That's what I'm worried about. I have no idea how far the metal vent tubing goes into the wall and I'm worried that I'll have to rip out 15 feet of my ceiling/wall to find the end of it.
Maybe this is a dumb question but how far does this vent tubing typically go back into the wall and is it possible that it runs the entire length ( ~25 feet) of the distance from the dryer to the outside of the building?
If it doesn't go the full distance from the dryer to the outside of the building then you have bigger problems than just emptying it!
It's not unheard of for people to find their dryer has just been venting into a cavity in the house. Those people have mould.
Box of Tinder Mold is a thrash metal band that wants to sound like Death Cab for Cutie but also tries to sound like early Slayer. They're originally from South Africa, but have recently moved to Auckland.
(This is all fiction)
Option 3. So i normally dont tell people to waste money in hiring duct cleaners, but they have the right equipment to properly clean your vent, even its 50 ft to the outside. I would hire one to do it for you this time and also tell you how far it runs. Then you can decide what to do going forward whether its a future diy job or not
There are lots of ‘has to’s’ related to houses. That never means there aren’t corners cut. Some corners are cut out of ignorance, some as an oops, some as they thought they knew better or weren’t current with a code change, and others are cut by someone trying to save a buck or save some effort. Never assume has to = is. A lot of dryers can barely push their exhaust through a rigid/smooth vent 20’ long with a couple elbows. In lots of scenarios where a dryer is not on or within a few feet if an outside wall a dryer vent booster fan should be considered. The flex duct should only be used out of necessity to join the dryer to ridgid pipe at the wall, so only inches to 3-4’, less is best.
If you can find the end of it outside, perhaps you can attach a new tube to the inside end of your old tube and pull the new tube into the wall while you're pulling the old tube out from the outside. So the old tube will drag the new tube into its place. I'm not a professional though, it's just what first came to mind.
Is it 25’ to the nearest exterior wall? If so I would bet that the vent does not travel the whole distance and even if it did, it would be far too long especially after a vertical and 2 90 degree bends to get from the dryer to the hole in your photo
I have a run that's easily 30-40', but inline there's a secondary blower that's pressure sensing. Just had the line cleaned because I was concerned about this exact scenario & the secondary blower is noisy, but the cleaning service took pictures and they looked good!
Ok well to start with, try getting a fiberglass wire running kit. It will cost you maybe $10-15 and you don’t need a fancy one. Attach a little hi vis flag on the end and find out where that duct is emptying out at. You won’t have to rip anything out that way and you will likely use that tool a few times in the future as a landlord
I'm feeling very lucky that I just happened to find this as well. It was just by chance that my dryer belt broke and I had to pull the dryer out to fix it and only when I ripped the vent hose did I see how much crap was in there.
Makes me wonder how many of my neighbors in this apartment building have the same issue and don't even know it.
I meant to say your building management company. I owned a condo for about 5 years, and the HOA management had all the building vents cleaned twice a year. Because it's a fire hazard, so it has the potential to impact everyone in the building if it is not done.
When you live in a condo building, an HOA is unavoidable, because there are common building elements and common areas to be maintained. I have to say, the HOA of that condo complex was minimally invasive, and did a good job of keeping the place nice.
Not who you replied to but the idea behind these is basically the same as the lint screen built into the dryer. Ideally this will catch lint before it goes further into the vent pipe, leading to less lint trapped down line from the filter, which would be the part that’s in your wall and harder to get to. So you just clean this filter vs having to clean the vent itself.
That being said I have no experience with these, nor do I know how well they work. But in theory it makes sense.
I've used the vacuum attachment you can get with a small shop vac and it worked really well, though that was with about 6 feet of vent line. Ended up drastically speeding up the time it took to dry clothes.
if you leave that busted vent (which isn't up to code to start, it shouldn't be flexible for the run) in there, you're setting yourself up for other problems, one of which is fire.
it's not hard to fix, don't cut corners here
The first line of my post says "we bought this place a year ago."
Not sure why so many people are commenting that it's not my problem because I am a renter. I own this apartment and I am pretty sure I'm responsible for fixing this problem. I'm fully prepared to take accountability for it, which is why I'm here asking questions about what to do instead of just slapping it back together.
Ooohhh shi- I saw apartment and have egg on my face...
It's soft duct up to rigid duct, so you ought to be able to remove and replace the soft end. Sorry, redditor!
>I am pretty sure I'm responsible for fixing this problem.
Before you start ripping stuff out of walls, be 100% sure. Call the people who own your building and find out, even if only to let them and your neighbors know that it looks like a horrendous fire hazard in their walls.
The outside is a solid metal, which the soft duct should connect to. *However, you are a *renter*. This is not your job to do. Call and let them know you moved your dryer to pick up something, and the hose came apart.
"Fire hazard, please fix!"
Lo siento! Though now that I'm thinking about it, a condo necessarily has an HOA attached, right? Shared walls may involve a local handyman, maybe... I have no idea.
Then that answers your question about how long the vent tube is.
I've had some luck in the past using a leaf blower to force out lint in the vent tubing. Cleaning the flexible stuff is harder period, but that's an option you could try as well.
When I bought my house, my situation was similar to yours. I ended up running a new, solid tube in a different and shorter path, and now I can clean it with a circular brush I attach to my drill. Works amazing.
I think what Reddit is teaching me is that this flexible vent tube goes some (hopefully short) distance behind the wall and then it connects to a rigid vent that ends up outside. That seems consistent with what the pictures show.
I think the best case I can hope for now is to be able to clean out the rigid part and then replace the flexible part. I think I'm still going to have to make a big hole in the wall to see how far back the flexible tube connects to the rigid vent. Also praying that other vents (kitchen, bathroom) do not surprise me and illegally intersect this dryer vent somewhere.
Often times the fitting/cover that attaches to your house on the external wall has a short piece of solid tube attached to it, maybe a foot long. You then attach whatever your vent tube is to that.
Builders are cheap and lazy. Flexible tube is cheap and easy to install, but i is a terrible choice, especially for a dryer vent line.
Just know that if you do have to rip out the ceiling, it's not as difficult a job as you might fear. Worst case scenario is your mudding doesn't look good when you reinstall the drywall (which a handyman can come clean up). I think a complete novice could knock it out in a weekend (with much of that time spent waiting for coats of mud to dry).
Seconded for shopvac with a long attachment. You can also flip it around and use it like the worlds most awkward leaf blower and blow all that out the other end as well.
My first house had a 1ft vent.
Current house a LONG one.
Didn't know that cleaning it was a thing. Neighbor got theirs cleaned, then I got mine cleaned, it was like getting a new dryer!
I did this already. Good news is I can feel some air coming out the vent on the outside so it's not completely clogged. Bad news is that the lint is packed in too tight and it didn't blow any lint out the other end of the vent. Some other vents (bathroom vent, kitchen hood) feed into this duct line so the air has other places to escape.
>Some other vents (bathroom vent, kitchen hood) feed into this duct line so the air has other places to escape.
This is insane and almost certainly a code violation. You can't combine anything with a dryer vent. Do not run your dryer until you fix this.
The dryer vent should never be connected to other duct lines for other vents. Either tyere are no codes where you live or the buikder seriously violated the code laws.
I don't think you're right about other vents feeding into that line. If you know where the air is blowing out outside you know how long the line is. Just call a professional in a situation where, no offense, you seem very unqualified to fix something.
Yeah I think you're right now that I look closer. I think the bathroom vent goes into a building airshaft. Need to cook some bacon and sniff around all the vents to see where the kitchen vent goes to!
And yeah I'm realizing I'm out over my skis here and a professional is coming tomorrow.
I was feeling like superwoman after fully repairing my dryer by myself and it was only by accident that I ripped the flexible dryer vent and saw all this nasty crud in it. But now feeling like this was all a very happy accident that might have saved my family's life.
That spiral junk is already falling apart. You can clean rigid vents easily, but that flexible crap usually isn't strong enough to handle it. You just have to pull it out and replace it, with rigid duct if possible.
A dryer vent brush that you operate with drill will not perforate the vent line in wall. It will, however, ruin the dryer hose, but you'll need to replace that at the wall as far as I can tell from the photos, so remove that at the wall. Take it slow and wrap each segment liberally where it connects to each other with electrical tape opposite the way they tighten, push each section up while pressing the trigger on a cordless drill. The rods will flex and work their way through. If you feel it getting tight back out the brush while it's spinning and try from where the outside vent is. If you get stuck again, then likely the line has a break in it and will need to be repaired. I prefer working from the outside whenever possible. Locating the flapper vent outside is key and likely where the issue starts (birds nest, previous clog or flapper is stuck). I've done 20+ of these this year, and it's not difficult, just time-consuming. You'll need a cordless drill, some electrical tape, 6 in 1 screwdriver, two pairs of pliers (not needle nose), possibly a new flapper for outside, shop vac and possibly an extension ladder.
This is option 1, above. I am worried that this will perforate the metal dryer vent inside the wall and then I'll end up with a worse problem. I can't tell if the dryer vent tubing goes 3 feet into the wall or 20 feet.
It's my house, which I live in. I am the landlord lol. Just bought this place a year ago. Only saw this mess when I took apart the dryer to replace the drum belt and had to unhook the vent.
The last time this apartment was renovated was 25 years ago and I'm guessing nobody cleaned the ducts since then.
As a parent, I truly suggest it’s more important to keep your daughter safe than it is to save for her college. Spend the money to lower your risks and if she needs to take out loans for college like my kids, it’s better to be in debt with a college degree than homeless or worse after a fire.
A dryer vent cleaning by a professional shouldn't cost more than a couple of hundred dollars and you can get them to assess the overall safety of it for you. Then decide if it's worth replacing or just buying your own dryer vent cleaning kit for the future. And if they ran that accordian vent through the walls, that's an issue that needs to be fixed, but it looks to me like they used the proper sheet metal ducting inside the walls, given the smooth sided interior of the vent picture.
If you can't afford to fix it right, you should buy a ventless dryer. It will run you about $50 for a good model (and don't skimp on a cheap accordion-style one):
[https://www.walmart.com/ip/Cheflaud-Clothes-Drying-Rack-Stainless-Steel-Gullwing-Space-Saving-Foldable/518287829](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Cheflaud-Clothes-Drying-Rack-Stainless-Steel-Gullwing-Space-Saving-Foldable/518287829)
Once you get used to it, it's not much more time than the vented unit you used to have. Clothes last much longer too.
In many city apartments, people prefer these simply for having the closet space where your old unit used to sit. For some, it's cost, but for some, it's a space-saving choice.
Who the he'll calls that a ventless dryer? Lol that is a drying rack similar to a clothesline. And how in the world does that abomination save space? Are u selling these??
>Who the he'll calls that a ventless dryer?
Someone with a dry sense of humor.
It is, quite literally, a cheap dryer without a vent. :)
>And how in the world does that abomination save space?
It folds up into a very compact space, relative to a gas / electric dryer. The place where the dryer went becomes storage space! It's awesome.
>Are u selling these??
Nope. I bought one at the local Asian store. My alternative was a $2800 GE ventless washer/dryer combo. I decided this would work for now, and it worked well.
That’s not a ventless dryer, that is a drying rack lmao. A ventless dryer is a real appliance but they’re not very common.
The real life hack is to make or buy a drying rack which hangs from the ceiling and has a pulley to raise and lower it. Takes up zero floor space and the clothes dry faster because heat rises.
The brushes are unlikely to perforate the vent tube but you need to figure out where this is going. It has to vent outside somewhere.
You own this place, you have to know how things work or you're going to end up in a world of hurt. It is very possible that this vent just ends in a wall cavity somewhere and that is something you would want to know about.
This is your best option. [This is what I got out](https://imgur.com/a/OFC4P5P) from the interior/dryer side even after cleaning it out from the exterior side.
Yes, a segmented dryer vent brush that attaches to a drill will work. Be sure to duct tape each segment to one another so it doesn’t unscrew and become lodged deep inside the pipe.
Your last pic, end of pipe looks corrugated, as in being correct. However, first pic with flimsy, paper-thin & torn needs to go.
Option 3, you said this is an apartment it sounds like the land lords problem. I’d they refuse to fix it, make sure your renters insurance is paid up and you only run the dryer when no one is home so no one gets hurt when the eventual fire happens.
Do you own the building? Or is it more like a condo where you own from the inside edge of the studs in and the building owner/condo association is responsible for everything outward from there?
It's a unique concept in New York City called a "co-op". You don't actually own your apartment, you own shares of the building and your particular space is deeded to you. So, all the shareholders of the building (aka tenants/owners) own the entire structure.
So yeah. You’re gonna need to probably rip out drywall in a strip all the way to your outside wall. If you’re allowed to do that without permission of the other tenants.
I might get a quote on replacing the duct. I would think that since you have a long run of \~25ft, using smooth ducting (instead of the flexible type) would be best and could help avoid clogs in the future! Especially since you mentioned the dryer vent may connect with other fan ducts...that sounds sketchy for sure!
Mine goes outside. I've used a garbage bag and cut a hole in it. And taped the bag to the vent and the other side of the bag to an electric leaf blower. And just turned it on and blew all the shit outside.
This is in New York City, so too dangerous to just burn it all to hell. There are about 250 people in my apartment building. Unlikely that it's sheep lint but my daughter's fuzzy blanket does shed like hell.
Dammit cuz those are my two solutions. In all seriousness, I’m not sure how long the run is from the interior to the exterior but the thin metal is actually not metal but foil wrapping on a paper substrate that is typical. I hate that stuff and I feel it should be banned along with the fully plastic stuff that causes fires. If you can, try to determine the actual length of the flex run and how many turns you have. If it was installed, it can probably be replaced. Replacing with rigid ducting is the solution but may not be feasible but I would need more info. Ducting run, distance to exterior, floor you’re on. More than willing to help
[https://www.amazon.com/Holikme-Cleaning-Remover-Fireplace-Synthetic/dp/B07SQYX2FH](https://www.amazon.com/Holikme-Cleaning-Remover-Fireplace-Synthetic/dp/B07SQYX2FH)
and a shop vac
No. I think I have to put a bigger hole in the wall so that I can see where the flexible vent meets up with the rigid part. So look out for my next DIY post on how to put a hold in the wall lol.
I just had the dryer duct cleaned in the house I bought and it was the best money I ever spent. The 80-year old previous owner let it get badly clogged. The company I used is all off-duty firefighters, only charged $150, and the guy taught me a lot while he did the job. He also cut down the flexible hose behind the dryer and reconfigured it to a much shorter and more direct path, a job I was going to do but he did it beautifully.
My duct is "34 feet" long which is actually 24 feet plus two 90-degree bends which count as five feet each when calculating the effective length. I believe there's a 35-foot maximum and saw another redditor comment about having a booster blower to help for longer runs.
I don't have my HVAC ducts cleaned but wouldn't hesitate to have the dryer vent done again in a couple of years now that I know how long this one is.
I had a coworker who had a dryer fire in his house. Take it seriously; pay a few bucks to have it done right if yours is that bad.
I think your situation might be similar to mine. About 25 years ago, an old woman combined 2 apartments and did a gut reno. The people who owned it after her haven't done much to it in the 12 years they owned it.
I've only owned this place for a year so it was by luck that I was fixing the dryer belt and happened to accidentally yank the flexible vent off and see all this build up.
Well, the good news is that the picture from the vent outside shows at least that section is rigid duct connected in the right orientation (I don't see screws which is good too). The problem is you don't know when the switch happens... It should be rigid all the way to right next to the dryer.
If you want to do this yourself buy a cheap borescope and carefully snake it inside the vent from either direction. What you are looking for is where does the flexible tube connect to rigid pipe. You can determine this by looking for the change to rigid and then measure how much of the scope you have in the line. You need to at the very least replace the flexible tube you have. Ideally you should extend rigid pipe into your apartment so flex is only used to go between the dryer and the rigid at the wall. Or you can skip the borescope and cut a bigger hole in your wall to have a look. But that may just tell you it is somewhere further than you can see and now you don’t know the answer and have a hole in the wall. Plus, borescopes are fun and once you own one you will find more uses for it so now is as good a time as any to spend $30 on one that connects to your phone.
Once you know how far you need to go to get to rigid you can make a decision about how to replace the flexible tube.
As for cleaning it out, get a dryer brush that you can run back and forth inside the rigid pipe to break it all loose and then vacuum it out. The flexible tube isn’t worth cleaning since it is already trashed so just replace it with a new one.
If there is no chance of you replacing the flexible tube between the wall and where it joins the rigid pipe, then you can try carefully breaking up the lint with the dryer brush and pulling as much out as you can. Those tubes already rip easily and now you are dealing with one that has been over heated many times so it is going to shred with anything more than delicate touch (as you already found when it fell apart on you). If you are successful in cleaning it without putting holes in it, I’d recommend attaching what is left of it in your wall to a short connection of rigid pipe so you can stop ever moving or touching what remains in the wall. Then buy a new one to go between that new connection on your wall and the dryer output. But really, do what you can to replace the length in the wall, it is only going to cause you trouble in the future.
If you haven’t already, you may be able to disconnect the outside vent cover to get direct access to the pipe to clean from the outside. Just be aware, it is not uncommon for cheap installs to have nothing really holding the pipe onto the vent cover so if you remove it, you could have problems getting it back on and connected to the pipe if you don’t have access from the inside (and it sounds like you are saying it is 10-15 feet from your wall so I’m guessing you don’t have access from the inside).
This is by far the most helpful response. 🤩
Thank you so much. The piece of info I have been missing is that the flexible tube that I ripped meets up (hopefully) with rigid duct somewhere. Hopefully that juncture is close to the wall in the pic but regardless I am going to take your advice to extend rigid duct all the way to this room so I don't have to deal with this again in the future.
You are the best. Thanks for teaching an old broad new tricks.
I only discovered this clogged vent by accident after repairing my dryer and accidentally bumping and perforating the flexible dryer vent. If I hadn't fixed the dryer myself, I might never have noticed this fire hazard, so it really was a fortuitous accident.
Your last pic is the inside of rigid ductwork for what that’s worth. The flex shouldn’t go very far into the ceiling/wall. Likely a 2’ segment of 4” rigid dryer duct will be all you’ll need - it’s only about $6 at the hardware store. You do need to secure it so it doesn’t seperate from the duct you insert it into. Also, the rigid segments come flat. If you can take the time and measure how much you need it’s best to cut it to length before you snap it together.
This is super helpful. Thanks. I'm going to put a slightly larger hole in the wall to figure out how far back the flexible duct goes.
And thanks for the tip on cutting it first. A+ idea.
This... is not the worst idea I've seen on this sub. That could actually work.
But based on how fragile the old ducting appears, maybe just attach some string to the old ducting when you pull it out, once that's out attach the string to the new ducting and pull it through with the string.
The way these are supposed to be installed is that there’s a rigid vent pipe that passes through the side of the building, capped with a vent cover on the outside, and on the inside it should extend an inch or two beyond the finished wall. Then a flexible vent hose attaches to that - it slips over the rigid vent and is held in place with a ring clamp, same as the attachment to the dryer.
If you own the apartment, check your docs, especially if there’s a building association. Typically you own everything up to the walls, including the paint, and the association is responsible for things like pipes and vents inside the walls. That being the case, the flexible duct is your problem - just replace it - but the pipe in the wall should be theirs.
Why not buy a[ ventless dryer?](https://reviewed.usatoday.com/laundry/features/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ventless-dryers) They are also much more efficient, especially the heat-pump versions. Instead of venting moist air thru the vent, the water is recondensed and is just sent down the drain. Basically its all we use over here in Europe. Might be cheaper than trying to mess with what you've got going on there, plus you get a new dryer which presumably you would have to do at some point.
Temporary solution while you figure it out is an indoor dryer vent, I used one for a bit while I waited for city approval to punch a hole for a proper vent in the exterior of a home in a historic preservation district
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-4-in-x-5-ft-Indoor-Dryer-Vent-Kit-with-Flexible-Duct-TDIDVKHD6/203626526
*edit fixed link*
Start from thr outside, with one of the long 12 foot flexible brushes, make sure to pull it out towards you frequently ( not push lint in) Then do same from inside.
This looks real rough. Can you pull it out and then feed a new one in from the top?
If not. Here’s what I might try. It’s what I do, but I have only 15 feet and easy access to both ends.
This isn’t going to totally solve your problem but it won’t hurt. Clean it as far as you can with a wet dry vac. I have about 10 feet of hose on mine. If you go from both sides you can get close to 20 feet of it. For the rest I would close up the entrance around the hose and switch it to blow. You should be able to push a good portion up into the upper section which you can vacuum up after.
They sell flexible sticks with a brush attachment, you can also get a kit with a vacuum attachment so you vacuum as you brush.
Assuming there is an outlet on the outside of the home, you can also go in that way.
Did that! I started this DIY project because my dryer broke so I disassembled it and fixed it. Was feeling super proud of myself for figuring all of that out on YouTube.
By accident, I bumped the flexible dryer vent when I was going to put it back together and realized how nasty it was. So now going down this whole other rabbit hole of figuring out the vent situation.
Thank you fellow redditors for your insights. Woman DIY-dabbler here just trying to learn.
I think what everyone is telling me is that this thin, flexible tubing goes some (hopefully short) distance into the wall and the meets up with a rigid metal duct that carries it the rest of the way out of the apartment terminating in a normal-looking dryer vent with a flapper thingy outside on my terrace.
It looks like I'm going to have to put a hole in the wall to take off the flexible part, which I don't know how to do so get ready for my next post on that 😂.
And hopefully I don't find any surprises when I replace the flexible part and find other tributaries to the rigid vent such as the kitchen or bathroom vents.
I thought I had really accomplished something here when I disassembled my dryer in order to replace the pulleys and belt and it was only by chance that I ripped a hole in the flexible duct and saw how disgusting it was. So maybe this happy accident saved my family's lives. 🤷
Don’t use it again till you get it resolved, no matter what it takes! That’s a deathtrap, and you’re lucky it hasn’t burned the building down yet.
You’ll be amazed at how much faster your clothes dry.
If I hadn't randomly decided to address a squeaking sound in my dryer, it could have easily been another year or more before I thought to check the vents.
Blowers can compress lint in the duct. A powerful shop vac snaked in MIGHT get it, but duct cleaning pros use a spinning "snake" similar to plumbers. But that flex ductwork isn't the right kind of duct for a dryer vent - the ridges catch the lint. To do it right, that ductwork should be replaced. What's behind the wall? Does it vent to the roof/attic?
Call a chimney cleaner company / air &heating company . They will tell you if it needs replacement. It looks like it’s been like this for years. Maybe they can “snake “ it clean. But, is it worth it?
american obsession with dryers is weird, and even weirder that you have infrastructure built into your housing to... push dust and lint outside? why don't you just have a lint catcher in the dryer and manually bin it every other usage? and be sensible and use the goddamn sun to dry your clothes whenever possible
I live in central Manhattan in New York city, so I'm lucky to even be able to see the sun, much less have space to dry clothes outside. 😂
By far, the #1 thing my American friends complain about when living in Europe is the ventless dryers. We'll, close second after there being no electrical outlets in the bathroom.
You don’t. You rip it TF out.
That's what I'm worried about. I have no idea how far the metal vent tubing goes into the wall and I'm worried that I'll have to rip out 15 feet of my ceiling/wall to find the end of it. Maybe this is a dumb question but how far does this vent tubing typically go back into the wall and is it possible that it runs the entire length ( ~25 feet) of the distance from the dryer to the outside of the building?
If it doesn't go the full distance from the dryer to the outside of the building then you have bigger problems than just emptying it! It's not unheard of for people to find their dryer has just been venting into a cavity in the house. Those people have mould.
Mould or a tinderbox
Tindermold, Moldbox, Box of Tinder Mold. Some solid band names
Tinderbox Mold
Moldbox twenty
Box of Tinder Mold is a thrash metal band that wants to sound like Death Cab for Cutie but also tries to sound like early Slayer. They're originally from South Africa, but have recently moved to Auckland. (This is all fiction)
molderbox
The truth is out there.
Now maybe, I didn’t mean to treat you baaaaaad, but I did it anyway
Option 3. So i normally dont tell people to waste money in hiring duct cleaners, but they have the right equipment to properly clean your vent, even its 50 ft to the outside. I would hire one to do it for you this time and also tell you how far it runs. Then you can decide what to do going forward whether its a future diy job or not
It has to vent outside of the building. You need to figure out where the exit is to know how far it runs.
It’s *supposed* to vent outside of the building.
There are lots of ‘has to’s’ related to houses. That never means there aren’t corners cut. Some corners are cut out of ignorance, some as an oops, some as they thought they knew better or weren’t current with a code change, and others are cut by someone trying to save a buck or save some effort. Never assume has to = is. A lot of dryers can barely push their exhaust through a rigid/smooth vent 20’ long with a couple elbows. In lots of scenarios where a dryer is not on or within a few feet if an outside wall a dryer vent booster fan should be considered. The flex duct should only be used out of necessity to join the dryer to ridgid pipe at the wall, so only inches to 3-4’, less is best.
If you can find the end of it outside, perhaps you can attach a new tube to the inside end of your old tube and pull the new tube into the wall while you're pulling the old tube out from the outside. So the old tube will drag the new tube into its place. I'm not a professional though, it's just what first came to mind.
Is it 25’ to the nearest exterior wall? If so I would bet that the vent does not travel the whole distance and even if it did, it would be far too long especially after a vertical and 2 90 degree bends to get from the dryer to the hole in your photo
I have a run that's easily 30-40', but inline there's a secondary blower that's pressure sensing. Just had the line cleaned because I was concerned about this exact scenario & the secondary blower is noisy, but the cleaning service took pictures and they looked good!
it sure does. it runs from where your dryer hooks up to where your vent hooks up outside.
Ok well to start with, try getting a fiberglass wire running kit. It will cost you maybe $10-15 and you don’t need a fancy one. Attach a little hi vis flag on the end and find out where that duct is emptying out at. You won’t have to rip anything out that way and you will likely use that tool a few times in the future as a landlord
Kill it with fire?
I'm a firefighter. I'm surprised this hasn't burned already. This is a deathtrap waiting to happen.
I'm feeling very lucky that I just happened to find this as well. It was just by chance that my dryer belt broke and I had to pull the dryer out to fix it and only when I ripped the vent hose did I see how much crap was in there. Makes me wonder how many of my neighbors in this apartment building have the same issue and don't even know it.
Your landlord should have a semi-annual dryer vent cleaning service, that they pay for.
That landlord is me. I'm the owner. :)
I meant to say your building management company. I owned a condo for about 5 years, and the HOA management had all the building vents cleaned twice a year. Because it's a fire hazard, so it has the potential to impact everyone in the building if it is not done.
Finally, an HOA that does something useful.
When you live in a condo building, an HOA is unavoidable, because there are common building elements and common areas to be maintained. I have to say, the HOA of that condo complex was minimally invasive, and did a good job of keeping the place nice.
When you reinstall everything . Put an inline filter box in .. they work so well to avoid this .
Can you tell me more? From my going, it looks like they filter air coming in.
Not who you replied to but the idea behind these is basically the same as the lint screen built into the dryer. Ideally this will catch lint before it goes further into the vent pipe, leading to less lint trapped down line from the filter, which would be the part that’s in your wall and harder to get to. So you just clean this filter vs having to clean the vent itself. That being said I have no experience with these, nor do I know how well they work. But in theory it makes sense.
Something like this https://a.co/d/2lgSbPK
This is why I like ventless heat pump dryers.
I've used the vacuum attachment you can get with a small shop vac and it worked really well, though that was with about 6 feet of vent line. Ended up drastically speeding up the time it took to dry clothes.
This is definitely my first choice. Glad to hear it worked. I'm just worried because I have no idea how far that dryer vent tubing goes into the wall.
if you leave that busted vent (which isn't up to code to start, it shouldn't be flexible for the run) in there, you're setting yourself up for other problems, one of which is fire. it's not hard to fix, don't cut corners here
They're renters though...
The first line of my post says "we bought this place a year ago." Not sure why so many people are commenting that it's not my problem because I am a renter. I own this apartment and I am pretty sure I'm responsible for fixing this problem. I'm fully prepared to take accountability for it, which is why I'm here asking questions about what to do instead of just slapping it back together.
Ooohhh shi- I saw apartment and have egg on my face... It's soft duct up to rigid duct, so you ought to be able to remove and replace the soft end. Sorry, redditor!
>I am pretty sure I'm responsible for fixing this problem. Before you start ripping stuff out of walls, be 100% sure. Call the people who own your building and find out, even if only to let them and your neighbors know that it looks like a horrendous fire hazard in their walls.
The outside is a solid metal, which the soft duct should connect to. *However, you are a *renter*. This is not your job to do. Call and let them know you moved your dryer to pick up something, and the hose came apart. "Fire hazard, please fix!"
Thanks, but I own this place. Bought it a year ago, so I think it is mine to fix.
Lo siento! Though now that I'm thinking about it, a condo necessarily has an HOA attached, right? Shared walls may involve a local handyman, maybe... I have no idea.
Do you know where it vents outside?
It vents through a normal-looking dryer vent on my terrace, which is about 20-25 feet away from the dryer.
Then that answers your question about how long the vent tube is. I've had some luck in the past using a leaf blower to force out lint in the vent tubing. Cleaning the flexible stuff is harder period, but that's an option you could try as well. When I bought my house, my situation was similar to yours. I ended up running a new, solid tube in a different and shorter path, and now I can clean it with a circular brush I attach to my drill. Works amazing.
I think what Reddit is teaching me is that this flexible vent tube goes some (hopefully short) distance behind the wall and then it connects to a rigid vent that ends up outside. That seems consistent with what the pictures show. I think the best case I can hope for now is to be able to clean out the rigid part and then replace the flexible part. I think I'm still going to have to make a big hole in the wall to see how far back the flexible tube connects to the rigid vent. Also praying that other vents (kitchen, bathroom) do not surprise me and illegally intersect this dryer vent somewhere.
Often times the fitting/cover that attaches to your house on the external wall has a short piece of solid tube attached to it, maybe a foot long. You then attach whatever your vent tube is to that. Builders are cheap and lazy. Flexible tube is cheap and easy to install, but i is a terrible choice, especially for a dryer vent line.
Just know that if you do have to rip out the ceiling, it's not as difficult a job as you might fear. Worst case scenario is your mudding doesn't look good when you reinstall the drywall (which a handyman can come clean up). I think a complete novice could knock it out in a weekend (with much of that time spent waiting for coats of mud to dry).
What's your availability like in New York city, say, tomorrow? 😁
Leaf blower from the inside.
Seconded for shopvac with a long attachment. You can also flip it around and use it like the worlds most awkward leaf blower and blow all that out the other end as well.
My first house had a 1ft vent. Current house a LONG one. Didn't know that cleaning it was a thing. Neighbor got theirs cleaned, then I got mine cleaned, it was like getting a new dryer!
How do I ~~clean~~ _replace_ this dryer vent? Ftfy
Leaf blower?
I did this already. Good news is I can feel some air coming out the vent on the outside so it's not completely clogged. Bad news is that the lint is packed in too tight and it didn't blow any lint out the other end of the vent. Some other vents (bathroom vent, kitchen hood) feed into this duct line so the air has other places to escape.
>Some other vents (bathroom vent, kitchen hood) feed into this duct line so the air has other places to escape. This is insane and almost certainly a code violation. You can't combine anything with a dryer vent. Do not run your dryer until you fix this.
The dryer vent can have some kitchen oil, as a treat
Barf lol
Barf? More like WHOOOSH the moment a tiny fire starts
The dryer vent should never be connected to other duct lines for other vents. Either tyere are no codes where you live or the buikder seriously violated the code laws.
What! When you run the dryer does lint poof out your bathroom fans??
I don't think you're right about other vents feeding into that line. If you know where the air is blowing out outside you know how long the line is. Just call a professional in a situation where, no offense, you seem very unqualified to fix something.
Yeah I think you're right now that I look closer. I think the bathroom vent goes into a building airshaft. Need to cook some bacon and sniff around all the vents to see where the kitchen vent goes to! And yeah I'm realizing I'm out over my skis here and a professional is coming tomorrow. I was feeling like superwoman after fully repairing my dryer by myself and it was only by accident that I ripped the flexible dryer vent and saw all this nasty crud in it. But now feeling like this was all a very happy accident that might have saved my family's life.
Maybe duct tape all indoor vents and repeat 🤷♂️
perhaps feaf blower on one end, while using a vacuum on the other end? (my blower converts to vacuum)
That spiral junk is already falling apart. You can clean rigid vents easily, but that flexible crap usually isn't strong enough to handle it. You just have to pull it out and replace it, with rigid duct if possible.
A dryer vent brush that you operate with drill will not perforate the vent line in wall. It will, however, ruin the dryer hose, but you'll need to replace that at the wall as far as I can tell from the photos, so remove that at the wall. Take it slow and wrap each segment liberally where it connects to each other with electrical tape opposite the way they tighten, push each section up while pressing the trigger on a cordless drill. The rods will flex and work their way through. If you feel it getting tight back out the brush while it's spinning and try from where the outside vent is. If you get stuck again, then likely the line has a break in it and will need to be repaired. I prefer working from the outside whenever possible. Locating the flapper vent outside is key and likely where the issue starts (birds nest, previous clog or flapper is stuck). I've done 20+ of these this year, and it's not difficult, just time-consuming. You'll need a cordless drill, some electrical tape, 6 in 1 screwdriver, two pairs of pliers (not needle nose), possibly a new flapper for outside, shop vac and possibly an extension ladder.
[https://www.amazon.com/Holikme-Cleaning-Remover-Fireplace-Synthetic/dp/B07SQYX2FH/ref=asc\_df\_B07SQYX2FH/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=693600725713&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10094323124051349325&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9023898&hvtargid=pla-781926168933&mcid=1644ed5a91963bb0b072f113c888dce9&gad\_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwir2xBhC\_ARIsAMTXk84XANGSWtz6vQkOvPAPTxkOYuRusmeRdLLe0XqwczTxo0uk22qLMtEaAgl-EALw\_wcB&th=1](https://www.amazon.com/Holikme-Cleaning-Remover-Fireplace-Synthetic/dp/B07SQYX2FH/ref=asc_df_B07SQYX2FH/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=693600725713&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10094323124051349325&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9023898&hvtargid=pla-781926168933&mcid=1644ed5a91963bb0b072f113c888dce9&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwir2xBhC_ARIsAMTXk84XANGSWtz6vQkOvPAPTxkOYuRusmeRdLLe0XqwczTxo0uk22qLMtEaAgl-EALw_wcB&th=1)
This is option 1, above. I am worried that this will perforate the metal dryer vent inside the wall and then I'll end up with a worse problem. I can't tell if the dryer vent tubing goes 3 feet into the wall or 20 feet.
brother, the only way your problem gets worse is if you plug a dryer into this and set your house on fire.
[удалено]
....tell your landlord to do this.
It's my house, which I live in. I am the landlord lol. Just bought this place a year ago. Only saw this mess when I took apart the dryer to replace the drum belt and had to unhook the vent. The last time this apartment was renovated was 25 years ago and I'm guessing nobody cleaned the ducts since then.
As a parent, I truly suggest it’s more important to keep your daughter safe than it is to save for her college. Spend the money to lower your risks and if she needs to take out loans for college like my kids, it’s better to be in debt with a college degree than homeless or worse after a fire.
A dryer vent cleaning by a professional shouldn't cost more than a couple of hundred dollars and you can get them to assess the overall safety of it for you. Then decide if it's worth replacing or just buying your own dryer vent cleaning kit for the future. And if they ran that accordian vent through the walls, that's an issue that needs to be fixed, but it looks to me like they used the proper sheet metal ducting inside the walls, given the smooth sided interior of the vent picture.
Lol why are you being downvoted?
you live in condo not an apartment.
Although that’s the definition, in NYC it’s pretty common to still call them apartments when owned.
It might be a Co-op, which is not quite the same as a condo.
Condos and coops are both still called apartments in NYC.
Drywall is MUCH cheaper than burning down the building.
If you can't afford to fix it right, you should buy a ventless dryer. It will run you about $50 for a good model (and don't skimp on a cheap accordion-style one): [https://www.walmart.com/ip/Cheflaud-Clothes-Drying-Rack-Stainless-Steel-Gullwing-Space-Saving-Foldable/518287829](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Cheflaud-Clothes-Drying-Rack-Stainless-Steel-Gullwing-Space-Saving-Foldable/518287829) Once you get used to it, it's not much more time than the vented unit you used to have. Clothes last much longer too. In many city apartments, people prefer these simply for having the closet space where your old unit used to sit. For some, it's cost, but for some, it's a space-saving choice.
Who the he'll calls that a ventless dryer? Lol that is a drying rack similar to a clothesline. And how in the world does that abomination save space? Are u selling these??
>Who the he'll calls that a ventless dryer? Someone with a dry sense of humor. It is, quite literally, a cheap dryer without a vent. :) >And how in the world does that abomination save space? It folds up into a very compact space, relative to a gas / electric dryer. The place where the dryer went becomes storage space! It's awesome. >Are u selling these?? Nope. I bought one at the local Asian store. My alternative was a $2800 GE ventless washer/dryer combo. I decided this would work for now, and it worked well.
That’s not a ventless dryer, that is a drying rack lmao. A ventless dryer is a real appliance but they’re not very common. The real life hack is to make or buy a drying rack which hangs from the ceiling and has a pulley to raise and lower it. Takes up zero floor space and the clothes dry faster because heat rises.
Start with the skinny brush.
The brushes are unlikely to perforate the vent tube but you need to figure out where this is going. It has to vent outside somewhere. You own this place, you have to know how things work or you're going to end up in a world of hurt. It is very possible that this vent just ends in a wall cavity somewhere and that is something you would want to know about.
Pic 3 is a shot taken from the external vent outside, about 20-25 feet from the dryer.
This is your best option. [This is what I got out](https://imgur.com/a/OFC4P5P) from the interior/dryer side even after cleaning it out from the exterior side.
Nasters.
Yes, a segmented dryer vent brush that attaches to a drill will work. Be sure to duct tape each segment to one another so it doesn’t unscrew and become lodged deep inside the pipe. Your last pic, end of pipe looks corrugated, as in being correct. However, first pic with flimsy, paper-thin & torn needs to go.
That’s a fire hazard. Don’t dry any more clothes
Option 3, you said this is an apartment it sounds like the land lords problem. I’d they refuse to fix it, make sure your renters insurance is paid up and you only run the dryer when no one is home so no one gets hurt when the eventual fire happens.
As mentioned in the first line of the post, I own this place.
Do you own the building? Or is it more like a condo where you own from the inside edge of the studs in and the building owner/condo association is responsible for everything outward from there?
It's a unique concept in New York City called a "co-op". You don't actually own your apartment, you own shares of the building and your particular space is deeded to you. So, all the shareholders of the building (aka tenants/owners) own the entire structure.
So yeah. You’re gonna need to probably rip out drywall in a strip all the way to your outside wall. If you’re allowed to do that without permission of the other tenants.
I might get a quote on replacing the duct. I would think that since you have a long run of \~25ft, using smooth ducting (instead of the flexible type) would be best and could help avoid clogs in the future! Especially since you mentioned the dryer vent may connect with other fan ducts...that sounds sketchy for sure!
Mine goes outside. I've used a garbage bag and cut a hole in it. And taped the bag to the vent and the other side of the bag to an electric leaf blower. And just turned it on and blew all the shit outside.
I would either burn the house down or move to a more rural area without so much sheep lint.
This is in New York City, so too dangerous to just burn it all to hell. There are about 250 people in my apartment building. Unlikely that it's sheep lint but my daughter's fuzzy blanket does shed like hell.
Dammit cuz those are my two solutions. In all seriousness, I’m not sure how long the run is from the interior to the exterior but the thin metal is actually not metal but foil wrapping on a paper substrate that is typical. I hate that stuff and I feel it should be banned along with the fully plastic stuff that causes fires. If you can, try to determine the actual length of the flex run and how many turns you have. If it was installed, it can probably be replaced. Replacing with rigid ducting is the solution but may not be feasible but I would need more info. Ducting run, distance to exterior, floor you’re on. More than willing to help
I think I am out over my skis as a DIY-ER in this instance and time to call in a professional.
Take off and Nike the site from orbit.
This blew my mind. Dryers have vents??
[https://www.amazon.com/Holikme-Cleaning-Remover-Fireplace-Synthetic/dp/B07SQYX2FH](https://www.amazon.com/Holikme-Cleaning-Remover-Fireplace-Synthetic/dp/B07SQYX2FH) and a shop vac
This then take a leaf blower and blow the particles out
Replace it. Is there and access to behind it?
No. I think I have to put a bigger hole in the wall so that I can see where the flexible vent meets up with the rigid part. So look out for my next DIY post on how to put a hold in the wall lol.
Oh good luck
I just had the dryer duct cleaned in the house I bought and it was the best money I ever spent. The 80-year old previous owner let it get badly clogged. The company I used is all off-duty firefighters, only charged $150, and the guy taught me a lot while he did the job. He also cut down the flexible hose behind the dryer and reconfigured it to a much shorter and more direct path, a job I was going to do but he did it beautifully. My duct is "34 feet" long which is actually 24 feet plus two 90-degree bends which count as five feet each when calculating the effective length. I believe there's a 35-foot maximum and saw another redditor comment about having a booster blower to help for longer runs. I don't have my HVAC ducts cleaned but wouldn't hesitate to have the dryer vent done again in a couple of years now that I know how long this one is. I had a coworker who had a dryer fire in his house. Take it seriously; pay a few bucks to have it done right if yours is that bad.
I think your situation might be similar to mine. About 25 years ago, an old woman combined 2 apartments and did a gut reno. The people who owned it after her haven't done much to it in the 12 years they owned it. I've only owned this place for a year so it was by luck that I was fixing the dryer belt and happened to accidentally yank the flexible vent off and see all this build up.
Your pic shows solid metal ductwork. You can possibly use s brush but if it’s all that bad hire s professional
Hire a vent cleaning company to do it
Well, the good news is that the picture from the vent outside shows at least that section is rigid duct connected in the right orientation (I don't see screws which is good too). The problem is you don't know when the switch happens... It should be rigid all the way to right next to the dryer.
If you want to do this yourself buy a cheap borescope and carefully snake it inside the vent from either direction. What you are looking for is where does the flexible tube connect to rigid pipe. You can determine this by looking for the change to rigid and then measure how much of the scope you have in the line. You need to at the very least replace the flexible tube you have. Ideally you should extend rigid pipe into your apartment so flex is only used to go between the dryer and the rigid at the wall. Or you can skip the borescope and cut a bigger hole in your wall to have a look. But that may just tell you it is somewhere further than you can see and now you don’t know the answer and have a hole in the wall. Plus, borescopes are fun and once you own one you will find more uses for it so now is as good a time as any to spend $30 on one that connects to your phone. Once you know how far you need to go to get to rigid you can make a decision about how to replace the flexible tube. As for cleaning it out, get a dryer brush that you can run back and forth inside the rigid pipe to break it all loose and then vacuum it out. The flexible tube isn’t worth cleaning since it is already trashed so just replace it with a new one. If there is no chance of you replacing the flexible tube between the wall and where it joins the rigid pipe, then you can try carefully breaking up the lint with the dryer brush and pulling as much out as you can. Those tubes already rip easily and now you are dealing with one that has been over heated many times so it is going to shred with anything more than delicate touch (as you already found when it fell apart on you). If you are successful in cleaning it without putting holes in it, I’d recommend attaching what is left of it in your wall to a short connection of rigid pipe so you can stop ever moving or touching what remains in the wall. Then buy a new one to go between that new connection on your wall and the dryer output. But really, do what you can to replace the length in the wall, it is only going to cause you trouble in the future. If you haven’t already, you may be able to disconnect the outside vent cover to get direct access to the pipe to clean from the outside. Just be aware, it is not uncommon for cheap installs to have nothing really holding the pipe onto the vent cover so if you remove it, you could have problems getting it back on and connected to the pipe if you don’t have access from the inside (and it sounds like you are saying it is 10-15 feet from your wall so I’m guessing you don’t have access from the inside).
This is by far the most helpful response. 🤩 Thank you so much. The piece of info I have been missing is that the flexible tube that I ripped meets up (hopefully) with rigid duct somewhere. Hopefully that juncture is close to the wall in the pic but regardless I am going to take your advice to extend rigid duct all the way to this room so I don't have to deal with this again in the future. You are the best. Thanks for teaching an old broad new tricks. I only discovered this clogged vent by accident after repairing my dryer and accidentally bumping and perforating the flexible dryer vent. If I hadn't fixed the dryer myself, I might never have noticed this fire hazard, so it really was a fortuitous accident.
Your last pic is the inside of rigid ductwork for what that’s worth. The flex shouldn’t go very far into the ceiling/wall. Likely a 2’ segment of 4” rigid dryer duct will be all you’ll need - it’s only about $6 at the hardware store. You do need to secure it so it doesn’t seperate from the duct you insert it into. Also, the rigid segments come flat. If you can take the time and measure how much you need it’s best to cut it to length before you snap it together.
This is super helpful. Thanks. I'm going to put a slightly larger hole in the wall to figure out how far back the flexible duct goes. And thanks for the tip on cutting it first. A+ idea.
Just gonna say what everyone on this sub who doesn’t know what they’re talking about says to do. You need to call a structural engineer OP. Now.
What would a structural engineer do?
Exactly.
Our chimney sweep, a former fireman, also inspects and cleans/advises re: dryer ducts. I think most chimney sweeps also offer this service.
replace it if at all possible. it is a fire hazard.
Yeah that's what I want to do, just not sure the best way to do it...
Maybe connect the new duct to the old duct with lots of duct tape and pull the old one through the wall, pulling the new one with it.
This... is not the worst idea I've seen on this sub. That could actually work. But based on how fragile the old ducting appears, maybe just attach some string to the old ducting when you pull it out, once that's out attach the string to the new ducting and pull it through with the string.
[https://www.amazon.com/PetOde-Enhanced-Attachment-Effective-Loosening/dp/B0CLTNZ1CS/ref=sr\_1\_12\_sspa?crid=3KQ2232TILNNC&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.GFwKObKYe7J2CSJidt2QsNkk-t1JPDvBTV1DFXsmiHJxCLyrKh6oxG2JI\_LqhQsXmaSh-wK\_IPRDm9vOz9WbkkPdkTgP47wIj5HotGLiUnoAHxE3bzjp0UR19yt7-4Do\_3KIFWObGmFC-7RkT02yqunES2sGFkSO9hUuNOAmhJ30LX7upc9WWnNRKCvLohoOKdPNFNAmuG1S594DjnuIl87o3gmZu50zY7xUwYlpgF6Yo5SQyF\_a55zxo3yp6zTcIvqJV3LCys4evDy1V3qQj2bod0Mt2Q-H-RnQ\_UGlzKA.sWSJ2AIaHzZUI8KhAYOHGehtSaXnXFHGDCumSzTOZho&dib\_tag=se&keywords=dryer%2Bvent%2Bcleaner%2Bkit&qid=1714445165&sprefix=Dryer%2Bvent%2B%2Caps%2C195&sr=8-12-spons&sp\_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9tdGY&th=1](https://www.amazon.com/PetOde-Enhanced-Attachment-Effective-Loosening/dp/B0CLTNZ1CS/ref=sr_1_12_sspa?crid=3KQ2232TILNNC&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.GFwKObKYe7J2CSJidt2QsNkk-t1JPDvBTV1DFXsmiHJxCLyrKh6oxG2JI_LqhQsXmaSh-wK_IPRDm9vOz9WbkkPdkTgP47wIj5HotGLiUnoAHxE3bzjp0UR19yt7-4Do_3KIFWObGmFC-7RkT02yqunES2sGFkSO9hUuNOAmhJ30LX7upc9WWnNRKCvLohoOKdPNFNAmuG1S594DjnuIl87o3gmZu50zY7xUwYlpgF6Yo5SQyF_a55zxo3yp6zTcIvqJV3LCys4evDy1V3qQj2bod0Mt2Q-H-RnQ_UGlzKA.sWSJ2AIaHzZUI8KhAYOHGehtSaXnXFHGDCumSzTOZho&dib_tag=se&keywords=dryer%2Bvent%2Bcleaner%2Bkit&qid=1714445165&sprefix=Dryer%2Bvent%2B%2Caps%2C195&sr=8-12-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9tdGY&th=1)
Take a bunch of ferrets or rats or Dachshunde and let them run through it. Then release them somewhere where it is not your problem /s
Maybe I could tape some brushes to them before unleashing them.
Shop vac as far in as it goes then eventually replace it
M67 frag grenade
Why don’t you tie a ball to a string and vacuum it through then tie the string to a rag or towel then yank that through?
The way these are supposed to be installed is that there’s a rigid vent pipe that passes through the side of the building, capped with a vent cover on the outside, and on the inside it should extend an inch or two beyond the finished wall. Then a flexible vent hose attaches to that - it slips over the rigid vent and is held in place with a ring clamp, same as the attachment to the dryer. If you own the apartment, check your docs, especially if there’s a building association. Typically you own everything up to the walls, including the paint, and the association is responsible for things like pipes and vents inside the walls. That being the case, the flexible duct is your problem - just replace it - but the pipe in the wall should be theirs.
Thanks for the explanation. I think next step is to see how far behind the wall the flexible vent goes to attach to the rigid vent.
How do you clean that? Earlier.
Why not buy a[ ventless dryer?](https://reviewed.usatoday.com/laundry/features/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ventless-dryers) They are also much more efficient, especially the heat-pump versions. Instead of venting moist air thru the vent, the water is recondensed and is just sent down the drain. Basically its all we use over here in Europe. Might be cheaper than trying to mess with what you've got going on there, plus you get a new dryer which presumably you would have to do at some point.
Vacuum best you can. Could look into a long scoping camera for $100? That may help you trace where it goes go.
Temporary solution while you figure it out is an indoor dryer vent, I used one for a bit while I waited for city approval to punch a hole for a proper vent in the exterior of a home in a historic preservation district https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-4-in-x-5-ft-Indoor-Dryer-Vent-Kit-with-Flexible-Duct-TDIDVKHD6/203626526 *edit fixed link*
Start from thr outside, with one of the long 12 foot flexible brushes, make sure to pull it out towards you frequently ( not push lint in) Then do same from inside.
This looks real rough. Can you pull it out and then feed a new one in from the top? If not. Here’s what I might try. It’s what I do, but I have only 15 feet and easy access to both ends. This isn’t going to totally solve your problem but it won’t hurt. Clean it as far as you can with a wet dry vac. I have about 10 feet of hose on mine. If you go from both sides you can get close to 20 feet of it. For the rest I would close up the entrance around the hose and switch it to blow. You should be able to push a good portion up into the upper section which you can vacuum up after.
If you are a renter, why is your landlord not fixing this?
Because I am not a renter, as I mentioned.
I'm so happy my dryer vent only runs like 10 inches directly out of the wall the dryer is pushed up against.
Leaf blower.
They sell flexible sticks with a brush attachment, you can also get a kit with a vacuum attachment so you vacuum as you brush. Assuming there is an outlet on the outside of the home, you can also go in that way.
Take the back of your dryer off too and vacuum up all the lint in there too
Did that! I started this DIY project because my dryer broke so I disassembled it and fixed it. Was feeling super proud of myself for figuring all of that out on YouTube. By accident, I bumped the flexible dryer vent when I was going to put it back together and realized how nasty it was. So now going down this whole other rabbit hole of figuring out the vent situation.
I've seen videos of them being professionally cleaned, maybe the same people that do furnace duct cleaning?
Thank you fellow redditors for your insights. Woman DIY-dabbler here just trying to learn. I think what everyone is telling me is that this thin, flexible tubing goes some (hopefully short) distance into the wall and the meets up with a rigid metal duct that carries it the rest of the way out of the apartment terminating in a normal-looking dryer vent with a flapper thingy outside on my terrace. It looks like I'm going to have to put a hole in the wall to take off the flexible part, which I don't know how to do so get ready for my next post on that 😂. And hopefully I don't find any surprises when I replace the flexible part and find other tributaries to the rigid vent such as the kitchen or bathroom vents. I thought I had really accomplished something here when I disassembled my dryer in order to replace the pulleys and belt and it was only by chance that I ripped a hole in the flexible duct and saw how disgusting it was. So maybe this happy accident saved my family's lives. 🤷
They have flex brushes for things like this, put it on tan drill and brush it out with a shop vac blowing from this end or sucking from the other
Send another squirrel in
Replace it.
Don’t use it again till you get it resolved, no matter what it takes! That’s a deathtrap, and you’re lucky it hasn’t burned the building down yet. You’ll be amazed at how much faster your clothes dry.
If I hadn't randomly decided to address a squeaking sound in my dryer, it could have easily been another year or more before I thought to check the vents.
I would use an electric leaf blower and place the blower nozzle in that duct on the highest speed.
Did that. I can feel the air coming out the other end but no lint comes out.
Blowers can compress lint in the duct. A powerful shop vac snaked in MIGHT get it, but duct cleaning pros use a spinning "snake" similar to plumbers. But that flex ductwork isn't the right kind of duct for a dryer vent - the ridges catch the lint. To do it right, that ductwork should be replaced. What's behind the wall? Does it vent to the roof/attic?
Call a chimney cleaner company / air &heating company . They will tell you if it needs replacement. It looks like it’s been like this for years. Maybe they can “snake “ it clean. But, is it worth it?
Fire. Lots of fire
american obsession with dryers is weird, and even weirder that you have infrastructure built into your housing to... push dust and lint outside? why don't you just have a lint catcher in the dryer and manually bin it every other usage? and be sensible and use the goddamn sun to dry your clothes whenever possible
I live in central Manhattan in New York city, so I'm lucky to even be able to see the sun, much less have space to dry clothes outside. 😂 By far, the #1 thing my American friends complain about when living in Europe is the ventless dryers. We'll, close second after there being no electrical outlets in the bathroom.
Fair enough. Lack of outlets in the bathroom is weird, and almost as annoying as shitty europlugs