Dryer Vent Repair, Replacement & Rerouting

Cleaning restores a good duct. Some ducts were never good. A share of the vent runs in this area's housing stock — especially remodel-era retrofits — are crushed behind drywall, pieced together from taped scraps, run in ribbed foil that code no longer allows for concealed use, or simply routed so badly that no amount of cleaning keeps them flowing. Those need repair, and the pros we refer do both jobs in one visit when that is what the inspection finds.

What fails, and how we fix it

Crushed or kinked sections. A duct flattened during a past remodel or by settling framing throttles airflow permanently. Fix: replace the section with smooth-wall rigid metal, properly supported.

Separated joints. Duct sections pull apart inside walls and floors, quietly blowing hot, lint-loaded air into the cavity — a moisture problem and a fire load where you can least afford one. Fix: reconnect, seal with foil tape (never screws, which snag lint), and secure.

Foil and fabric duct. Common in mid-century installs and cheap flips. The concealed run gets replaced with 4-inch smooth-wall metal; the short visible transition behind the dryer can stay semi-rigid.

Bad terminations. Hoods with fine screens (a lint trap and, for dryers, a code violation), flaps painted shut, or terminations into a soffit, attic, or crawl space — which building code flatly prohibits. Fix: a proper dryer-rated hood, relocated if the original spot was wrong.

Over-length runs. Code caps a dryer duct at roughly 35 feet with deductions for every elbow. Where rerouting cannot shorten the path, a listed booster fan keeps a long run legal and functional.

The one-visit workflow

Every repair starts the way a cleaning does: locate the full run, measure airflow, and quote firm. If the duct is sound, you pay for a cleaning. If it is not, you get the repair quote before anyone cuts anything — with photos of the problem, so you are deciding on evidence rather than a pitch.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if my duct is damaged rather than just dirty?

The tell is what cleaning does not fix. If loads are still slow after a verified cleaning, or you find lint collecting in a crawl space, attic, or wall cavity, exhaust is escaping through a crushed, separated, or corroded section. Moisture stains near the duct path point the same direction.

Is flexible foil duct really that bad?

For the concealed run, yes. The ribbed foil traps lint at every ridge, sags into low spots that collect moisture, and tears easily. Code for new work requires smooth-wall metal duct for the concealed run; foil or semi-rigid transitions are acceptable only for the short visible connection behind the dryer.

What does repair or replacement cost?

Simple fixes — resealing a joint, replacing a transition hose, remounting a termination hood — typically run $150 to $350 around the North Shore. Replacing a full concealed run or rerouting a bad path is quoted per job, usually in the $400 to $900 range depending on length and access. You get a firm number before work starts.

My run is really long. Is that fixable?

Usually. Code allows about 35 feet of smooth metal duct, minus a deduction for every bend, which many older retrofits exceed. Where a shorter path exists, rerouting is the clean fix. Where it does not, a code-listed dryer booster fan maintains airflow on a long run — a proper solution when installed correctly, not a band-aid.