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[151949]

Our dryer vents out thru the roof so , since we want to keep DH off the roof , I need to keep the deryer vents as clean as possible.Last year the dryer wasdn't working well and the issue was a clogged vent. So I was looking on Amazon at a kit that had a brush to use down the lint trap on the dryer a vacuum attachment that you use on the dryer from the back and a 12 ft long brush you snake up into the vent on the house.It was only $20 so it seemed it may be a good investment. Has anyone done this? Did you buy one of these kits ? The 12 ft long brush would not go anywhere near reaching to the end of our house's dryer vent - it goes from the floor all the way thru the attic and out the roof. If your dryer vents out the side of the house it would probably reach to the end.

[2blonde]

Wow, that's a long vent.  I'd think it would tend to get clogged a lot (mine only has to go about 5 feet up the basement wall to the outside wall.  Is there a way you can get to the vent tubing as it passes through the attic? I'm thinking you could open it at a separation point so you wouldn't have to go the whole distance from the dryer to the roof with the cleaning tool. Other than that, I'd be inclined to call a professional.  Dryer vent fires are no joke.

[PinkyPetunia]

Your dryer venting sounds involved since it's so long.  Might  be best to call a professional to do it.  I wouldn't want to get on the roof to do it myself.  Some condos require dryer vents to be cleaned every couple years and they give you a list of local contractors  they recommend. Check with your homeowners association, they may have suggestions.

[Fressa]

What a challenge you have.  We have an older home and I do not have an outside dryer vent. I have an exhaust fan above the dryer hook-up and a vent bucket.  Dryer vent fires always worry me. I'm always using aome dusting tool or attachment to clean my system. I was wondering if the wet/dry vac would work for your system?  It almost sound like you could call a chimney sweep person so he could get from the roof down to where you could reach or do the complete line.    

[insomniac2]

I bought one of those kits years ago (when I had a house), and it made a huge difference.

However, in your situation, I would definitely have a professional do it.

[SilleeMee]

My dryer vents from the basement up to just under the ground-level floor then it goes horizontal for about twelve feet to the outside. I looked into buying one of those cleaning kits but after reading many reviews I decided to just call a professional and not deal with a possible messy situation. 

The professional told me that the dryers that vent out through roof-tops are the ones that need cleaning the most and more often...fyi.

[jlkz]

The first winter in our FL condo, I was sitting at the breakfast bar having lunch.  All of a sudden I heard this huge loud sound that felt as though it were right beside me.

Turns out the maintenance crew was cleaning out all the dryer vents outside.  Whew!

[Nuttmeg]

I live in a condo. The HOA requires residents to have the dryer vent cleaned once a year. You should call your HOA for recommended vendors. 

[Libbylady]

We have a very long dryer hose that goes under the floor of a closet before exiting the house.  Although I keep the lint trap clean, I always worried about the hose under the floor.

We tried the kit you spoke of, but it wasn't long enough and it just pushed the lint to it's limit, but we wanted to see the lint exit the house, and little did.

We ended up having to pull the whole hose out through the outside of the house after we found out the hose used by the builder was no longer up to code.  It was white accordion plastic.  We were able to replace it with metal pipe.  What a difference it has made in the time it takes to dry a load!  The built up lint in the original pipe was very scary in it's amount.

I recommend getting a pro to do the work for your vent.  Even a couple hundred dollars is cheaper than a dryer fire.

[debic]

I'd probably get the kind that look like chiminy cleaners and get 2.   You can add sections.   Not sure what it would cost to pay to have done.