Clogged dryer vent
easy 45–90 min
Tools: dryer vent brush kit with rods, vacuum with a hose, screwdriver, flashlight · Materials: smooth metal duct and clamps to replace foil or plastic hose, foil tape, a new exterior vent cap if the flap is broken
Steps
- Unplug the dryer (and close the gas valve if it is gas), pull it out, and disconnect the hose at both ends.
- Vacuum the dryer's outlet and the wall duct opening, then feed the vent brush through the duct toward the outside, adding rods and spinning it with a drill on low.
- Go outside and pull the lint from the cap; check that the flap opens freely and there is no screen packed with lint or a bird's nest.
- Replace any foil, plastic or crushed hose with smooth metal duct, keeping the run as short as possible with no more than two elbows, and tape the joints — no screws that catch lint.
- Reconnect, push the dryer back without kinking the duct, and run an empty cycle: strong warm air should blow at the cap outside within a minute.
- Clean the lint screen every load and the duct once a year, or twice if the run is long or the family is big.
Stop and call a pro if
- the duct runs more than 8 m (25 feet), goes up through the roof, or you cannot reach the far end
- the duct is crushed inside a wall or ends in the attic or crawl space
- the dryer still overheats or dries slowly with a clear duct
What a pro does that you can't
A vent-cleaning service clears long or roof-terminated runs with a rotary brush and a high-powered vacuum, measures the airflow, and reroutes a duct that ends where it should not.
DIY cost: $15–40 for a brush kit and metal duct