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.