Dryer Vent Repair
Often the cheaper and correct answer. If the run is sound metal with one fault, repair it and keep the rest.
Dryer Vent Service · Palm Beach County & the Treasure Coast
Dryer Vent Replacement
Some runs are not worth patching. Foil or vinyl duct, a section that has been crushed more than once, or a termination that has come to the end of its life are all better replaced than repaired — and we will tell you which category yours is in.
Why Replace Rather Than Repair
Material Decides More Than Age Does
A metal duct that has been in a wall for twenty years and is still round is fine. A flexible foil duct installed last year may not be. What matters is what the duct is made of and what shape it holds, not how long it has been there.
Appliance manufacturers are specific about this in their installation instructions: dryer exhaust belongs in rigid or semi-rigid metal duct, and the flexible foil and plastic products sold for the job are not what the machines are designed to vent into. Foil sags between supports, collects lint in every ripple, and crushes if anything leans on it. Vinyl is worse on every count.
The other case for replacing is repetition. If we have patched the same run twice, a third patch is money spent on the symptom. Replacing the reachable portion with metal of the correct diameter ends the cycle.
- Replaced With
- Rigid or semi-rigid metal duct
- Usual Trigger
- Foil or vinyl duct, or repeat damage
- Includes
- Airflow reading after the work
- Scope
- Reachable duct and the termination
When Replacement Is the Right Call
Six Situations Where Patching Does Not Pay
If one of these describes your run, we will quote replacement rather than another repair.
Flexible foil duct
The ribbed silver hose. Every ridge is somewhere for lint to catch, and it flattens under its own weight between supports.
Vinyl or plastic duct
Thin white or clear flexible hose. It should not be in a dryer exhaust at all, and we will tell you so plainly if we find it.
Crushed more than once
A section that has been flattened, straightened and flattened again has lost its strength. It will not hold its shape next time either.
Too many joints
A run assembled from short offcuts has a potential leak at every connection. Replacing with fewer, longer pieces removes most of the failure points.
A termination past its life
Cracked housing, a warped flap, or a hood so corroded that nothing will seal to it. New hardware is cheaper than repeated call-outs.
Wrong diameter
A run narrowed to fit around an obstacle chokes the whole system. Restoring the correct diameter is the only fix that works.
⚠️ If you find vinyl or plastic flexible duct behind your dryer, it is worth having replaced rather than cleaned. Tell us what you are looking at and we will confirm what it is.
How Replacement Works
Measure, Agree, Replace, Verify
Replacement is the most invasive thing we do, so the scope is settled in writing before anything comes out.
1
Measure and identify
We map the run, identify what it is built from, and take an airflow reading. Then we tell you which portion is reachable without opening finished surfaces.
2
Quote the scope
A fixed scope: which sections come out, what goes in, whether the termination is included, and the price. If part of the run has to stay because it is buried, that is stated rather than implied.
3
Replace with metal
Rigid or semi-rigid metal duct of the correct diameter, joints fastened and sealed, supported so it cannot sag. Where the termination is included, the new hood goes on and is checked for a clean seal.
4
Verify and document
Airflow measured again, the dryer reconnected and run, and photos of the finished work. You see the before and after numbers, not just the invoice.
Scope
What Replacement Covers
The boundaries matter more here than on any other visit, because replacement touches the building and not just the duct.
- Mapping the run and identifying the existing duct material
- Removing the reachable sections being replaced
- New rigid or semi-rigid metal duct at the correct diameter
- Joints fastened and sealed, with the run supported against sagging
- New exterior termination hood where it is part of the agreed scope
- Airflow reading after the work, with photos of what was installed
What this visit does not cover
- No opening finished surfaces. We do not cut drywall, ceilings, or flooring, and we do not reroute duct through new openings.
- No new penetrations. Cutting a new exterior opening or relocating a termination is construction work and belongs with a contractor.
- No structural or electrical work. That includes wiring for booster fans, which is a licensed trade.
- No gas line work. We do not disconnect or reconnect gas supply to an appliance.
What changes the price
Linear feet of duct replaced, how many turns the run has, how reachable the sections are, and whether a new termination is included. A short garage run is a modest job; a second-floor laundry venting up through an attic to a roof cap is not.
If only part of the run needs replacing, we quote only that part. We would rather replace eight feet that are failing than sell you thirty that are fine — and the airflow reading afterwards will show whether the eight feet were the problem.
Related Dryer Vent Services
Before You Commit to Replacing
Serving Boca Raton, Port St. Lucie, Stuart and 17 more communities.
Questions
Dryer Vent Replacement FAQ
Does my foil dryer hose really have to go?
Appliance installation instructions call for rigid or semi-rigid metal, and foil is neither. Whether it has to go today depends on its condition and the airflow reading. What we will not do is clean a foil run, hand you a good airflow number, and let you think the material question has been settled.
How much of the run can you actually replace?
Everything we can reach without opening a finished surface, which on most homes is the portion behind the dryer, anything exposed in a garage or attic, and the termination. Duct inside a closed wall stays unless you bring in a contractor to open it, and we will tell you up front how much of your run falls into that category.
Will replacing the duct lower my energy bill?
A less restricted duct means shorter drying cycles, and shorter cycles use less energy. How much less depends on how restricted it was, how often you run the dryer, and your rates. We will show you the airflow difference we measured; we will not put a dollar figure on your bill, because we would be guessing.
Can you move my dryer vent to a better spot?
No. Relocating a termination means cutting a new exterior opening and closing the old one, which is construction work with permitting implications. We will tell you whether we think a relocation would help, and leave the work to a contractor licensed for it.
How long will the new duct last?
Metal duct that is properly supported and not physically damaged tends to outlast the dryer connected to it. The parts that wear are the termination flap and the flexible connector behind the machine, both of which are inexpensive and easy to get at.