cleaning dryer vent

7 years ago

We have a 10+ year old Samsung washer and dryer, both of which are on pedestals. Need I say "HEAVY"! We've never had a single issue with either unit, but recently the dryer stopped heating. Ended up being the heating element was fried. Repairman said we needed to clean out the vent.

The vent run is long, about 15 feet, with a couple 90 degree elbows. I have two questions....1) how to move that HEAVY dryer and pedestal out from the wall, and 2) looking for recommendations on cleaning the long vent. Cannot find any commercial vent cleaners that will do it in winter.

Guess I'm a bit ignorant that I hadn't cleaned out the vent before, but lesson learned.

Featured Answer

dadoes

7 years ago

A clogged/obstructed exhaust duct impairs the airflow rate which causes the element to operate hotter than it should which can cause (premature) failure, other overheating issues, and of course poor drying performance.

The bottom line is that the dryer must be moved for access. If the arrangement of the machines is such that the washer must also be moved, then ... it is what it is. People typically don't keep maintenance/repair procedures in mind when designing laundry rooms.

Some people use a yard/leaf blower. Blow it from inside (behind the dryer) to outside to avoid lint into the house. You really need a long flexible brush to thoroughly clean it, particularly through the 90° turns. Turns are bad and should be avoided, another example of bad planning.

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Comments (8)

Jennifer
7 years ago
In our new house, we added an inline blower to the vent line because of the length. Check your dryer's specifications. The length and 2 turns may be causing your dryer to work too hard. About $300 for the unit and hardware and we installed it ourselves.
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Sammy
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Is the ductwork accessible? If so, can you post some photos—of as much of it you can see, anyway. And pics of the w/d area plus the vent, where the exhaust duct discharges outside, would be helpful, too. btw, I just bought a brush cleaning set for mine last week at Lowe’s. It can be attached to a drill and depending on the length of the duct run, used from either the inside, the outside, or both to meet in the middle. I haven’t used it yet because I want to change the transition duct to a magnetic system because it’s such a pain to reconnect everything.

Here are some good overviews on the subject of dryer venting:

Proper clothes dryer venting

How to install a dryer vent

Edited to add that until you know exactly what type of ducting you’re cleaning (rigid? flexible?), how all the individual pieces are connected to each other (screws? duct tape? cloth tape? metallic tape? shoestring?), if and how the ducting is supported, if the pieces are fit together correctly, etc., DO NOT USE A LEAFBLOWER!!

In any event, if you post pictures of your setup, I’m sure we can walk you through it all.
Sammy
7 years ago
In our new house, we added an inline blower

I’m intrigued, Jennifer. Tell me (and show me) more, please!
boba1
7 years ago
Not cleaning such a long amount of ductwork for that length of time is also a fire hazard.
mamapinky0
7 years ago
Follow the advice of Dadoes...he's an expert in these matters.
MiMi
7 years ago
Are there air duct cleaning companies in your area? They will usually also clean dryer vents and do the moving of the dryer so you wouldn’t have to.
joyce_6333
Original Author
7 years ago
MiMi, that was my first thought, but couldn't find anyone who would do it in the winter. I really don't want to put it off too long and fry another $300 heating element. Hubby and I are going to try to do it ourselves. We've ordered a long hose and will end up using a heavy duty shop vac to remove the lint. Wish us luck. Thanks for all the advice. It was helpful.