Sweep & inspection
Caps & crowns
Flue relining
Masonry repair
Gas fireplace serviceLevel 1 sweep and inspection to the NFPA 211 annual standard - flue, crown, cap, and flashing checked and photographed
Chimney sweep logs do not sweep chimneys. They loosen some creosote - which then falls where a brush and vacuum still have to collect it.
Fast, Reliable Dryer Vent Cleaning Across Lakewood
Dryer vent cleaning in Lakewood runs $165 to $285 for a standard single-story home, and it’s the single most overlooked fire prevention task in the 90712, 90713, and 90714 zip codes. We work Lakewood weekly, and we know these houses: 1950s Lakewood Plan tract homes with original laundry closets, short horizontal vent runs, and exterior hoods that have been fighting salt air since Eisenhower was president. Most jobs take under an hour. Call (877) 516-7159 and we’ll give you a firm price before we start.
San Bernardino Chimney Sweep handles dryer vent cleaning, chimney sweeping, and chimney repair as one specialized trade. We’re not a general handyman service. We’re the company Lakewood homeowners call when a flipped house has a crushed foil transition behind the laundry and a vent hood that won’t close.
Why San Bernardino Chimney Sweep Is Lakewood’s Preferred Dryer Vent Cleaning Company
Lakewood’s housing stock is unusually uniform. Tens of thousands of nearly identical Lakewood Plan homes built between 1950 and 1960, most with the same small laundry alcove off the kitchen or back hall. That uniformity means we see the same failure patterns on repeat: original vinyl or foil flex duct that was never upgraded, vents that terminate through a side wall with a cheap galvanized hood, and decades of lint packed behind a flapper that stopped closing years ago.
We carry stainless steel terminations, rigid duct, and the camera gear to inspect the full run from dryer to exterior. When we find a problem, we fix it that same visit in most cases. That matters in Lakewood, where a rusted exterior hood near Del Amo Boulevard or a crushed duct behind a 1990s remodel is the rule, not the exception.
Allen Prescott built this company around one principle: dryers kill more houses in Southern California than people realize, and most of those fires start in vents that have never been opened since the day they were installed. Lakewood’s original homeowners are aging out, houses are being flipped, and the new owners are finding vent systems that were never touched in 70 years. We’re here for exactly that call.
Styles & brands we work with
Our Dryer Vent Cleaning Services in Lakewood
Dryer Vent Cleaning with Camera Inspection
Every cleaning in Lakewood includes a camera run through the full vent path, not just a brush and a shop vac. That’s because long horizontal runs in 800 to 1,500 square foot floor plans collect lint at every elbow, and you can’t tell from the outside where the blockage actually sits. We locate the clog, clear it, and show you the before and after on camera. If we find the vent clear but airflow still weak, we’ll tell you that too, because sometimes the problem is a crushed duct, not a dirty one.
Dryer Vent Termination and Hood Replacement
Lakewood’s marine air off the South Bay eats galvanized metal. The exterior vent hood is the first component to fail: the flapper rusts open or seizes shut, and salt-laden damp air blows into the duct year-round. We replace those hoods with stainless steel louvered vents that actually close, and we seal the joint properly against the stucco. On a 1950s home near Palo Verde Avenue and Del Amo Boulevard, we pulled a rusted hood that hadn’t closed in years; the duct behind it was half full of damp lint and nesting material. A stainless hood fixed both problems permanently.
Bird and Rodent Nest Removal
A vent hood that won’t close is an open invitation. Lakewood’s mature ficus and pine trees mean birds and roof rats, and both love a warm dryer duct with a gap around the flap. We remove nests, clear the organic debris, sanitize the run, and then address the reason the pest got in, usually a failed hood or a missing screen. Bird droppings and rodent waste inside a dryer duct are a health hazard as well as a fire hazard.
Full Run Evaluation and Correction
Original Lakewood Plan homes often have vent runs that never met modern standards: vinyl hose, foil tape joints, six or more elbows in a 12-foot run. During cleaning we evaluate the entire path and tell you plainly what should be addressed now and what can wait. If you’d benefit from a rigid stainless replacement, we’ll quote it on the spot. No second company, no follow-up sales call. We find it, we show you the camera proof, and we fix it.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees — you reach a local pro.
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You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
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A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in Lakewood
We don’t install whatever is cheapest on the shelf. For vent hoods and terminations we use stainless components, and for chimney work we’re a HeatShield applicator and install DuraFlex and Copperfield liner systems. That matters on Lakewood’s salt-exposed exteriors: galvanized hardware that fails in five years near the coast will need replacing again and again. Contractor-grade materials, not hardware-store substitutes. Most standard replacement parts for Lakewood jobs are on our trucks when we arrive.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterCommon Dryer Vent Cleaning Problems We See in Lakewood Homes
- Rusted exterior hoods that stay open. Salt air corrodes the flapper hinge and spring until the vent never closes. The duct then fills with damp air, lint sticks to the walls, and pests enter. We see this on the majority of original 1950s terminations in Lakewood.
- Crushed foil transition behind remodeled laundry closets. House flippers often shove the dryer back without checking what’s behind it. Original Lakewood Plan laundry alcoves are tight, and flexible foil gets kinked flat. The dryer runs two cycles because the vent is moving a fraction of its rated airflow.
- Lint accumulation at every elbow in long horizontal runs. Split-level Lakewood homes often route the vent through a crawlspace or side wall with several 90-degree bends. Each elbow catches lint, and after 10-plus years without cleaning, the effective opening can be the size of a quarter.
- Bird and rodent debris inside the duct. Open terminations let pests in, and Lakewood’s tree canopy keeps the pressure on. Nest material is fibrous and highly flammable, and it blocks airflow faster than lint alone.
Pricing for Dryer Vent Cleaning in Lakewood, CA
A standard dryer vent cleaning on a single-story Lakewood home runs $165 to $225 when the vent is a short, accessible run. Add a second story or a roof termination and expect $225 to $285. If we find a rusted hood, plan on roughly $65 to $110 for a stainless replacement including installation. A full rigid duct replacement, when the original foil or vinyl is beyond saving, typically runs $240 to $400 depending on the run length and access.
The price we quote over the phone is the price you pay. We don’t add trip charges for Lakewood, we don’t charge by the hour, and we’ll tell you before we start if the job is bigger than expected. Call (877) 516-7159 for a free estimate. We’ll ask about your house, the vent location, and what the dryer is doing, and we’ll give you a number on the spot.
We Also Serve Cities Near Lakewood
Dryer vent cleaning from San Bernardino Chimney Sweep covers dryer vent cleaning in Lakewood and the neighboring communities of Signal Hill, Bellflower, Long Beach, and Paramount. Wherever you are in the South Bay corridor, we’ll bring the same camera inspection, stainless parts, and fixed pricing. Call (877) 516-7159 and tell us what city you’re in; we’ll book the visit and show up on time.
Serving Lakewood, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Lakewood area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage — if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs – Dryer Vent Cleaning in Lakewood
Every 12 months. Lakewood’s marine air means faster corrosion of terminations and faster lint buildup because damp lint clings to duct walls instead of blowing out. Even if the vent was cleaned two years ago, a rusted-open hood can let in enough moisture and pests to clog it again. If you’re on an annual schedule and we find the hood damaged, we’ll fix it during the same visit.
The vent is almost certainly crushed or blocked. Flipped Lakewood Plan homes typically have the original foil or vinyl flex behind a new laundry closet, and when the dryer got pushed back into place, the flex kinked flat. We camera the full run, locate the restriction, and replace it with rigid stainless duct that carries proper airflow. Call (877) 516-7159 and we’ll diagnose it in one visit.
Yes, for older homes. A visual check of the exterior hood tells you almost nothing about the 15 feet of duct behind it. We run a camera through the entire vent path on every Lakewood cleaning, just as we do for chimney flues. You’ll see the before and after footage yourself. If the vent is clear, we’ll tell you. If it’s not, you’ll see exactly where the problem is.
Yes, and it happens faster than most homeowners expect. Galvanized hoods in Lakewood’s coastal exposure typically rust at the hinge and flapper within five to eight years. Stainless steel holds up far longer, which is why we recommend it for every replacement in the 90712, 90713, and 90714 zip codes. Call (877) 516-7159 for a free estimate on a stainless terminator install.
Yes, and they do. The common entry point is a vent hood whose flapper no longer closes, either from rust or from lint buildup jamming it open. Lakewood’s tree-lined neighborhoods keep bird and roof rat pressure high. We remove the nest, clear the duct, sanitize the run, and replace the faulty hood so the vent seals tight. Estimates are free; call (877) 516-7159.
Written by Allen Prescott, Owner at San Bernardino Chimney Sweep, serving Lakewood and surrounding South Bay communities.