How to clean out your dryer vents and ducting
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- Опубліковано 24 лип 2024
- Dryer fires cause over $35 million dollars in damage each year!
In this video I show you how to clean out that extremely flammable dryer lint to help you avoid the catastrophe. I also address some problems that can occur during this process that many other don't cover!!
I used that same kit to clean my dryer vent. I have two pieces of advice: 1- Put some duct tape around each of the connections so if you do accidently reverse the drill they are less likely to come apart. 2- Seal the vacuum hose to the vent pipe so all the air is pulled through the duct work. I used a plastic jar with a 4 " opening and drilled a hole in the bottom for the vacuum hose. At the very least you should be able to tell by the sound of the shop vac if the duct is clogged.
Great tip: Clean out the dryer vent when you buy a new house! I would not have had that on my list...
Meant when you buy a used house?
She most likely meant “new to her” house!
I’m a middle aged woman living alone & am ready to try any new household tactics once. Your a great teacher & you got yourself a new sub. Great job
would it not be easier to start dating a man? you would kill a ton of rabbits with just a single shot :))
@@grenzhochspannungshindernis I like the plan
Hi. Nice video. I do this a lot in the Dallas area. There should be No flex duct pipe through out, always solid pipe.
Second tip is to use electrical tape and tape each section of flexible tube together to keep it from breaking in the pipe. And turn dryer on with the duct flex connected to the dryer and wall as you come on from the outside, this will push lent out and break it down as you work from the outside in. Clean dryer at least once a year. More if you have pets or family play sports as you will be using dryer more than norm. And please clean lent trap after every use.
Peace ✌️
This is all great advice.
I didn’t tape each section (mostly because its extra time I don’t have😂)
But I clean mine every 5-6 months.
As far as the type of ducting I’ve never seen solid pipe on any house I’ve lived in!!
Maybe that’s an Oregon thing.
But it does make me rethink putting solid pipe in my new house. At least I wouldn’t have to deal with that blockage issue ever again!
Cheers from Oregon and thanks for the tips.
Can we use duct tape instead of electrical tape?
I am in Dallas as well and would like to get mine done. How do I reach you?
what a twisted twisted world! This dude deserves more subscribers.
thanks
Very helpful video. One suggestion: it looks like the elbow at the wall connection point is installed backwards. The “ridged” end should be pointed away from the dryer. Lint can collect on these ridges the way the elbow is presently positioned. Easy fix. Next time you pull the dryer out, just reverse the elbow, with the “ridged” end clamped to the outlet pipe at the wall.
We had a clogged vent and got the same brush kit. Initially everything went fine until like you it hit a blockage. I pushed a few times then the brush jammed inside the pipe. Then one of the plastic sections broke off. I ended up having to open up a ceiling to locate the pipe and cut a section out. It ended up being a multi hour job with a visit to a big box store to get pipe materials. What a PITA. There must be a better brush with heavier duty line.
Some dryer vent cleaning kits include a heavy blockage removal tool. It basically cuts through and loosens the clog. Used it successfully before.
It's not just about preventing a fire. It's about making the dryer not have to work so hard and saving money on electricity.
Gloves?
You also need to take apart and clean out your dryer too it’s just as important as cleaning out the vents
This was a very good video, easy to follow. in all the 3 homes we have lived in this is the first time we have cleaned the dryer vents. Thank you feel safer already.
I always have my dryer running when cleaning the vents from outside. It becomes the blower which helps with clogs because you agitate the pipe and the force of air behind it, piece by piece breaks the clogs loose. Once air pressure improves and absolutely no lint comes out, I then go inside, unplug dryer, remove back vent hose and clean it out.
Genius! I kept watching videos thinking there’s gotta be an easier way to do this. Some videos online will use a leaf blower, if you can believe that.
Thank you so much young man. You’re a great teacher. Good clear instructions. Just had 2 knee replacements on same knee within a year. Husband too ill to fix. I’m getting my helper (chair) and getting ready to work.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR FOR THIS EXCELENT VIDEO !!! VERY DETAILED AND SIMPLE, APPRECIATE, THE MONEY SAVING TIPS !!! THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS !!!
I use aluminum tape ( heat rsistant) to seal the vent connections before putting on the hose clamps. It prevents any leakage of lint dust into the laundry room.
I made the mistake of reversing the drill. The brush came off. I had to purchase another kit. Thank God the 2nd brush pushed the 1st rod/brush out.
Now what I do is duct tape the rods together to help prevent that gaff. About once a month I use my leaf blower to blow out as much as possible. I use my blower at my GF house also she has about 8 ft of flex hose going up the wall. Her metal vent is only about 2 ft to the outside, easy!!!
I also place the blower in the lint holder & blow that out.
Thank you for a very informative video.
Planning on trying this out myself for some of my current customers and see how well it works in my area
if you have to redo your venting and its accessible, consider using a smooth vent the corrugated ones catch too much. Also the bends at the wall connecting to the dryer slows the air pressure which slows the drying time.
Thanks for sharing and Good luck
In case not obvious you will save on electricity or gas depending on how ur heating is powered.
Leaf blowers can assist you in clearing out the dryer ducts as well.
Doing this this weekend thanks 😊❤️
Use a leaf blower to blow the lint outside. First lay a tarp on the ground weighted down with bricks to catch the lint.
Nice Video, thanks so much for the info . It was very informative.
Wow! Thanks for sharing!
Very helpful video. Thanks!
A few additional notes:
1) Lint tends to build up in the ducting inside of the dryer. This can be accessed for cleaning by removing the rear panel on the dryer. Be sure to unplug the dryer before removing the rear panel.
2) The rodent screen across the exterior vent outlet in the video is a fire hazard and is a code violation where I live. To prevent critters from getting inside you can use an outlet fitting called a "no pest vent". These have a door that automatically opens when the dryer is running and closes when the dryer isn't being used.
3) Dryer vents should be vented to the outdoors a minimum of 12” above the ground.
The professionals use a long rubber hose with high air pressure. The end is a brush that's powered by the air pressure. It's spins very fast while the rubber hose can snake thru all the bends in the vent piping. The air pressure blows out the lint in an avalanche.
Do you know the name of it ?
Should be using smooth ducting, not corrugated. Lint will gather in those grooves. In some states, they have been banned. If you can get to your dryer vent ducting, replace with smooth ducting.
Thank you for posting this video
I wish you had showed how to clean dryer roof vents. Good video!
You should shorten the flexible ducting that goes from the dryer to the wall connection. The shorter and less turns the more efficient. Sometimes depending on your dryer outlet and your wall duct location you can even find smooth duct connections to work (which is even better than flex ducting).
“Smooth” meaning sheet metal or solid ducting…instead of more flimsy almost paper like “flexible” ducting. Also will last longer and contain fire better.
My son cleared out our dryer vent a few days ago. There was sure a lot of lint! Funny this came up just days later.
Your phone hears everything.
thanks for doing this. Was helpful
I just had a thought. As you were feeding your brush through, I will bet that it was accumulating the PLUG until it no longer would move. I fear the same issue. Maybe with a long enough hose on my shop vac I could reach if this does happen and be able to suck it out. In fact, I might run the shop vac through first and then the brush. Maybe alternate?
When cleaning the filter, before you put back in the machine, use a long handle brush “purchase at any hardware store, (home depot, etc)” and clean the slot of lint. Useful to clean under appliances.
Great video
I personally would relocate your exit to a higher location which looks more then doable at your site. Having it on the ground is looking at more then one issue including but not limited to water intrusion.
Hey bud, awesome, awesome video... it's kind a long coment but here it goes... how about feeding all the line first and once it reaches "the other side" attach the bristle brush, then place the shop vac at that same end... 🐌 slowwwwly pull the line back... with backnforth motion.
You could try it!!
My only thought might be, if you have excessive lint build up you might end up pulling a large clog into the line.
But you never know until you try!
I used to work at the Salvation Army. We had a lady come in with a voucher from the Red Cross allowing her to get $300 worth of kitchen items, or clothing if they’d been affected by a fire or natural disaster. She had left her semi new dryer on and went to the store. When she got home, it was on fire and her 3 dogs were killed💔💔. They lost everything. 😢
Should have tried a leaf blower it works amazingly well
Thank you!
You should also be pulling the lint trap and washing it in the sink with a soft brush. Makes a big difference.
How often would you say to do so?
@@nescafe5308 I think it would depend on how many loads you use the dryer. I do it once a month.
@@longwayaround7767 I'll go ahead and try doing it once a month as well. Appreciate getting back to me
Hi, it's a piece of interesting information, from your experience do you know why the lint accumulates inside the duct? with your existing installation, it's good if you can also replace the duct as it's been crushed by reducing the diameter.
The lint trap can only catch so much lint. So over time the lint just begins building up in the ducts.
With the existing ductwork I just made a simple cut and replace. I wouldn’t recommend reducing the diameter. First, you’ll probably run into some code issues. Second, it just means that your lint accumulation will have more sever effects quicker.
Thank you 😊
I need done..but hub won't take the vac hose instead of a vent brush put in the vent tube. Reason he claims it doesn't need cleaning.. don't see at the ends any lint. But there is in the other part of the tubing right?
How much would it cost to hire someone to put the hose from vaccume to do the job?
I would do it but I'm handicap I can't go down the basement stairs.. that's why I can't do it.
Just got my 30 foot dryer cleaner bought the house last year been terrified about the dryer for a while now garuntee it’s never been done hoping I can get to it tomorrow since the tool just arrived and have to be at work early
I just moved from apartment to new house for the first time. I was so excited to use a washer & dryer at home no more public laundry. Washer worked great but once I tried to use the dryer not even 15seconds of it being on, it started to smell like burn so I quickly turned of the dryer :/
Good job
Excellent!
How does that vent work in winter months on outside if covered with snow persay?
Thank you, very helpful im debating if i’ll do it tomorrow or just pay $99 for someone to clean it. Since my dryer vent is too high to reach and i dont have a ladder. Is there anyway i can clean it without opening the outside cover?
Oh man I hope that doesn’t happen to me cause mine runs under ground yikes. Gonna try cleaning it first . Thank you!!
Use a leafblower first. There's also a tool called a mini blaster, used to blow water off of cars, motorcycles, etc. They had the commercials for the master blaster. This is a small version of it. Or rent/buy/borrow a small air compressor and use a blower on it. There is blowers that have a long tube on them. Using that brush, you're going to be pushing a pile into a clog
Please help. Do I need to have access to the exit of the vent to clean it? Our vent is clogged but the exit is under our deck!
I have a maytag Bravo. The "detecting" airflow light goes on immedately. then the timer drops to 4 minutes from say 37 minutes.. when the cycle ends the 'check lint screen' light starts blinking. I have cleaned the vent, lint screen, disconnected the exhaust , ive taken the dryer apart and cleaned everything including taking apart the fan, taking the drum out and vacuuming. Is there anything elese that can be wrong like a bad sensor or something? Thx
Can you start from the outside rather than the inside if the vent is under the floor/hard to reach?
After 13 years of living here, I recently found out that cleaning your dryer vent was a 'thing.' Wish they taught that kind of thing in school or somewhere. After your demo, I was horrified to think of how easily I could have had a fire. Mine was worse than yours I'm afraid. It was the foul smell 😵that alerted me in the first place and even though the lint and dirt and gunk is gone, I still have a foul smell and probably always will.
Was any of the lint you removed wet or damp? If so, you may still have a wet blockage somewhere. Wet lint indicates no air flow is reaching the area. In fact, water can accumulate in lower areas, so if your venting goes down below dryer into a basement, that may be causing the smell. Just a thought.
Could be mold? Way to clean mold? Or replace ducts?
But what about the lint inside the dryer? From the back wall where the vent pipe connects, thru the dryer to where the lint screen is on the front. There's going to be lint inside that part too, right?
Just cusious why you didnt just push all the lint out to the outside to collect? Thats how they did it when I called a service or is the best method to keep pulling the brush back to the vacuum to remove the lint? Also how do you really know when you need to get the lint tube cleaned cuz I did it 2 yrs in a row and they said it wasnt bad and I dont need to do it yearly. The first time btw and this is important,they cleaned the lint vent but didnt look at the back of the dryer itself which had lots of compacted lint in it,so you should maybe mention this on the video because it was still a fire hazard even know the lint duct vent was cleaned. Luckily I had a repair man open the back of the dryer and clean it before there was a fire. Thx
What’s a good starting price to charge for this type of service?
Our outside duct is on our roof. How do we go about cleaning it 😊
Probably dryer works better now with shorter dry times?
8:42 did I just watch the whole video just for the guy to end the video telling me how to do it correctly? not make a video on how to do it correctly, not just as a side note at the end? I like this video I hit the LIKE twice!
Also if possible don’t use corrugated pipe for lint pipe. It traps lint easier. Use smooth sided aluminum vent pipe whenever possible.
When you mentioned NOT reversing your drill..I thought.. why not use electric tape or duct take when screwing the joints on?? And also run the tape the same direction that it screws on!
I strongly suggest you don’t do this!
A- you’ll quickly discover that taping these on a single section at a time will take a ton of extra time (if you don’t care about that then go for it)
B- if anything goes wrong (the tape breaks, slips, or doesn’t hold) you will lose this cleaner in your ducting. The retrieval process will be a nightmare.
However if you really want to use it both directions that’s up to you. I would just be careful and make sure that each segment is extremely secure before reversing the drill.
Recently we have been having issues with our dryer. I took it apart and cleaned it, only to find the real problem appears to be a clog in the flexible ducting to the outside.
It gets worse: the distance between the dryer vent and the outside wall is maybe 6 feet, but there is maybe 20 feet of duct between the two in a big S shape on the ground. No wonder it is clogged!!!
Is there any reason I shouldn't shorten it to be more of a straight shot? Why would the installers add so much extra duct? Laziness I assume.
I'd love to replace it with solid ducting, but this is a manufactured home and it would be difficult for me to crawl under the house due to my larger frame. :)
My gut response is to cut ducting shorter and make it a straight shot!
However, I’m a survival and emergency preparation instructor…not a contractor!
I would do some googling on your local building codes and maybe even reach out to your local inspector to see if that’s code.
All that aside, if the line is clogged…that’s a problem! I would try to find a way underneath to get that fixed.
Nice!
Thank you for the demostration! I have an issues in my house, the vent its build, not straight, was biuld up to the cealling zand probably has 20 ft long, from inside to outside so my dryer have problems with the heating element, because the lint gets stack up in the celling. We were thinking to clean the vent ourself but we are scare to ruin the duct inside, any advice to do that ourself or I need a professinal?
Is your ducting solid sheet metal or the more delicate flexible type?
Meant duct is not accessible going through the ceiling and is hidden?
I liked the leaf blower somebody mentioned . Would this clean the vent sufficiently?
Leaf blower would mostly blow the loose lint loosen or liberated by the “dryer ducting cleaning brush kit”. Blowing out lint a little at a time (when loosen) instead of blowing out all at once. May have chance of large clog if you try blowing lint out all at once.
Depends if the leaf blower is a stronger blow than your exhaust air from your dryer… don’t believe you need the heated air… just the forced air.
You’ll also find lint that gets into the empty space volume between the dryer drum and the body of the dryer, but how would you clean it out?
Is that particular area accessible to clean?
Can you vacuum it out or blow it out?
I’ve taken apart my dryer before and vacuumed it out.
dryers are badly designed because its so difficult to clean lint on the inside of the dryer. Also these long runs of duct are insane. Another bad design. Just put your dryer next to an outside wall and and youll have a strait shot about 12 inches of duct.
Whoever built our house put ours smack in the center of the basement (in a laundry area with rooms adjacent so in order to move them, we'd have to reconfigure the whole downstairs and run water lines). We had to install a blower motor to reduce from 2hrs drying time to 45 min. Not a fan of that --would highly recommend an outside wall! (Same with stove for exhaust)
@@everydayhomemakingVB I grew up in a small 50s home. Our stove exaust was put in an outside wall right next to the stove. When you turned it on a flap opened to let the exaust out. When you turned it off the flap closed. SIMPLE! i like SIMPLE.
In those old small houses we had the Washer and Dryer in the kitchen. No dedicated laundry rooms in those small 800 sq ft homes LOL. But our dryer duct was crazy. it went down into the crawspace and out to a wall but it had some crazy sharp angle turns. After my parents died i told my sister the dryer is going in your bedroom. Dryer duct lenth including wall width was about a foot. The clothes dried so much faster then when it was in the kitchen. If i had a family id dedicate a bedroom to the washer and dryer and put the kid or kids in the basement . LOL
Please write down tools
My washer is new, and it seems to be clogged!
May I ask where did you buy your cleaning brush kit? Thank you.
I just bought a 30’ duct cleaning system on Amazon for about $30 US. It worked pretty good with the tools I already owned.
@@abcemergencytraining Thank you. When you say tools you already own, do you mean a drill?
@@allantheoret5389 Correct. A drill and a shop vac.
@@abcemergencytraining I am 72 old lady, how can I make sure professional has done good job cleaning lint from inside and outside?
I am middle aged, I am going to try it versus paying.
I think I will just call an experienced person to come do mine.
I do. Sears does mine yearly. Approx. $100 if I recall. Owning 3 cats. Lots o' lint 😕👍❣️
I have 2 cats and a dog I really have a lot of fur.
Bought house and Hugh modern front loaders we're with the house...how do I clean these??? Help. Saw how to disassemble dryer lint housing and vaccine out drum lint. UA-cam Waynesville NC 🇺🇸 Veteran
I’m not sure how to answer that. I’d say keep the lint traps clear after every use, vacuum out anything you can see, and (when you get a chance) disconnect them so you can clean out the ducting towards the outside vent.
Why is the dryer vent so close to the ground outside? Is that to code???
Looks like he may have an English basement and the w/d is in the basement?
I doubt it. When it rains or snows, the CO will back up into the house. You can die.
Vents need cleaned ATLEAST every 6 months for average family. Every 4 months even better depending on how many bends & sags your hose has.
Flex duct of any kind is garbage. Smooth sheet metal is the only acceptable duct. I moved into a house where the dryer duct was plastic flex hose. It was almost entirely blocked by lint. Twenty foot long lint sausage. Dryer ran for hours with that blockage
I have the same lint trap, I think it’s a horrible design because if you pull up the lint trap too quickly you lose all the lint !
Exactly, had one like that and tons of accumulated lint at the bottom..never again
I tried to clean out my vent but installations came out. Should I try to clean out the again?
If nothing came out and you did it properly then you might be good to go.
I would take a look at the outside vent port and see if there is any lint build up. That would be a good indication that you have lint still in the line.
You could also try reversing the process like I did and run the brush from the outside to see if you get any other results.
If you still get nothing out then you may just have a REALLY good drier that doesn’t expel much lint. If that’s the case then lucky you😀
Insulation? It may be your vent is not connected somewhere, if I am reading your comment correctly.
I would definitely reroute that system
I'm worried because if you think that lent was bad than you should of seen what came out of mine at my new house. I know for a fact mine it hadn't been cleaned in at least a couple years. It was 5 times as bad as yours !
How do you clean it without that tool?
Your hands can only reach, from either end, so far to scratch loose the lint. If you had a very short duct then may be possible.
i've never heard of dryer "vents", that has to be one of the most american things i can think of now
Should be done every 5 to 10 years depending on use.
Very Good!... #24 ✝ {5-22-2022}
Dryer vent weather hood needs to be 12" above the outside grade.
circle clamps haha wow
Good safety tips!! I own 3 cats && yearly sears vent cleaning, & found singed lint near roof. Just in time!!👍😕🙂 Pet owners take heed!!
the end was depressing. i can't climb under the house to clear a duct.
Duct tape each connection.
Cleaning the lint trap is not cleaning the dryer.
Zsome people like me never clean that do not even know we're that is
Do you realize that this only showed how to try to clean the duct and get an obstacle that requires you hire someone anyhow when you can’t move past an obstruction as there is no video on dealing with that Anyhooo thx
Terrible design for your vent outside
Why the F people don’t go just to the F point
Omg just shoot me!!
I have been searching for videos for 2 weeks
About a certain model electric dryer, but keep getting these dumbass videos on how to replace your dryer vent trap!!
Seriously??
Is this an issue??
I've searched a million times for videos on the dryer I have and the issues I'm having
But this is all the stupid common sense shit that comes up 😡
I needed to how from the dryer exit vent you talk too! Much