# Your Clothes Dryer's Vent Pipe



## Damaged Goods (Dec 13, 2020)

How often do you get it reamed out?  What do they do, pull the dryer out, and use some device to "suck" the lint from the pipe?  Or some other method?

When my wife first showing signs of dementia in 2011, I began doing the laundry, but have never had the pipe cleaned.  I do only one load of wash every two weeks and never use the hot setting.  Just warm.  Does that decrease the risk of fire?

Tell you the truth, I assume that wife had it reamed out periodically, but not 100% certain.


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## Ruth n Jersey (Dec 13, 2020)

My laundry room isn't far from our garage and we have an air hose hooked up out there for the car. Its long enough to reach to the back of the dryer. I first blow out the vent where the filter is inside the machine and then undo the hose on the back of the dryer and blow it out. All the lint flies out the vent that is on the outside of the house. I do that twice a year but clean the filter after every wash load.


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## Damaged Goods (Dec 13, 2020)

Ruth n Jersey said:


> My laundry room isn't far from our garage and we have an air hose hooked up out there for the car. Its long enough to reach to the back of the dryer. I first blow out the vent where the filter is inside the machine and then undo the hose on the back of the dryer and blow it out. All the lint flies out the vent that is on the outside of the house. I do that twice a year but clean the filter after every wash load.


Oh migawd.  I'm in trouble.  Of course I clean the filter after every load but have never had the hose reamed out.


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## win231 (Dec 13, 2020)

Good reminder.  Many people just remove the lint off the screen & think that's all that needs to be done.
Lots of lint collects in the vent tube that goes outside & when it gets clogged, the heat has no way to escape & the lint can catch fire. You may not notice it until it spreads.  Or, you may turn the dryer on, then run errands.

A few weeks ago, I stuck my vacuum cleaner into the vent from outside.  I couldn't believe how much lint came out.


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## Damaged Goods (Dec 13, 2020)

win231 said:


> Good reminder.  Many people just remove the lint off the screen & think that's all that needs to be done.
> Lots of lint collects in the vent tube that goes outside & when it gets clogged, the heat has no way to escape & the lint can catch fire. You may not notice it until it spreads.  Or, you may turn the dryer on, then run errands.
> 
> A few weeks ago, I stuck my vacuum cleaner into the vent from outside.  I couldn't believe how much lint came out.


If you keep the heat at warm rather than hot, does that reduce the risk significantly?


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## win231 (Dec 13, 2020)

Damaged Goods said:


> If you keep the heat at warm rather than hot, does that reduce the risk significantly?


No.  I've seen a dryer being repaired while it was disassembled, so I could see the outside of the drum while the repairman was testing it.  Huge flames.  On a "warm" setting, there would still be fire - just smaller flames.  The lint still builds up in the vent.
After seeing that, I only use the dryer when I'm home & awake.


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## win231 (Dec 13, 2020)

Damaged Goods said:


> Oh migawd.  I'm in trouble.  Of course I clean the filter after every load but have never had the hose reamed out.


You might be able to just stick a vacuum cleaner hose into the vent from the outside; that's how I do it


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## Damaged Goods (Dec 13, 2020)

win231 said:


> You might be able to just stick a vacuum cleaner hose into the vent from the outside; that's how I do it


The outside has a shutter device with three little flaps that only open up when the dryer is running.  Otherwise the flaps close to keep out bees and such.


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## Ruth n Jersey (Dec 13, 2020)

I also use the vacuum hose on the refrigerator motor when I pull it out twice a year. Ours is over 20 years old and I'm sure its because I make sure its clean and dust free. It seems to turn on and off less frequently.


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## Don M. (Dec 13, 2020)

More important than the "heat", is the distance the dryer is from the outside vent.  The further the dryer is from the outdoor vent, the lower the air flow velocity at the outdoor vent.  Low airflow will allow more lint to build up in the vent pipe.  If you observe the vent "flaps", they should be flapping vigorously when the dryer is running.


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## Damaged Goods (Dec 13, 2020)

Don M. said:


> More important than the "heat", is the distance the dryer is from the outside vent.  The further the dryer is from the outdoor vent, the lower the air flow velocity at the outdoor vent.  Low airflow will allow more lint to build up in the vent pipe.  If you observe the vent "flaps", they should be flapping vigorously when the dryer is running.


Yeah, the distance is short and the flaps flap vigorously like Maggie's drawers.  

The reason I haven't called a pro is that the sections of the pipe are literally taped with duct tape..  Afraid that they'll ruin something when they mess with it.

Maybe I should assume that they're pros and know what they're doing.


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## needshave (Dec 13, 2020)

If you pull the lint screen out, so that you can clean it, if you shine a light down into that opening you can see if lint is building up inside the dryer. There should be a couple screws on the inside that will allow that tray attachment to be removed and you can clean out the dryer where the vent exits into the dryer vent tube. 
 I just replaced the dryer vent tube at my mother in laws and it was quite full,  although she cleans the trap each time. I pulled out the dryer and detached the vent hose. Lint was building up at the transition where the vent tube makes a 90 degree turn. I simply replaced all of hers with a rigid pipe which will accommodate clean outs. The older plastic or foil vents are so cheap they simply will not accommodate much in the way of clean out and frankly your never sure if you get it all anyways. The outside exit port is typically a series of vents like a venetian blind and they typically gather the lint and then either want to stick open or partially closed. In her situation it had not been serviced in a long time and it was more efficient to just replace the entire vent system than try and clean the old. You may want to see which type of vent you have.


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## Aunt Marg (Dec 14, 2020)

Damaged Goods said:


> How often do you get it reamed out?  What do they do, pull the dryer out, and use some device to "suck" the lint from the pipe?  Or some other method?
> 
> When my wife first showing signs of dementia in 2011, I began doing the laundry, but have never had the pipe cleaned.  I do only one load of wash every two weeks and never use the hot setting.  Just warm.  Does that decrease the risk of fire?
> 
> Tell you the truth, I assume that wife had it reamed out periodically, but not 100% certain.


We have never had ours cleaned, though dear husband (from time to time) goes outside to check the flow of the exhaust when the dryer is in use.

The dryer exhaust pipe in our house is aluminum, and when dear husband was doing a bunch of work in the basement, a guy he knows that owns a plumbing & heating mentioned that the less elbows in a dryer vent pipe, the better.


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## Damaged Goods (Dec 14, 2020)

Aunt Marg said:


> We have never had ours cleaned, though dear husband (from time to time) goes outside to check the flow of the exhaust when the dryer is in use.
> 
> The dryer exhaust pipe in our house is aluminum, and when dear husband was doing a bunch of work in the basement, a guy he knows that owns a plumbing & heating mentioned that the less elbows in a dryer vent pipe, the better.


  Wow, your experience and practice differ from the other tales here.  From your statements, and unlike me, dear husband seems to be competent in the area of blue-collar skills.  Guess he knows what he's doing.  How long have you had your current pipe?  Mine's aluminum like yours and it has one 90-degree elbow.


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## Aunt Marg (Dec 14, 2020)

Damaged Goods said:


> Wow, your experience and practice differ from the other tales here.  From your statements, and unlike me, dear husband seems to be competent in the area of blue-collar skills.  Guess he knows what he's doing.  How long have you had your current pipe?  Mine's aluminum like yours and it has one 90-degree elbow.


My husband has done, and continues to do pretty much all that needs doing when it comes to building, repairs, etc, but one thing that sets my husband apart from regular ordinary DIY kind of guys, is that he seeks advice and info from knowledgeable people before tackling jobs and things, and he's not afraid to ask for help when and if he needs it.

You have one elbow in your dryer vent pipe, which is excellent, and so long as you can feel a good steady exhaust exiting from your vent pipe, I wouldn't give any thought as to worry over it being plugged or compromised.

When we moved into our home our old vent pipe was plastic, and that's a serious fire hazard, and here in Canada, is no longer allowed by code.

As for the aluminum dryer vent pipe that dear husband installed, it's been in place now for a good 18 years now (at least), and the only thing dear husband does every few months, is remove small fragments of lint that build-up in and around the flapper on the outside of the house. What he finds is, if the small fragments of fluff are allowed to accumulate, they keep the flap-door from closing fully once the dryer finishes a drying cycle, but other than that we have performed zero maintenance on ours, and we have several elbows in our dryer vent pipe.


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## Knight (Dec 14, 2020)

I wash the dryer filter because the use of dryer sheets leaves a waxy film on the screen that can reduce air flow somewhat.

As for the dryer vent pipe I go outside prop it open & use my 190mph. leaf blower to clear any lint.


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## fmdog44 (Dec 14, 2020)

Lint will ignite like gasoline. Pay a professional to do it. don't save a dime to spend a dollar. There are brushes you can buy to insert in to the lint hole to clean you dryer.


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## SeaBreeze (Dec 14, 2020)

Damaged Goods said:


> How often do you get it reamed out? What do they do, pull the dryer out, and use some device to "suck" the lint from the pipe? Or some other method?


I only do mine every couple of years, I move the dryer out enough to get behind and disconnect the hose, then vacuum it out with a vacuum attachment.  Like others here, I clean the lint filter after every load and wash that off a couple of times a year.


Ruth n Jersey said:


> I also use the vacuum hose on the refrigerator motor when I pull it out twice a year. Ours is over 20 years old and I'm sure its because I make sure its clean and dust free


I try to do that to my refrigerator once a year, I pull it away from the wall, shut off and unplug, remove back panel and gently vacuum out any dust.  Honestly, I try to put off any chores like this until I feel it's necessary, I'm no Suzy Homemaker.


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## Aneeda72 (Dec 14, 2020)

Damaged Goods said:


> The outside has a shutter device with three little flaps that only open up when the dryer is running.  Otherwise the flaps close to keep out bees and such.


Just unscrew the vent cover, lay it to the side, vacuum it out, replace cover back, screw down.  It’s easy, I can do it, and my husband can to do it.  When he does it, I just have to go out and find where he dropped the screws.


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## Damaged Goods (Dec 14, 2020)

Aneeda72 said:


> Just unscrew the vent cover, lay it to the side, vacuum it out, replace cover back, screw down.  It’s easy, I can do it, and my husband can to do it.  When he does it, I just have to go out and find where he dropped the screws.


You're saying that you vacuum from outside the residence?


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## Aneeda72 (Dec 14, 2020)

Damaged Goods said:


> You're saying that you vacuum from outside the residence?


I am assuming other people do.  We just take it the vent off and clean it out with a vent brush.   It’s very easy to do because of where our dryer is-right next to the outside wall.  Other people were saying they used a vacuumed which I think would be fine as well.


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## win231 (Dec 14, 2020)

Damaged Goods said:


> You're saying that you vacuum from outside the residence?


I also vacuumed mine from the outside.  I just stick the hose in the vent.  It goes in pretty far & it turns with the tubing, since it's flexible.


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## Damaged Goods (Dec 16, 2020)

Lotta interesting suggestions here, but with the problems with my upper extremities, I got a pro.  $255.  First, he vacced the back of the dryer for 25 mins.  I noticed that the vertical portion of the tube was detached from the elbow that leads directly to outside.  Didn't say anything, figured he knew what he was doing.

Next he went outside and vacced for 5 minutes and left.  

I went back to the basement and saw that the vertical portion was still detached.   I ain't any blue collar genius but knew *that* was wrong.  Got him to return and attach it.

But now it dawns on me: I wonder if when he vacced from outside, the vac hose got into the vertical tube or just dangling in space.

(Incidentally, he showed up two hrs. late, was clumsy, and seemed to be rushing.)


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## Aneeda72 (Dec 16, 2020)

Damaged Goods said:


> Lotta interesting suggestions here, but with the problems with my upper extremities, I got a pro.  $255.  First, he vacced the back of the dryer for 25 mins.  I noticed that the vertical portion of the tube was detached from the elbow that leads directly to outside.  Didn't say anything, figured he knew what he was doing.
> 
> Next he went outside and vacced for 5 minutes and left.
> 
> ...


255 big money for us, small money for him.


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## Aunt Marg (Dec 16, 2020)

Damaged Goods said:


> Lotta interesting suggestions here, but with the problems with my upper extremities, I got a pro.  $255.  First, he vacced the back of the dryer for 25 mins.  I noticed that the vertical portion of the tube was detached from the elbow that leads directly to outside.  Didn't say anything, figured he knew what he was doing.
> 
> Next he went outside and vacced for 5 minutes and left.
> 
> ...


Homeowners beware... while many claim to be professionals, there are very few actual professionals out there.


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## Damaged Goods (Dec 16, 2020)

The company's main business is carpet cleaning but they also do ductwork.  There's a co. in town that's highly rated but couldn't get an appt. 'til next week so I went with the guy I got.   Shoulda been more patient but patience isn't my virtue.

Got this guy thru the Home Advisor co.  Maybe that's a mistake.  One time I went to them for someone to split firewood.  Guy who showed up obviously never did it before ... he came with a chain saw, an electric one to boot, to split logs!!!!


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## Aunt Marg (Dec 16, 2020)

Damaged Goods said:


> Lotta interesting suggestions here, but with the problems with my upper extremities, I got a pro.  $255.  First, he vacced the back of the dryer for 25 mins.  I noticed that the vertical portion of the tube was detached from the elbow that leads directly to outside.  Didn't say anything, figured he knew what he was doing.
> 
> Next he went outside and vacced for 5 minutes and left.
> 
> ...


This is exactly why my husband does most everything.

Being charged $255 for the service you required is disgraceful.


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## Don M. (Dec 16, 2020)

When I saw this thread, a couple of days ago, I was reminded that I hadn't cleaned my appliances in over a year.  So, yesterday, I went through the house and cleaned the refrigerator coils/fan,  pulled the stove forward, and cleaned under it, then went through the washer/dryer in the laundry room.  The washer/dryer took the longest, due to the fairly tight space in the laundry room.  The dryer vent hose had a small amount of lint buildup, but nothing drastic.  I did have to trim and shorten the flexible vent hose, because the guys who installed it, last year, when we got a new set,  just "crunched" the hose behind the dryer, and it had a bit of a "kink" in it.   I think next time I go to Lowe's, or Home Depot, I will get a new hose, and carefully install it properly.


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## Damaged Goods (Dec 16, 2020)

Aunt Marg said:


> This is exactly why my husband does most everything.
> 
> Being charged $255 for the service you required is disgraceful.


One of the outfits that Home Advisor recommended wanted $397.50.


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## hawkdon (Dec 16, 2020)

just now had my hose cleaned, course it's only about 8 ft
run, but only charged 49 dollars...did a good job...


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## win231 (Dec 16, 2020)

Damaged Goods said:


> The company's main business is carpet cleaning but they also do ductwork.  There's a co. in town that's highly rated but couldn't get an appt. 'til next week so I went with the guy I got.   Shoulda been more patient but patience isn't my virtue.
> 
> Got this guy thru the Home Advisor co.  Maybe that's a mistake.  One time I went to them for someone to split firewood.  Guy who showed up obviously never did it before ... he came with a chain saw, an electric one to boot, to split logs!!!!


Home Advisor charges people to list their business with them.  The business has to pass on the extra cost to the customer.
I prefer to read many "Yelp" reviews, then check Contractors Licenses, Insurance, Worker's Comp, etc. with the License Board.
Then, talk price & payment schedule & determine my comfort level with them.
I also let them know I'm a "Yelp" & Google reviewer.  When they get real excited & happy about that, I remind them of two important things:
1.  I've been told I write very well.
2.  Reviews can be a double-edge sword. _ If I'm not happy, I'll write that very well, too. _ Then I invite them to read my reviews - including the ones that make them very nervous.

What happens is, they're warned beforehand & they do a very good job.


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## Aunt Marg (Dec 16, 2020)

Damaged Goods said:


> One of the outfits that Home Advisor recommended wanted $397.50.


That's sick.

They're ripping people off, plain and simple.


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## peramangkelder (Dec 16, 2020)

We have an elderly Fisher & Paykel tumble drier but here we tend not to need an outside vent (although they are available)
Our drier is vented at the front and the warm air comes out of the louvred vent


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## needshave (Dec 16, 2020)

Don M. said:


> When I saw this thread, a couple of days ago, I was reminded that I hadn't cleaned my appliances in over a year.  So, yesterday, I went through the house and cleaned the refrigerator coils/fan,  pulled the stove forward, and cleaned under it, then went through the washer/dryer in the laundry room.  The washer/dryer took the longest, due to the fairly tight space in the laundry room.  The dryer vent hose had a small amount of lint buildup, but nothing drastic.  I did have to trim and shorten the flexible vent hose, because the guys who installed it, last year, when we got a new set,  just "crunched" the hose behind the dryer, and it had a bit of a "kink" in it.   I think next time I go to Lowe's, or Home Depot, I will get a new hose, and carefully install it properly.


Don, I just did that for my mother in law. Take a good look at the dryer vent hose your buying . I bought a kit which included the outside flappers the hose and hose clamps. It was so totally worthless. I laid it all out and I could hear  my father talking to me in my mind "saying you're not going to put that in are you?" In all good conscious I couldn't and what I purchased was the best of the group I looked at. I took it back. I think you are probably much like me and only want to do it once (and right), so I was sharing my experience.


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## Jules (Dec 16, 2020)

Our dryer is in the finished half of the basement.  The vent can be accessed for regular cleaning from the unfinished room.  Once a year DH goes outside and vacuums the whole line.  Since I always clean the filter screen after every use, there’s very little build up.

When I used dryer sheets, I noticed I had to wash the filter quite often.  Wonder how much of this goes into the vent too.  It would make cleaning harder.


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## Remy (Dec 18, 2020)

fmdog44 said:


> Lint will ignite like gasoline. Pay a professional to do it. don't save a dime to spend a dollar. There are brushes you can buy to insert in to the lint hole to clean you dryer.


Something came up in the whole house inspection for the manufactured home I'm buying in a park. The vent material was too flimsy. Who would you call, what kind of repair person, to look at this and probably replace that vent tubing?

 When I owned a house the dryer was right next to the garage back door and it just vented outside. When I sold the house, it needed to be put through the garage wall under the house and vent outside.


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## Remy (Dec 18, 2020)

SeaBreeze said:


> I only do mine every couple of years, I move the dryer out enough to get behind and disconnect the hose, then vacuum it out with a vacuum attachment.  Like others here, I clean the lint filter after every load and wash that off a couple of times a year.
> 
> I try to do that to my refrigerator once a year, I pull it away from the wall, shut off and unplug, remove back panel and gently vacuum out any dust.  Honestly, I try to put off any chores like this until I feel it's necessary, I'm no Suzy Homemaker.


I can easily move the fridge in my apartment since it's on wheels. I don't know if I will be able to move the dryer in the new place. They are leaving all appliances I believe. But I want to make sure that dryer vent is safe. There is a spot behind the manufactured home where I think I can sneak and line dry my laundry in the summer. I do that on my patio in my apartment now.


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## Damaged Goods (Jan 3, 2021)

Damaged Goods said:


> Lotta interesting suggestions here, but with the problems with my upper extremities, I got a pro.  $255.  First, he vacced the back of the dryer for 25 mins.  I noticed that the vertical portion of the tube was detached from the elbow that leads directly to outside.  Didn't say anything, figured he knew what he was doing.
> 
> Next he went outside and vacced for 5 minutes and left.
> 
> ...


REVISIT:  The pro I wanted originally arrived and quoted $150.  After cleaning, he was unhappy with the first guy using duct tape (*my* duct tape, by the way).  He also said that the 90 degree elbows at the bottom of the dryer and the top where it vents outside should be replaced.  He went back to the shop to get two new elbows and aluminum tape.

No additional charge.

The dryer and I lived happily ever after.


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## Aunt Marg (Jan 3, 2021)

Damaged Goods said:


> REVISIT:  The pro I wanted originally arrived and quoted $150.  After cleaning, he was unhappy with the first guy using duct tape (*my* duct tape, by the way).  He also said that the 90 degree elbows at the bottom of the dryer and the top where it vents outside should be replaced.  He went back to the shop to get two new elbows and aluminum tape.
> 
> No additional charge.
> 
> The dryer and I lived happily ever after.


Better.

Good on the aluminum tape, which I know is expensive, but the best and safest option.


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