*Updated* Dryer Vent Cleaning?

[jerseygirl07067]

Great Kim! If you're happy with the work, definitely send me the info!

I hear ya about the DIY thing....several hours spent for mediocre results is worth hiring someone for!

Yeah, I often have to run the dryer a cycle and a half to get things dry....so I'm interested to see if this will help. The savings on electricity will pay for the cleaning over time for sure!

Thanks for posting this. Had I not seen it I would have let more months go by without taking action, lol.

[randomkid]

Update in OP

[essnce629]

Thanks for posting this!! We just bought our first house 3 months ago and definately need to have this done. At our old rental house the vent was only like 3 feet long and went right outside through the wall next to the dryer. That would have been a super easy DIY job. At our new house, the laundry room is in the middle of the house and I think it vents up and out through the roof (which is very steep). There's a bunch of lint build-up around the back of the dryer and I'm pretty sure something was mentioned in the inspection report about the vent. $100 or less is a price I'm definately willing to pay for piece of mind. Fires also worry me (I won't go to sleep with the dryer running any more). I think I'll call this week. What area are you located in? I'm in Los Angeles and I'm wondering if the prices are the same here or more.

[infomama]

I have to get DH on this. Thanks for the informative update!

[niccig]

We had the same issue with out dryer..it actually stopped working because back up of lint INSIDE the dryer. He had to take the whole thing apart to vacuum it out.

Our vent goes under the floor about 6', so we DIY with the linteater that you can attach to a cordless drill. The first time we got a lot of lint out, since then it's hasn't been too much as we do it every 9 months or so.

[randomkid]

What area are you located in? I'm in Los Angeles and I'm wondering if the prices are the same here or more.

We are in FL - I found the company we used on Angie's List. If you've never used Angie's List, I'm a supporter of it. We have used 4 service providers that we found on there and so far, we've been happy with all of them.

[essnce629]

Thanks so much Kim! I have the dryer vent guys here right now. They checked the vent going outside and there was zero flow! Not only was the dryer vent completely full of lint, it had collapsed under the house from all the additional weight, so everything was venting under the house instead of out. They are under the house right now repairing the vent. We bought the house 4 months ago and the previous owners lived here for 10 years. The repair guy said it looks like they had never had the vent cleaned EVER!!!! He said thank god we didn't have a fire. I knew something was off and have not been running the dryer when we go to bed at night or when we leave the house. The previous owners had a big dog and the repair guys said the buildup with pet owners is always worse since the pet hair gets on your clothing and bedding and then when you wash your stuff it deposits in the vent. I'm going to have them check our heater/air conditioning ducts as well and clean them if needed since the inspection report on the house talked about there being poor flow output in some of the rooms. They have a special going on right now-- air duct cleaning and dryer vent cleaning combo package for $129 (although my price will be more due to having to repair the collapsed dryer vent under the house). So worth it though!

[s7714]

Huh, haven't ever seen vents like that in a house before, but in that kind of situation I can totally understand hiring someone!

[randomkid]

Thanks so much Kim! I have the dryer vent guys here right now. They checked the vent going outside and there was zero flow! Not only was the dryer vent completely full of lint, it had collapsed under the house from all the additional weight, so everything was venting under the house instead of out. They are under the house right now repairing the vent. We bought the house 4 months ago and the previous owners lived here for 10 years. The repair guy said it looks like they had never had the vent cleaned EVER!!!! He said thank god we didn't have a fire. I knew something was off and have not been running the dryer when we go to bed at night or when we leave the house. The previous owners had a big dog and the repair guys said the buildup with pet owners is always worse since the pet hair gets on your clothing and bedding and then when you wash your stuff it deposits in the vent. I'm going to have them check our heater/air conditioning ducts as well and clean them if needed since the inspection report on the house talked about there being poor flow output in some of the rooms. They have a special going on right now-- air duct cleaning and dryer vent cleaning combo package for $129 (although my price will be more due to having to repair the collapsed dryer vent under the house). So worth it though!

I'm so glad you called and that my post maybe prompted you to do it sooner! What a scary situation, right? I know I am much more comfortable since having it done. Not only that, my dryer is working unbelievably better!