Recommendation for Dryer Vent Cleaning

My dryer vent desperately needs to be cleaned out. The outlet for the vent (the metal cap with the flapper thingy) is stuck in the open position. This has apparently allowed lots of moisture to enter the dryer vent. I have someone to replace the vent cover (it's way too high for me to reach even on a ladder), but I don't know who to call to clean out the vent from the dryer to the outside wall.

I've been told by co-workers that the only way to have your dryer vent cleaned is to have it done along with the A/C ducts or the chimney. Seems silly to pay for services I don't need just to get one I do need.

Has anyone found someone who will clean out dryer vents?

 

Technicleaners in Herndon, VA has done ours a couple times & even replaced the duct piece from the dryer to the vent b/c it was damaged. They also do carpets using a method that takes only a few hours to dry. 703.435.0639. Dan is usually the one I end up talking to.

 

Thanks! I'll give him a call. I'm really tired of hanging my laundry up to dry.

 

FWIW... I've also heard that you can unhook the dryer hose on the inside, and use a leaf blower to clean it out. Might make a mess on the other end, but gets the job done. This was recommended to us by a guy that cleaned our ducts last year.

 

Sounds like a good idea, but I don't have a leaf blower. I can't justify more than a rake with my tiny lawn. I tried using my ShopVac on the reverse setting, but it wasn't enough. I think a big part of the problem is that the dryer vent bends twice on its way out of the laundry room. Well, that and the vent cover that won't shut.

 

make sure that you cover the area around where you are blowing the shopvac into so that the added pressure is forced outside the house instead of back inside. being stuck open doesnt neccesarily mean tht the vent is clogged either, it could mean that the sun has warped the port enough to mess up the fins tht usually open with the dryer exhaust.

 

I doubt the sun has affected it. It's under my deck. Therein may lie the problem. I tried blowing the muck from the laundry room out. Didn't budge it.

 

ah ok, though you said it was way to high to reach or something... d'oh! how far is the dryer from the outside wall?

 

Fairly far. It has to cross the rec room to the outside. Maybe 15 or 20 feet? The dryer repair guy said that the problem was likely the 2 turns in the vent. A design flaw, I guess.

 

gotta love the builder!

 

take a ferret, tie a bushy rag to his tail....

 

LOL- that will be the next episode of "Great Ideas Gone Bad" !! =)

 

Well, Technicleaners phone has been disconnected. I can't find another phone number for them online either.

Does anyone else have a suggestion for a company that will clean dryer vents?

 

we had this done when we moved in and here's what I learned. The equipment used was a set of 6ft long flexible rods that could be attached together as you feed the line in the duct. On one end was a brush (think chimney sweep) and the other end attached to a drill (to rotate like a plumbing snake). Feed in the line while rotating with the drill, add the next length, continue. I'm pretty sure that I found the setup online for the same price as a service visit (~$80).