Every dryer vent ends somewhere outside your house. Where it ends determines how fast it clogs, how it gets cleaned and what you pay. Here's how to find yours.
Step 1: Where is your laundry room?
Basement or main floor on an exterior wall: the duct almost always goes straight out the wall nearby, 1–4 feet above the ground. Second floor or an interior room: the duct usually runs up through the attic and exits the roof.
Step 2: Walk the outside of the house
On the laundry room side, look for a 4-inch hooded cap with a hinged flap. For basement laundry it's near the foundation. For upstairs laundry on an exterior wall it may be high on the siding. Run the dryer and feel for warm air.
Step 3: Check the roof
No cap on any wall? Look at the roof for a small gray or black hood, roughly the size of a coffee can, often on the rear slope. That's a roof dryer vent. Don't confuse it with the larger plumbing stacks, which are open pipes without a hood.
Why the location matters
| Wall / ground-level | Roof | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical run | 5–30 ft horizontal | 10–25 ft vertical |
| Clog speed | Normal | About 2x faster |
| Common issue | Stuck flapper, snow, shrubs | Matted screen, nests |
| Cleaning | From inside, verified at cap | From roof and inside |
| Our price | $139 | $199 |
| Recommended interval | 12 months | 6–12 months |
Still not sure?
Our booking form shows animated pictures of both vent types. Pick "Not sure" and we'll book you at the wall rate and confirm on arrival before doing anything.