How to check your outdoor dryer vent hood in five minutes

You do not need tools for a useful first look. Once a season, walk outside to the dryer vent hood (or roof cap if you can see it safely from the ground) and spend five minutes. Fall laundry loads are a good reminder before winter.

Find the outdoor end

Most Boulder County homes exit through a ground or first-floor side-wall hood. Some go to a roof or second-story cap. If you are unsure which you have, stand near the dryer while someone runs a short cycle. Warm air outdoors is the exit.

What to look for

At a ground or side-wall hood, check:

1. Does the flapper move? With the dryer running, the flap or louvers should open. Stuck shut means air is backing up into the house or the laundry room.

2. Is lint sitting at the opening? A little dust on the face is common. Thick clumps in the mouth of the duct, or streaks of lint down the siding, mean the run is packing up.

3. Can you feel strong exhaust? Hold your hand a few inches out. Weak, warm, or almost no airflow while the dryer runs is a warning sign.

4. Is the hood crushed, painted shut, or blocked by plants? Physical blockage is as bad as lint inside the duct.

Roof caps are harder to inspect. From the ground, look for a missing hood, bird nesting material, or no visible exhaust when the dryer runs. Do not climb for this check.

What the indoor lint trap does not cover

Emptying the dryer lint screen every load matters. It does not clean the duct from the dryer to the outdoor hood. Homes can look fine at the trap and still have a packed outdoor end.

When to book a clean

Book when you see stuck flappers, heavy lint at the hood, weak outdoor airflow, or it has been a year or more since a full clean. Our published prices are $129 for a standard ground or side-wall clean and $169 for roof, upper-floor, or long runs. Annual revisits are $109 once you are enrolled.

Book

Fixed prices, real availability, book and pay online: Book a visit. Or call (720) 605-3198. Serving Boulder, Louisville, Lafayette, Longmont, Superior, and nearby Boulder County towns.