Clean the dryer vent
NFPA: failing to clean the dryer is the leading cause of dryer fires.
Who: You can do it yourself, or have a vent-cleaning service do it. You, or a lint-removal service (Samsung recommends a service). Appliance repair won’t do the house venting.
How often: Yearly, or when drying slows (Whirlpool: 1-2 years); the lint screen every load. For: the clothes dryer.
Safety first
- Gas dryer: gas off. Unplug the dryer.
- Metal duct only: replace plastic or foil accordion duct with rigid or semi-rigid metal.
- No screws into the duct.
What you need
- A vent brush kit with rods.
- A drill.
- A screwdriver.
- A vacuum.
- Pliers.
- Tape.
The part, and finding the right one
- Vent duct (clothes dryer). The duct from the dryer to the outside: clean it yearly; replace it if it’s crushed or torn. Metal only, never plastic; CPSC and NFPA say rigid or semi-rigid metal. Match the size of the dryer’s outlet and the wall vent. Duct hidden in a wall, floor or ceiling must be rigid smooth metal (IRC M1502); the exposed piece from the dryer to the wall may be a transition duct listed to UL 2158A, no longer than 8 feet.
On a home’s record, each piece of equipment’s page links its manual and a search for its parts by brand and model. All filters and parts
How to do it
- Every load: roll the lint off the screen; don’t rinse it. Every 6 months, scrub it with a nylon brush, hot water and detergent, then let it dry (LG: wash it in warm soapy water when softener film clogs it). A pipe cleaner down the slot.
- Pull the dryer out, remove the clamp, and disconnect the duct at the wall.
- Outside: take the hood cover off and clear the lint; look for nests.
- Put the brush on the drill and run it clockwise, slowly, adding rods with the joints taped; or vacuum the duct (GE). A damaged duct gets replaced.
- Vacuum up the lint and reconnect, leaving 4 inches behind the dryer so the duct isn’t crushed. Plug it in and turn the gas back on.
- Run it: strong airflow at the hood, the flap opening freely, and the hood at least 12 inches off the ground.
Normal
- An invisible softener film on the screen.
Needs attention
- Longer drying, damp clothes, weak airflow outside, a Check Vent or Flow Sense light or a d80-d95 code, or a hot dryer.
Call a vent-cleaning service if
- A long run or many bends: a duct-cleaning pro.
- Weak airflow after cleaning.
- The gas line and its connection.
- Lint inside the dryer’s cabinet.
- For the vent, call a vent-cleaning service, not appliance repair.
Keep track of it
Add your home to My homes: each piece of equipment gets this on its own schedule, with “Mark done” and reminders you can turn on.
Sources
Your owner’s manual comes first: where it says something different for your model, follow it.
Still stuck?
Email us at hello@tradewrench.com. Tell us which page you were on and what you were trying to do.