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 Van Nuys
Dryer vent cleaning in Van Nuys typically runs $120 – $225 for a standard single-story ranch home, and most jobs are completed in under two hours. If you live in one of the dense 1940s – 1960s tract blocks off Van Nuys Boulevard, the work often takes a little longer because those original floor plans tucked the vent runs into places that were never designed for modern dryer airflow. We’re Allen Prescott’s team at San Bernardino Chimney Sweep, and we know those old layouts well because we’ve spent years working on them. Call (877) 516-7159 for a free estimate, and we’ll tell you honestly whether your vent needs cleaning now or can wait.
Why San Bernardino Chimney Sweep Is Van Nuys’s Preferred Dryer Vent Cleaning Company
Van Nuys homeowners call us because we treat dryer vents as part of the same ventilation system as the chimney, not as an afterthought. In the older tract homes across 91401, 91405, and 91406, many dryer vents were routed through or alongside the original masonry chimney chase. That means a clogged dryer vent and a cracked clay-tile flue are often two symptoms of the same structural problem. A generalist handyman sees a clog. We see the whole run, because we’re also the company that sweeps and repairs the chimney attached to it.
We arrive in Van Nuys with a clear plan, not a sales pitch. When homeowner off Van Nuys Boulevard calls about a dryer that takes forever to dry clothes, our first move is to inspect the entire vent path, including the termination point under the eave. We photograph what we find and show you the evidence before recommending any work. If the vent is clean, we tell you that. If it’s packed with lint behind a crushed transition elbow, you’ll see the camera footage yourself.
Van Nuys customers also appreciate that we work with contractor-grade brands like Famco, Copperfield, and DuraFlex. When a vent needs re-routing or a rigid duct replacement, we’re not pulling whatever flex hose is cheapest at the hardware store. We use materials made for the job and built to last through Valley heat cycles and Santa Ana wind seasons.
Our Dryer Vent Cleaning team handles everything from basic lint removal to full inspection and re-routing, which means you’re not coordinating between two different companies when the problem turns out to be more than lint.
Styles & brands we work with
Our Dryer Vent Cleaning Services in Van Nuys
Dryer Vent Cleaning
Standard dryer vent cleaning in Van Nuys costs $120 – $225 depending on the length of the run and where it terminates. In the 1950s tract homes we see most often around 91405, runs are usually 10 – 20 feet, but they’re often snaked through tight wall chases that make access slower than a modern home with a straight exterior wall vent. We use rotating brush systems sized to the duct, and we check the full run from the dryer connection to the exterior termination. When we finish, you’ll see the lint we removed. If your dryer is taking two cycles to dry towels, don’t wait until the vent is completely blocked.
Dryer Vent Inspection
Not every hot dryer means a clogged vent. Sometimes the run is damaged, the damper is stuck, or the termination is in a spot where Santa Ana winds push debris back down the pipe. A dryer vent inspection in Van Nuys runs $95 – $150 and includes camera footage of the entire run. We look for crushed sections, sagging runs, disconnected joints, and any place where lint is collecting because the airflow is wrong. In older Van Nuys homes, we also check whether the vent shares a wall chase with the chimney, because that’s where problems hide that never show up on a basic visual check.
Dryer Vent Re-routing
Some Van Nuys vent runs were installed decades ago with flexible foil or vinyl duct that has since been crushed, kinked, or routed in a way that was never right. When we find that, we recommend re-routing with rigid DuraFlex duct and a proper damper. Re-routing in Van Nuys typically costs $250 – $500 depending on access and run length. The goal is a vent that actually drafts: short, straight, and terminated in a spot where the wind carries lint away from the house instead of back into it. This matters more in Van Nuys than in coastal neighborhoods because the dry Santa Ana winds in fall and winter can turn a poorly placed vent termination into a lint trap.
Dryer Vent Re-securing and Damage Repair
We also fix loose or disconnected vent runs. In older Van Nuys homes, duct tape and zip ties are common “fixes” we find where a previous owner or handyman tried to stop a leak. Those connections separate over time, especially with the heating-and-cooling expansion of a hot dryer against an uninsulated wall chase. We replace those connections with proper clamps and foil tape rated for the temperature, and we secure the run so it doesn’t sag. This is usually a $75 – $150 add-on when we’re already cleaning the vent, and it’s worth doing because a disconnected vent pours hot, lint-laden air into your wall cavity, not outside.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees — you reach a local pro.
- 2
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 Van Nuys
We stock and install Famco dampers, Copperfield vent components, and DuraFlex rigid duct systems for Van Nuys customers. These are contractor-grade materials from the same supply lines we use for chimney work, which means we’re not guessing at what holds up. A cheap foil flex hose from a big-box store will crush behind a 1950s brick firebox in a season or two. Rigid DuraFlex duct with a Famco damper at the termination is built for the heat and the Santa Ana wind cycles that Van Nuys throws at it. When we re-route or repair a vent in 91401 or 91406, we’re installing parts we trust to last another decade, not another year.
Common Dryer Vent Cleaning Problems We See in Van Nuys Homes
- Crushed flexible duct behind original brick fireboxes. In the 1940s and 1950s tract homes across Van Nuys, the dryer vent was often run through the same wall chase as the masonry chimney. Decades of shifting Valley soil and normal heating cycles crush those old foil and vinyl runs flat. Lint packs into the flattened section, airflow dies, and the dryer works against itself. We cut out the crushed section and replace it with rigid duct.
- Vent terminations under low-pitched roof eaves. Many Van Nuys ranch homes have low eaves that put the vent termination in a dead-zone where Santa Ana winds push air back down the run. Lint and debris collect at the exit, and eventually the run plugs from the outside in. We check termination placement on every job and re-route when the location is working against the system.
- Shared wall chases with cracked clay-tile flues. This is the one that surprises Van Nuys homeowners. When the original clay flue liner cracks from decades of heating and cooling, the space behind it is often where the dryer vent was snaked through. Lint leaks into the chimney smoke chamber, and now you have a fire hazard in both systems. We find this on a regular basis in the older blocks off Van Nuys Boulevard.
- Homeowners skip dryer vent cleaning because the chimney was just swept. We hear this a lot: “We just had the chimney done, so we’re fine.” But in these tract homes, the two systems are physically connected through the wall chase. A clean chimney doesn’t mean a clean dryer vent. The lint buildup is invisible unless you run a camera down the vent, so it goes ignored until the dryer stops drying.
See the difference
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After
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After
Before
AfterPricing for Dryer Vent Cleaning in Van Nuys, CA
| Service | Typical Price Range in Van Nuys |
|---|---|
| Standard dryer vent cleaning | $120 – $225 |
| Dryer vent inspection (with camera) | $95 – $150 |
| Vent re-routing with rigid DuraFlex duct | $250 – $500 |
| Connection repair / re-securing | $75 – $150 |
What changes the price in Van Nuys is mostly access. A straight run through an exterior wall in a 1960s ranch costs less than a run that snakes through a wall chase behind a brick firebox. Longer runs cost more because there’s more duct to clean and more places for problems to hide. If you’re in one of the dense blocks off Van Nuys Boulevard where the original floor plan included an interior laundry room, expect to pay toward the upper end of the range because we’re working in tighter spaces. Call (877) 516-7159 for an exact quote. Estimates are free, and we’ll tell you if the vent can wait until next season.
We Also Serve Cities Near Van Nuys
If you’re in Valley Glen, Sherman Oaks, Encino, or North Hills, we run the same routes through the Valley every week. The housing stock and vent configurations are similar across these neighborhoods, so the problems we fix in Van Nuys are usually the same ones we’re fixing a few blocks away. For Dryer Vent Cleaning in Van Nuys, call Allen Prescott’s team at San Bernardino Chimney Sweep, and we’ll schedule you for the next route day.
Serving Van Nuys, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Van Nuys 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 Van Nuys
Every 12 months, minimum. In older Van Nuys tract homes, the vent runs are longer, tighter, and more likely to be crushed or obstructed than in modern builds, so lint accumulates faster. If you dry laundry daily or have a longer run that terminates under a low eave, clean it every 6 – 9 months. Call (877) 516-7159 to schedule a cleaning and we’ll tell you after seeing the run whether you’re on a 6-month or 12-month interval.
Yes, and in Van Nuys it’s a known problem. When a dryer vent terminates too close to the chimney cap, the negative pressure around the cap during Santa Ana wind events pulls dryer exhaust back toward the house, and in some older tract layouts, that shared wall chase means the air moves between the two systems. We check termination placement on every inspection and re-route when the vent and chimney are fighting each other.
Indirectly, yes. In Van Nuys tract homes where the dryer vent was snaked through the same wall chase as the masonry chimney, a lint-clogged vent can leak lint into the smoke chamber behind the flue. Lint is fuel. When you burn open-hearth fires on winter nights, that lint in the chamber adds to the fire load and accelerates creosote formation. Cleaning the dryer vent removes that fuel source. We sweep the firebox when we do the vent if the two systems share a chase.
A Level 2 inspection uses a camera to examine the entire interior of the chimney flue and the connected wall chase, including any space where a dryer vent passes through. In the older blocks of 91401, we recommend one when the home has the original clay-tile flue and the dryer vent was installed in the same chase, because that combination hides problems that a standard cleaning won’t reveal. The inspection runs $150 – $300 in Van Nuys, and it tells you definitively whether the flue needs a liner and whether the vent needs re-routing.
Yes. Those are the streets we know best in Van Nuys. The blocks off Van Nuys Boulevard from the 91401 side down through 91405 and 91406 are where we see the most original 1950s layouts with interior laundry rooms, long vent runs, and shared wall chases. We park once and walk the route on foot for the tight alleys and narrow driveways, and we carry the camera and brush gear in a way that works in those confined backyards. Call (877) 516-7159 and ask for the Van Nuys route day.
Schedule Your Dryer Vent Cleaning in Van Nuys
If your dryer is slow, your laundry room is warmer than it should be, or you can’t remember the last time the vent was cleaned, call us. Allen Prescott and the team at San Bernardino Chimney Sweep will inspect the full run, show you what we find, and give you an honest recommendation. If the vent is clean, we’ll tell you that. If it’s not, we’ll fix it the same visit with the right materials. Call (877) 516-7159 for a free estimate in Van Nuys.
Written by Allen Prescott, Owner at San Bernardino Chimney Sweep, serving Van Nuys and the San Fernando Valley.