Chimney service
Dryer Vent Installation
A new duct run in rigid metal, routed the short way out. The decisions made on install day are the ones you live with every year after.
The route you choose today is the route you clean every year for the next twenty.
Dryer vent installation is mostly two decisions and a little work. Material: rigid metal duct, never the ribbed foil concertina hose, because every ridge catches lint by design and code has not allowed it in concealed runs for years. And route: the shortest practical path to an outside wall. Code allows 35 feet of duct, but every 90-degree elbow subtracts five feet from that budget and every bend is where lint packs. A run done properly needs cleaning once a year; a run done badly needs it twice and never really works.
What not to use
Foil hose is the whole problem
Every ridge in a concertina hose catches lint, and it crushes the moment the machine is pushed back. Rigid metal is the fix and it is not expensive.
On this pageSigns you need this3 sections+2
Signs you need dryer vent installation
The duct behind the dryer is foil hose
The silver concertina kind. It catches lint on every ridge, kinks when the machine is pushed back, and is not permitted in a concealed run. Replacing it is the highest-value dryer job there is.
The run turns through several bends
Code allows 35 feet, but each 90-degree elbow costs you five of them. A run with four elbows has effectively used half its budget before it has gone anywhere.
Duct crushed where it crosses a joist
A flattened section is a permanent restriction that no amount of cleaning fixes. It gets rerouted or replaced, not brushed.
You are moving the laundry room
A new location means a new route, and this is the one moment when the short path is still available. It is far cheaper to plan than to fix later.
The vent hood has a mesh screen
Fine mesh clogs solid within a season — lint needs a clear opening, not a filter. A louvred or damper hood is what belongs on a dryer.
The dryer vents into a crawl space or attic
Not to code anywhere, and it puts warm wet air into the structure. This one is a rebuild of the run rather than a repair to it.
How the visit works
The same four steps every time, whatever the repair turns out to be.
- 01
Inspection first, always
A look at the crown, cap, flashing and exterior masonry, then the flue, damper and firebox — with a camera where the job calls for a level 2 scan. Whatever needs work gets shown to you, not just described.
- 02
A written estimate before anything
Scope, price and what is not included, in writing. Nothing starts until you approve it, and an emergency is not a reason to skip this step.
- 03
The work itself
Matched materials and the manufacturer's spec, not whatever is on the van. Drop cloths down, and the room left as it was found.
- 04
Verification and a report
A second scan after the work, and written findings you can keep, hand to an inspector, or send to an insurer.
The jobs this actually includes
Not every job on this list is equally urgent, so they are ordered that way. A cracked liner stops you using the fireplace tonight; waterproofing can wait for a dry week.
The job — most urgent first
What it involves
On site
Replacing foil hose with rigid metal
Safety repairRigid galvanised or aluminium duct through the concealed run, with a short listed transition connector at the machine. The single change that most improves a dryer's performance and its risk.
On site: Half a day
Rerouting a long or over-elbowed run
StructuralFinding a shorter path to an outside wall. Sometimes the honest answer is that the laundry is in the wrong place for the outside wall it was given, and a new penetration is cheaper than cleaning the old run forever.
On site: Half a day
New exterior wall penetration and hood
StructuralCored through the wall, sleeved, sealed and flashed, with a louvred or damper hood outside. Done badly this is a water entry point, so the sealing matters as much as the duct.
On site: Half a day
Roof-terminated runs
Stops waterSometimes the only option in a middle-of-the-house laundry. It needs a proper roof cap and it will need cleaning more often, because lint has to travel up. Worth knowing before it is chosen.
On site: Half a day
Booster fan for a run that cannot be shortened
PreventiveA listed dryer booster fan where the geometry genuinely will not allow a shorter path. It is the last resort rather than the first, because it adds a part that itself needs servicing.
On site: Half a day
Times are for the work itself, not for scheduling. Masonry needs roughly 40°F to cure properly, which is what limits this work in a northern winter rather than whether a crew is free.
Why dryer vent installation quotes vary so much
- The length of the run and how many bends it has to turn
- Whether an existing path can be reused or a new penetration is needed
- Wall construction — brick and stone core very differently from siding
- Whether the run is accessible or boxed into a finished ceiling
- Whether it terminates at a wall or has to go up to a roof cap
Swapping foil hose for rigid metal on an accessible short run is a half day and inexpensive. A new exterior penetration, or rerouting through a finished ceiling, costs meaningfully more because of the making-good rather than the duct. Roof terminations are the most expensive and the ones worth avoiding if a wall is reachable.
The people behind every visit
Founded by Ryan Carter in 2019. Every page you read here is reviewed by Ethan Miller, our chimney specialist. A written estimate before any work, and the findings in writing whether or not anything needs doing.
More about who we are →
The VIO Standard
- A written estimate first
- License and insurance checked
- Nothing starts without your OK
Common questions
How long can a dryer vent run be?
The standard allowance is 35 feet of total duct, and that number is not the whole story because bends spend it. Each 90-degree elbow counts as roughly five feet and each 45 as two and a half. So a run with four right-angle turns has used twenty of its thirty-five before covering any distance. Manufacturers publish their own maximums for a given machine, and where those are shorter than code, the manufacturer's figure is the one that applies.
Can I use flexible foil duct for a dryer vent?
Only as a short listed transition connector between the machine and the wall, and even there rigid or semi-rigid is better. In the concealed run — through walls, ceilings or floors — it is not permitted, for two good reasons: every ridge catches lint, and it crushes flat the moment somebody pushes the dryer back against the wall. If your concealed run is foil, replacing it is the most worthwhile thing on this page.
How much does dryer vent installation cost?
Replacing foil with rigid metal on a short accessible run is a half-day job at the low end of this trade. A new exterior wall penetration costs more, mostly for coring, sealing and making good rather than for duct. Routing through a finished ceiling, or terminating at the roof, is higher again. The two things that move the number most are wall construction and whether the path already exists.
Can a dryer vent go through the roof?
It can, and sometimes a middle-of-the-house laundry leaves no alternative. It needs a proper roof cap rather than a wall hood, and it should be planned knowing that lint has to travel upward, so the run will need cleaning more often than a wall-terminated one. If an outside wall is reachable at reasonable cost, take it — the difference in maintenance over twenty years is not small.
Where should a dryer vent not terminate?
Not into a crawl space, attic, garage, soffit or wall cavity — all of which put warm wet lint-laden air into the structure, and all of which we still find. Not into a chimney flue, ever. And not somewhere the discharge blows straight back at a window, an air intake or a walkway. The termination needs a hood with a backdraft flap and no fine mesh screen.
let's get it on the calendar.
Tell us your ZIP code and what you need. The pro who covers it quotes the job in writing, and nothing starts until you approve the number.