What we actually pull out of Cape Cod dryer vents
Every photo here is from a real job. If you are trying to work out whether your vent is due, the honest answer is that most of these homeowners had no idea theirs looked like this either.
Before and after
The same flexible duct, photographed as we opened it up and again once the run had been brushed and vacuumed end to end.
The full set
Filter by what you are looking for, or open any photo to read what is in the frame.
Built up one load at a time, until almost nothing was getting through. Lint escapes the trap on every load and settles here. Disconnected at the dryer, before anything was cleaned. The flap could not open. All that heat had nowhere to go. Before: barely any daylight through the run. Before: felted lint had closed the run down to a fraction of its diameter. Nesting material, packed the length of the run. Nesting material pulled from the duct, headed for the vacuum. Rigid metal duct, installed and sealed along the crawlspace wall. New termination. No screen — screens trap lint (IMC 504). After: clear line of sight to the outside. Same duct, cleaned end to end. After: full diameter back, bare ribbing end to end.
About these photos
Questions we get asked about what is in them. If yours is not here, call (508) 593-7643.
Are these photos from real jobs?
Yes. Every photo on this page was taken on a Cape Cod job by us, on the day. Nothing here is stock imagery and nothing was staged for the camera.
Is that much lint normal?
It is normal for a vent that has not been cleaned in several years, which is most of the ones we are called to. Lint accumulates a little on every load, and because it accumulates evenly around the duct wall the loss of airflow is gradual enough that people rarely notice until the dryer is taking two or three cycles.
How does a bird get into a dryer vent?
Through a broken or missing flap on the exterior hood. Once the flap no longer closes, the duct is a sheltered cavity with warm air coming through it, which is close to ideal nesting habitat. It is most common on properties that sit empty for part of the year, which on Cape Cod is a lot of them.
Will you send me photos of my own vent?
On a Premium Clean, yes — before and after photos of your run come with the airflow readings. On a Basic Clean we will show you what came out in person, and we are happy to text you a picture if you are not there.
Curious what yours looks like?
Book a clean and we will show you. Most people are surprised, and nobody has ever been disappointed to find out.