to go in the crawl space and disconet every section and clean it about 2 pillow sack full and the 2nd one i did was about the same lint was dryer got about 6 feet short but got lucky found a 10 foot iron rod to break up the lint what really made me mad at this one was that the dryer was feet from the out side wall but the home owner did want a dryer duct in the front of the house so he vented it 60 ft to the back and what a jack ass the furnace vent was in front of the house 2 yrs later so was the dryer vent i tell customers now that i dont do venting becasue my insurance dosnt cover it if a fire occurs

[RegUS_PatOff]

then there's the homeowners that use flexible metal venting inside walls / attic / ceiling

(and some flexible plastic vent)

If ruined by the "cleaning guy", well ....

[KurbyMstr]

Thanks for the feedback everyone.  I know I've been lucky in the times I've had issues with the venting coming apart the customers were friends with plenty of room in the crawl space.  I have run into the homes with all the Reg listed...flexible and plastic in the same home.  The community I live in is small and rural, not a lot of options for people needing work done.  I haven't had any bad problems, yet, and hopefully won't.  Thanks for the words of wisdom.