dryer ducts

[mdhills]

What do folks do to keep their dryer ducts clean?
(I noticed a pretty good buildup in ours, which is rigid duct going up through the roof and we had a lint filter at the machine itself)

Matt

[Snipe Hunter]

Dryer Lint Brush. Home Depot should stock them too

[MstrCarpenter]

I use 4" sched. 20 pvc pipe. No screws, and definitely never any corrugated/flexible hose. I want as little restriction as possible; so that means the bird guard on the hood goes too. Once lint starts to collect in the duct, it catches even more. A clean lint screen in the dryer helps with velocity so we clean it every load, or at least every session. The clothes dry faster too.

[Snipe Hunter]

So every dryer manufacturer I know of puts a sticker on the back of the dryer stating "do not use plastic pipe/hose". The only time PVC pipe is allowed is if it's used in a slab floor and it can't be directly attached to the dryer. 2 reasons I know of are the static in the plastic makes the lint stick to the pjpe and PVC does not transfer and release heat as fast as metal duct. Both fire hazards, even with an electric dryer.

• Exhaust ducts must be metal of minimum thickness 0.0157 inches, 4 inches in nominal diameter, with smooth interior finish. Exception allowed for ducts run horizontally below the slab, which can be Schedule 40 PVC with 4 inch nominal diameter (IRC 1502.4.1).

[EatenByLimestone]

We use a rotary cleaner and vacuum to clean them.

[MstrCarpenter]

So every dryer manufacturer I know of puts a sticker on the back of the dryer stating "do not use plastic pipe/hose". The only time PVC pipe is allowed is if it's used in a slab floor and it can't be directly attached to the dryer. 2 reasons I know of are the static in the plastic makes the lint stick to the pjpe and PVC does not transfer and release heat as fast as metal duct. Both fire hazards, even with an electric dryer.

• Exhaust ducts must be metal of minimum thickness 0.0157 inches, 4 inches in nominal diameter, with smooth interior finish. Exception allowed for ducts run horizontally below the slab, which can be Schedule 40 PVC with 4 inch nominal diameter (IRC 1502.4.1).

I stand corrected. My tin-knocker will only use aluminum, and orders 8' lengths. My dryer vent has been in place about 30 years. It was cleaned twice. Both times when we got a new dryer. (Didn't really need it though.)

[JosephP]

A great plan, I had:

I stand outside with a Stihl BR 600 backpack blower.  Wife holds shopping bag over the vent inside.

The execution:  she doesn't hold the bag.  I'm in trouble for covering her with enough lint to look like a ghost.
  But there was no lint in the duct any longer!

She insisted I should blow from inside.  I maintain running a 2 cycle engine in the laundry room is a bad idea.

The last few times....I have a 185CFM compressor.  I drag in the 1" hose from that and blow it out.

I still think the leaf blower is a great plan.  It worked when I taped the bag over the vent inside.

If you have a shorter run, a shopvac set to blow blowing out is probably good too.  Ours runs about 35', so it takes some extra umph to get it blown out.

[MstrCarpenter]

You know what used to be said often on this forum? " If there's no picture, it didn't happen." And if you happened to post a video, it would go viral in minutes! I've got tears in my eyes and visions of Tim, the tool man, Taylor saying:"Aaaaaarg! We more power." 
Al Morin, standing right beside you, says; "I don't think so Tim."

[Cabinet Monkey]

A great plan, I had:

I stand outside with a Stihl BR 600 backpack blower.  Wife holds shopping bag over the vent inside.

The execution:  she doesn't hold the bag.  I'm in trouble for covering her with enough lint to look like a ghost.
  But there was no lint in the duct any longer!

She insisted I should blow from inside.  I maintain running a 2 cycle engine in the laundry room is a bad idea.

Did you know there are many manuf. of commercial grade leaf blowers that run on battery power.   I’ll bet your battery drill manuf. has one.  

I’m also curious why you have a 185cfm rig lying about. With the cost of diesel today I’d be looking at the battery blower on that alone.

[JosephP]

Did you know there are many manuf. of commercial grade leaf blowers that run on battery power.   I’ll bet your battery drill manuf. has one.  

I’m also curious why you have a 185cfm rig lying about. With the cost of diesel today I’d be looking at the battery blower on that alone.

I have a couple of battery blowers.  They cannot compete with a backpack blower.

I don't know there is any battery anything that can produce 185 CFM at 100psi.  It is a 6 cyl diesel.  We don't use it a lot, but when needed, there aren't good alternatives.  I use it for tree work - a tool called an Airknife (similar tool called Air Spade).  When trees are planted too deep we can excavate the root collar, or decompact soil, etc...