I do dryer vent service in So Cal and I can see you did a couple of things wrong here. First, with that kind of roof vent termination, you should access the vent with your brush from the inside of the house, but you need to use either a blower or vacuum along with the brush to properly purge the vent. So, the brush provides the friction to knock all the lint loose and the blower or vacuum evacuates it. Once you have cleaned the main vent line you can then go up on the roof and clean the lint from the vent termination with your hand. Second, it sounds like you were using the drill on the high speed setting and that is a no-no. Also, the clutch on the drill MUST be set to a very low setting or you can easily snap a rod. Sorry you had that trouble.

Thanks for sharing this. I recently installed a DryerJack high profile vent; it looks like yours, but has a removeable access panel below the scoop to help with cleaning. Regardless, with the tips from the other commenters, I was able to clean all of my vents from the roof. My tips: • set the drill clutch to the lowest setting • insert the brush straight into the opening, don’t bend yet • set the brush edge in the inner air outlet (it should be 90 degrees to the opening) • put your hand in the vent to keep the brush in place and push up on the rod, so that it follows the bend along the top of the scoop • drill slowly and allow the scoop to redirect the force down • with your hand at the lip of the scoop, inch the rod forward • take it slow • don’t force anything

Thank you for recording the heroic measures you took to clean out your vent. Just reading all the advise in the comments reminded me of things I need to do before I try this. I never knew the dryer vent HAD to be cleaned! I’ve been in this house for 40 years and my dryer is 5 years older than the house and neither have ever been cleaned. I think what has saved me from a fire is only drying sheets and towels, never drying clothing, never using fabric softener in the wash or fabric softener sheets and always cleaning the lint trap. I religiously take the cage off the outside vent to get any lint and 8:29 recently I put my hand down the hole and nothing came out. Praise be that my vent is two feet from the ground and not on the roof. I have the kit with brush, a ShopVac and a cordless drill so now I’m ready to try it!

Props to you for DIYing and learning from your mistakes! Thanks for sharing your struggles and successes.

I've had success attaching a leaf blower to the inside at the dryer end (duct taping around it to make seal) and blowing the vent clear. Doing this a couple of times a year helps prevents buildup. Another thing to check is make sure the wire mesh is removed from the roof vent. For some reason, many installers leave it in, but all it does is collect lint and make a blockage. Also make sure the backdraft flap is working properly.

DeVito Does, you can do it! Just tackle the job from below! My wife and I could not help laughing as we watched because some years ago I made the same mistake of trying to clean the roof vent from the roof. I forced it into the roof vent's 90 degree turn and SNAP. I didn't do another thing, but called a professional. He told me he gets these calls all the time, and said the vent cleaning should be done from below, unless you install a roof vent that allows for disconnecting the top of the vent. Lesson learned. BTW, I am a retired firefighter, and can attest to clogged dryer vents being the cause of many fires. So, when I relocated my dryer to the garage, I did so with some lessons in mind. First, I chose a position that did not require an extensive run up to the roof. I made sure the new dryer vent channel was installed as a STRAIGHT RUN from the new dryer position to the roof vent, NO TURNS (or at least a very minimal one). I also, chose to keep the channel three feet off the floor behind the new dryer position, this avoids that 90 degree turn so often installed at the base of the channel. Now to clean the dryer I simply disconnect the dryer's flexible vent line from the sturdy vent channel, and run the vent kit straight up the channel. This new setup allows the dryer to vent with less resistance, and makes my vent cleaning job a breeze. Frequent mistakes made when dryer vent channels are installed are due to not enough thought being put into the dryer's position in relation to the actual vent. This results in an overly long channel with turns (turns, especially drastic turns, add resistance). Another mistake is running the channel almost to the floor behind the dryer, requiring a 90 degree connector. In my opinion this is a poor design. All these mistakes slow the vent force, cause more frequent build up, make the dryer work harder, waste energy, and create a fire hazard. Another mistake is venting through an exterior wall where your A/C compressor is located. This clogs up your compressor coils, but that's another issue. :)

I cleaned the dryer vent all the way to the roof with no difference. Was about to scrap the dryer, then took another aproach. I took it apart and cleaned the inside of the dryer. The caked on lint on the impeller (the actual spinning "fan" inside) was unreal. Solved my problem. I recommend everyone to try this. Your dryer needs it, so does your electric bill.

Great job for trying to tackle that project from the roof. It's hard enough trying to do it when you have the wrong vent installed. I think the biggest thing you really needed to watch out for is to replace the damaged shingles since you'll be looking at a leak in the near future and then the job gets real expensive. But you should be proud to be tackling something like that, kudos to you. I also know that many of your comments talked about the dryer jack. That's a great product and that's what I use on all my clients roofs. Well done.

Was kind of surprised seeing this video. And surprise someone actually tried to go on the roof and take care of it. Just some things to know. Sometimes the shingles are not going to be safe as the years go by the pebbles on their break free so you have to be very careful. When turning your dryer on from the inside please put it on air fluff mode so there's no heat. The last thing you want to do is have your dryer start the lint on fire while you're cleaning it out. Another factor that a lot of air duct cleaning companies mostly will not take the dryer apart and clean out the inside of the dryer, they will use the air and try and blow it out, meaning not only the vent from the back of the dryer to the outside exterior termination, as well as the lint trap area. But they do not take the dryers apart. This is the key factor folks dryer fires do not start inside the vent from the back of the dryer to the exterior the fires start inside of the dryer. The reason why is because it got backed up somewhere along the line the lint had nowhere else to go but only inside the dryer there's no airtight sealant in these dryers. So lint gets inside the bottom of the dryer and that's where the dryer fire start from either being in the heating chamber for a gas dryer or on the heating coils on the electric dryer. So if you ever have someone come out to your house to clean out your dryer vent to make sure that they're cleaning out or at least looking inside the dryer to clean out the lint inside and also clean out the fan the belts, motor and the wheels that hold the drum into place. Here's also something if you all are reading this if you have a gas dryer and it gets backed up anywhere along the line from the back of the dryer to the exterior exit cover, just know that carbon monoxide can not escape out the dryer vent like it's supposed to so it comes back in through the dryer so please put CO detectors in your laundry room or where the dryer or the furnace is at. Good job in trying. That was impressive for not knowing.

Bravo for powering through and getting it done, hopefully you got the roof repair done right at a later time.

My guy charges 100 bucks. Its maintenance like AC but probably like every 2 years. My appliance guy came out because my dryer would not heat. He took it apart and the heating coil bracket had gotten so hot it snapped in half. He came off the rook with something that looked like a birds nest. He called a guy to clean it for 100 bucks. So much more safe sister. I am older and I am soooo happy you pit this up. Mine is fine but I wanna clean it and save the 100 bucks. I say people saying to go from the inside. So, your video probably saved my life. I am also a woman. Good job with this thing. Sure helped me.

Good for you for at least trying to do something...and even a greater kudos for being able to fix it yourself. I build large houses for a living...yes we would have replaced the vent a little better but what you did will work and congratulations on doing it.

That's going to be a roof leak.... You might want to hire a roofer to fix that.

Thanks for posting. This helped me know what type of vent cap to install.

I have the same tool and clean mine about once a year. You have to do it from inside from behind the dryer. You have to unhook the dryer vent hose and keep adding the rods until you get to the top. I have the same vent on top of my house. It’s impossible to clean from the top. But that tool that hooks to the drill is awesome and works great.

Great video,hats off to you for trying a pain in the butt job👍💪

Thank you for demonstrating the perils of DIY for this type of project. I wanted to clean my roof vent from below, but I was worried that the brush might get stuck--so I checked KZfaq. Wow!, I don't need more stress in my life. I'll just call around for a good price for a professional, and then "watch to see how HE/SHE does it" in order to determine if this something I can tackle myself the next time around. Everyone appreciates your fortitude and candor in documenting your experience. It's been very helpful to so many. Kudos!

I used that exact same kit today to clean my dryer duct. I agree with HighSierraBob- you need to start at the dryer end (remove dryer from ductwork first). Unplug dryer first, then remove the dryer from the duct work. Then, attach the shop vac attachment part to suck all the lint into the shop vac. I used two packages of 3' flexi wands as my dryer vent was 23 feet from my dryer. Worked great! I have a totally clean duct now after only 30 min of work.

Move dryer. run brush up from bottom. Manually clean flapper vent by hand. vacuum up lint. Reconnect dryer and run dryer on cool to blow out remaining loose lint. PS when running brush have vac running and sucking inside opening of vent pipe to keep mess at bay.

As a roofer, I’m cringing so hard knowing that’s going to leak before the whole roof needs replaced. From the little bit I saw, the shingles were cracking when bent so Id look into the ventilation to make sure you’re getting the right amount of intake (at the soffit / eaves) + exhaust ventilation (out the top) as that can cause premature aging, cracking, shingle brittleness. 😧 😅 Fun fact, Replacing that vent properly is about $450 in Pittsburgh (minus any vent cleaning) and $250 minimum to get a roof Tech on site for a service call. You definitely saved yourself more money than you might think. Kudos to you for being stubborn enough to see it though til the end. Reminds me of someone I know. 😊 lol!

What a great effort! Gave me some good ideas. Hope you don’t have any leaks. Thanks for the video

As someone mentioned before that roof will most likely leak sometime. Although not an easy task care should be used when removing shingles and roofing nails so as not to rip any shingles or felt.

mine is also on the roof... i just disconnect from dyer and use the same dryer vent cleaner its a bit messy but alot easier and no need to get on the roof

Perfect it wasn't, but you pressed on. Good for you. I do the same. It's not rocket science, but scary always the first time you do something different learning every step along the way.

That video will prevent me from making some mistakes. Thanks for sharing!

Read through almost all of these comments. It's convinced me to ditch my dryer that vents 20+ ft. to the roof and replace it with a ventless heat drum dryer. They still have to be cleaned vigilantly but supposedly produce much less lint in the first place. We'll see. Love the vid!

I noticed you strategically laid your gloves and caulking gun over the shingle that was destroyed. You get a lot of credit for giving that a try, but that definitely should have been done differently. The right way is to properly remove the shingles , replace the vent and reshingle (there're are tools for removing and renailing). Even if you need to use a shingle that doesn't match, those damaged tabs need to be removed and new properly installed. By the time you realize water's been getting in, you're going to have a lot more work fixing it than if you just deal with the shingles now. All in all, good video though, love that yer not afraid to tackle stuff.

Very cool what you did there, I’m very impressed. I’m a little bit older so I really have to hire companies to clean my vents. The one thing I’ve learned is that you have to clean the cap or roof terminal point as well as doing the internal cleaning just as you tried. Most dryer duct cleaning companies simply won’t go up on a roof to clean, at least as far as I can tell. So I’ve had to hire a second company to come out and clean the cap which is still pending. After that I’m going to do what one of the commenters did, replace the vent with a DryerJack DJK 477 roof vent which apparently performs far better because it’s specifically designed for dryer roof vents. Last, I’m not an expert in this so do your own research, but it appears to me that you want to hire a roofer to replace the terminal end on the roof vent or cap or whatever people call it. And when you have it cleaned somebody has to go up on the roof and make sure the end of the vent on the roof is completely cleared of obstructions. One more thing I learned after buying a new LG dryer with an air flow sensor, you have to use at least a semi-rigid metal transition hose to connect the dryer to the vent. The old cheap flimsy material is junk and should never be used to connect a dryer to a vent. Lowe’s came out and installed my new dryer using that garbage cheap transition hose instead of the semi-rigid metal transition hose. And that, standing alone, may cause the dryer to fail even if your vents are relatively clean. So one vent cleaning company who always goes up on the roof advises, before you do anything else make sure you’re using an appropriate semi-rigid metal transition hose.

Thks for your interesting install. I will hire someone👍

In central Florida Carpet Valle is the solution, the stick every time is on one direction in en out your stick no stock, then blow from inside with the fan blower

Thanks for your video very insightful.. Will Try to figure somthing out by not going through roof I have flat surface... Great video.. I Learned a lot..

I cut a hole in my vent so I could fit the brush in from the top. I had run the brush up from the bottom several times, but there was a blockage at the top. I covered the hole with duct tape when done.

There are some tasks that are best left for the professionals... This would be a one of those. Sure, this seems like simple enough. I have learned over the years to say, to hell with it, I gonna hire this one out!

I do dryer cleaning in Dallas. I highly recommend using Electrical tape on the rods to make more sturdily.

You are my new hero! Live and learn! I want to put a stacking dryer in an interior wall... perhaps. wonder what your dryer looks like from inside the house. does the vent go right into the wall (hidden) or visible into the ceiling?

Nice Garden Shed!

My clothes are coming out embedded with dust and lint n then it just sheds the dust over and over again. I dont understand how to stop it or if it's the washer or dryer. U can see the dyst flying off the clothes as I move them from the dryer n now everything is becoming covered with the dust from them 😊

The codes have changed and you are not supposed to use a vent with a screen on it. They make what is called a dryer Jack that has a flap on it. Just ran my vent through the roof and used the Dryer Jack which is up to code.

if you can get in your attic and see where the 4 inch dryer duct exits out the house next time it rains hard check it out and make sure you don't have a leak.

I'm a laundry repair technician. I do dryer vent cleaning as well. You can clean the venting from the roof. Just please be careful. I use a similar brush and it works great.

I just disconnect the dryer hose behind the dryer, to the vent. Then I take my leaf blower and connect it to the hose on the wall and turn on the leaf blower and blow out the lint. Works great.

You’re supposed to go in from the behind the dryer inside the house! That way the rods bend easily going up the pipe. You will probably have to clean your roof vent as well. But don’t go down, always go up.

Hi I watched a video where a guy used a leaf blower, worked great 👍🏾

“Ok so it’s days later and I haven’t been able to use my dryer” ☠️ I’m 💀

So brave to get up on the roof! Glad it worked out, and better luck next time!👌🙏♥️

Just wondering as i have same issue ,,if you disconnected dryer and worked from bottom up . Would that work?

The roof vent it’s hard to clean. I did mine inside but it’s not totally cleaned because running the line through inside wall vent is just hard.

They sell dryer brush kits with an auger bit.

My fully respected for this lady maybe she did things wrong but this is how people learn from mistakes. But the thing is she did everything her self that something not lot of female does she did an amazing job and she's amazing as well she take care things her self she's fantastic 👍⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Did the roof leak after?

You know what? Not alot of women would go up to roof like that. So I'm proof you for going up there. 2nd you tried and that's exactly what you need to do is try and do things your self and that's how you learn how to do things. You learn as you go. Thank you for the video I'll give it a 👍

Hey I give you props for attempting that yourself. Question did you not have attic access that could have gave you better access to the inside that pipe?

I came to check out the vent situation, we bought a house with this type of vent. But then I saw the wicker type couch you have in the beginning of the video. May I ask what it's called and where you bought it?

Can anyone tell me why they install them like that? At face value It seems malice is involved. If they must install a roof vent then perhaps design them so there are a couple latches and the whole thing just pops off With out having to do surgery on it or need to repair your roof just to remove it. Its not like they don't have to be cleaned at a min of every 5 years and most likely yearly.

So I didn't have time to read all the comments. But the brush and extensions are actually to go up the vent from the inside. You move your dryer out of the way, disconnect the vent hose from the dryer and stick it up that way. Caution, get a bucket below the vent duct and wear a respirator. Dryer lint is bad for your lungs in that capacity. Reconnect the dryer Then go to the roof, dryer should be on. Then take a small brush or hands first and clean out the top. Likely in the roof vent you'll have a cage of some sort to keep put birds and rodents from nesting in there. That cage can get clogged. Just clean it with a small brush and your hands. Don't need a respirator for this part

I just clean mine from inside the house, and vacuum as lint falls down. I only went to the roof to make sure that the brush reached the top of the vent, and that the flap is clean.

I bought a kit like that to clean the duct on our house. Our dryer is upstairs and the vent goes from the wall, up 90 degrees about 10 feet, the turns 90 degrees again and goes another 30 feet from the ceiling to the outside of the house over our garage roof. In my opinion, this is a poor design, but I do not build homes for a living. Several years ago I went on the roof to clean the duct and that worked great, but I no longer have the courage to do that! We cannot clean it using a kit like that, from the inside as it will not get by the first 90 degree turn on the pipe. We have tried it several times. The kits extensions are also not long enough. I tried attaching our shop vac to the inside duct opening and blowing out the crap, but that did nothing. We have a leaf blower, but it is a battery powered device and has less power than the shop vac. I had another idea to get up in our attic and see if I could access the inside of the duct from there, but I am not sure if that is possible. We are just going to hire somebody to clean it for us.

Definitely deserve like here!

My wife and I had a similar issue with dryer inefficiency after we moved into a new home and we cleaned it with a similar kit, except we did it from the ground and went up, which was not bad at all. Took about 45 minutes to get all the lint. Unfortunately, the dryer was still not drying so we called someone out who figured out I had a brick of link stuck to the roof vent cap (he pried it off and pulled out the lint, which looked like a sponge!). Having issues again now just 5 months later so I'm worried I may have to replace the gooseneck vent (I've never had to pry up shingles before and so I'm super nervous!). Thanks for sharing!

Did you have any leaks? At least you were not afraid to get up on the roof and try DYI, kudos.

well i did this shit too. . something similar. my vent is ~30 feet in length. got to about 25 ft, then the brush stuck and wouldn't turn clockwise anymore, so my dumbass decided to put the drill in reverse, and i unscrewed one of the pipes about 5 feet in! to make matters worse, i then bought a drain auger, attached a hand towel to the end w/ two zip ties, went in and out a couple of times, and on the third time, LOST THE TOWEL INSIDE THE VENT AS WELL! so. . .not only do i have a brush and twenty five feet of plastic tubing, now i've got a hand towel in there as well! oh god. . . = /

would have been easier to stick a leaf blower at the lower end and boom! saved you all the extra work

You are an amazing woman 🙏

3 min in and I'm pulling my hair out... You go in from inside the house! Lololol

These vents should have easier access, like a trap door. I would made my own with a drill bit and tin strips. Then fabricate a new cover. You bought a new vent but still no access cover. I saw another guy send a air compressor hose down and he blew out tons on lint.

I had this problem, be careful can cause more problems down the line ie Roof Leak. A couple years ago the dryer gave me a blockage reading, So I bought this tool, to clean out the vent that leads to gooseneck roof vent. I lost the brush in there in part because of my stupidity in putting the drill in reverse which loosened the brush and, in part because the stupid builder routed the vent pipe with twist and turns - up the wall from the dryer into the attic then 90 degree turn for another 10 feet and then another 90 degree for 3 to the roof vent. Total 25 foot. Anyhow I couldn't get the brush out so threw in the towel and hired a vent specialist, but even he wasn't able to get it out without cutting pipe in attic but we decided against that. 6 months later blockage dryer light came on again so called him, and he got it out this time by drilling a hole in the back of gooseneck vent for better access and fished it out sealing hole after. Today about a year later, during heavy rain, the damn thing started looking into the attic, then ceiling drywall, then light switch causing electrical breaker to trip. Grrrr. So now I have to fix the roof leak. Anyhow, I think the lesson is if you have a long twisted vent pipe, then hire a vent specialist. Don't put pressure on roof vent because that's what may have lead to roof leak. Maybe the real solution is, make sure they route the dryer to the side of the house, or straight up to the roof, these twist and turns, will naturally cause more blockages and are more difficult to clean without screwing up the roof.

That doesn't look like an adequate vent for a dryer. Looks more like a bathroom fan vent. Having a properly sized vent is very important for efficient and safe operation of your dryer. Hopefully everything works out. Thank you for sharing your experience.

Just FYI that is going to cause a leak. All of those ducts need tar around it before setting the singles.

For those watching, always use electrical tape to secure each joint along your dryer fittings for the kit where they connect.

The brush is not that bad. I think that the issue is that you went a bit too crazy at start. Maybe you need to go in "pumps" (for a lack of a better word), turning the drill on and off and go slowly. Also, next time try starting from the dryer up, and then finish at the vent, which is opposite from what you did. I like that you were able to successfully fix the roof, but keep an eye out for leaks. Sorry, don't mean to roast you or anything, just some constructive criticism.

I tried cleaning my vent with the same tool. Got all I could from down below with no success of completing. Called a professional to complete the rest because I'm not getting on the roof.

Awwwwww...0:50, you skipped the fun part - transitioning from ladder to roof, especially over a gutter.

I didn’t watch all of your video, but I think the brush kit was supposed to go through the hole in your wall, where the dryer is located

We have tools that go in easily. That use rev air. You're leaving a shit load of lint in there. The kit you have is Ok for a wall clean out. Nothing more.

The Definition of "in over your head." I predict a water leak in your future.

A dryer vent booster is required

You got it girl! Lol

Could of reused the vent. If you remove it carefully

Start at dryer then up

Just remove the dryer and snake it from inside the house. That way you eliminate all this roof damage and taking off the vent cover.

Should have taken vent apart in attic to get stuck brush . Not tear your roof apart.

I was expecting by the end of the video. you would have figured out that this is not the way it's done, lol..... Your kind of cute though

Should have someone install a better roof vent with a cap release to clean it easier… improper flashing and crack shingle is going to turn that $75 into 1000

I did this from the attic and found the roofers messed up the vent exit, creating a big issue. I think it's safer and better overall to do this from the attic - kzfaq.info/get/bejne/aquUq650z6ynYY0.html

WOW 🤐

Drop a weight in it or put some kind of liquid in a bottle with a string around it

Just pay someone 200.00 job or 10,000 when roof leaks and ruins your ceiling and sheet rock

This was a train wreck....wow?????????

My advice. ALWAYS have a professional do it the first time. Then you simply copy what he did thereafter... Everyone has a 500,000-dollar house but doesn't have 120 to pay a professional....UGH!

Wrong way

OMG...you should have use the vent behind the dryer and run the poles up to the roof. You should have done your home work (watch YT videos)

My mom hired a guy and he went from the bottom.

If you don’t remove the screen, it will plug up every 2-3 months. Trust me, I know!

Dryer vent shouldn't be on the roof, it should be side of the house

Should be titled how not to clean your dryer vent. You just trashed your roof. For the actual dryer vent cleaning you always want to clean from the bottom. When you clean from the top you are stuffing the bottom making cleaning more difficult as you go. Might be why you broke the tool.

Should have paid a pro.

Should have gotten a pro

This video is a waste of time and... with ads!!!