Whole-system duct and dryer vent check with before-and-after photos - you see exactly what came out of your vents
That "$99 whole-house special" is a bait ad - the real number appears once they are in your hallway, or the "clean" is a shop-vac at the register. We photograph the inside of your ducts before and after instead.
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterVent Cleaning in Katy, TX
Our Dryer Vent Cleaning services in Katy typically run $109-$249 depending on vent length, configuration, and how long it’s been since the last service. Most jobs take under two hours, and every one leaves the home with a written price agreed on before we touch anything and a documented photo record of what the vent looked like going in and coming out. If you’d rather talk through your situation first, call (346) 666-7165 – a live person picks up every time.
Vent cleaning is the focused service within Dryer Vent Cleaning in Katy that deals specifically with the exhaust pathway itself: the flexible transition duct behind your dryer, the rigid metal runs through the wall cavity, and the termination cap at the exterior. That’s a distinct scope from inspecting the dryer’s internal blower or drum, and it’s the part of the system where lint accumulates in ways that matter for fire risk and energy cost.
Katy’s housing stock adds some variables that most cities don’t. A significant share of homes built in the Cinco Ranch, Falcon Landing, and Grand Lakes subdivisions between 2002 and 2018 were constructed with long horizontal vent runs – sometimes 20 feet or more – routed through slab-level crawl spaces or across attic decking before terminating on a side wall or roof. Those configurations trap lint at every elbow. We’ve pulled debris masses the length of a forearm out of second elbows that were completely invisible from the dryer end. That’s not a sales pitch; it’s just what the camera shows.
CleanRun Duct Repair & Cleaning has been doing this since 2013, with documentation on every single job – 52,000+ homes served, every one with a before photo and an after photo of the duct interior, and a written price before any panel or access cover came off. Tomas Reyes built the company around that standard because the alternative – a $79 coupon and a shop-vac – leaves lint in the wall and nothing in writing.
When You Need Vent Cleaning
Some of these signs are obvious. Others get missed for months because they’re easy to blame on the dryer itself rather than the exhaust system.
- Drying cycles have stretched past 45-50 minutes. A standard residential load of cotton towels should dry in one cycle. When the vent pathway is restricted, the drum can’t exhaust moist air efficiently, so the moisture stays in the load. In Katy’s humid summers, that problem compounds – ambient humidity is already high, and a partially blocked vent makes the dryer work against two sources of moisture at once.
- The dryer housing or the laundry room wall feels noticeably warm after a cycle. Back-pressure from a restricted vent pushes heat into the space rather than out of the house. That’s also the condition under which dryer fires start – the National Fire Protection Association identifies lint accumulation in the exhaust duct as the leading factor in dryer-related house fires.
- There’s a musty or burning smell during or after a cycle. Musty typically means moisture is sitting in the duct between cycles. Burning means lint is getting hot enough to scorch. Either warrants a camera inspection before the next load runs.
- The exterior termination cap flap isn’t moving during operation. Go outside while the dryer is running. The flap on the wall cap or roof cap should swing open visibly. If it’s barely moving or stuck shut, airflow is restricted somewhere in the run – either the cap itself is blocked with lint and debris, or there’s an obstruction further back in the duct.
- It’s been more than 12 months since the last cleaning, and you dry more than five loads per week. The standard recommendation is annual cleaning for average use. High-volume households – families with young kids in Katy’s newer developments where everyone’s in sportswear year-round – often need service every 8 to 9 months.
- You’ve just moved into a resale home and have no documentation of prior service. This is common across Katy’s active resale market. Sellers aren’t required to disclose vent cleaning history, and most don’t. We see vents in homes that changed hands in 2022 and 2023 that hadn’t been serviced since original construction.
Our Vent Cleaning Process
This is what actually happens during a CleanRun Dryer Vent Inspection and cleaning job in Katy – not a marketing outline, but the actual sequence of work and documentation.
- Written price, delivered before work starts. The technician scopes the job – measures the vent run, counts the elbows, checks the termination cap type, and identifies any access constraints – and puts a dollar figure in writing. That number is what you pay. It doesn’t change because we found more lint than expected. This is Haven Standard Clause 1, and it’s non-negotiable on every job.
- Before-service camera documentation. A flexible inspection camera goes into the duct from the dryer end. We photograph the interior at each elbow and at the mid-run point. If there’s a blockage, you see it before we’ve done anything. The photos are part of your job record, delivered to you at the end of the appointment. This matters because it’s the only way to know the difference between a duct that needed cleaning and one that didn’t.
- Negative-pressure extraction from the termination point. Negative-pressure extraction means we pull air and debris out of the duct from the exterior cap end rather than pushing it back into the laundry room. We use Nikro extraction equipment for this step. The vent run is put under suction, then the rotary brush is worked through from the dryer end toward the exterior, dislodging compacted lint so the extraction system can capture it. You don’t end up with a pile of debris on the laundry room floor.
- Brush cleaning through the full duct run and at each elbow. Every elbow in the vent run gets specific attention because that’s where lint compacts most aggressively. In a 20-foot run with three elbows – the kind we see regularly in Cinco Ranch homes built before 2010 – skipping an elbow is the difference between a clean duct and a duct that still has a restriction. We use Rotobrush rotary tooling, which is flexible enough to navigate tight 90-degree turns without losing contact with the duct wall.
- Termination cap inspection and clearing. The exterior cap gets checked physically – the flap mechanism, the screen if one is present (screens on dryer vent caps are not recommended; they trap lint and should be removed), and the mounting seal. If the cap is damaged or the wrong type for the duct diameter, we note it in the job record and give you a written number for replacement before doing anything further.
- After-service camera documentation and airflow verification. The camera runs the duct again. You get the after photos set against the before photos so the difference is visible. We verify airflow at the exterior termination while the dryer runs – the flap should open fully and airflow should be strong and consistent. That’s how we confirm the restriction is gone, not just assumed gone.
BeforeAfterVent Cleaning Pricing in Katy, TX
Vent cleaning in Katy runs $109-$249 for the majority of residential jobs. If you’re wondering How Much Does Dryer Vent Cleaning Cost? (2026 Price Guide) - Katy, TX, here’s what puts a job toward the lower or higher end of that range.
| Scenario | Typical Price Range |
|---|---|
| Standard vent run, up to 10 ft, 1-2 elbows, wall termination | $109 - $139 |
| Mid-length run, 11-20 ft, 2-3 elbows, wall or roof termination | $139 - $179 |
| Long run, 20+ ft, 3+ elbows, or roof termination with access difficulty | $179 - $249 |
| Termination cap replacement (if needed, quoted separately) | $45 - $85 depending on cap type and diameter |
| Flexible transition duct replacement at dryer connection (if crushed or non-compliant) | $35 - $65 |
These numbers reflect Katy’s market and our actual job records – not a national average pasted into a local page. The single biggest factor in cost is run length. Katy’s tract-built subdivisions, particularly those developed during the 2003-2015 construction boom in the greater Katy area, commonly have dryer vent runs routed to an exterior wall on the far side of the home or up through an attic to a roof cap. Those longer, more complex runs take more time and more tooling than a dryer sitting against an exterior wall with a 6-foot straight run.
If you’ve gotten a written estimate from another company, bring it. CleanRun offers a free second opinion on any written estimate – we put our number next to theirs in writing so you can compare scope and price side by side. Call (346) 666-7165 to set that up.
FAQs – Vent Cleaning in Katy
How often should a dryer vent be cleaned in Katy?
Most households in Katy should have their dryer vent cleaned once a year. If you’re running more than six or seven loads per week – which is common in larger households in developments like Firethorne or Tamarron – every 8 to 9 months is more realistic. The combination of high usage and the longer vent runs found in many Katy homes means lint builds up faster than it would in a smaller household with a short vent run. A quick check: if your dryer is taking more than one cycle to finish a normal load, that’s usually the first sign the vent needs attention before the annual mark. Call (346) 666-7165 and we’ll give you a written price before anything else.
Is vent cleaning a DIY job?
Cleaning the first few feet of flexible transition duct behind the dryer with a brush kit from a hardware store is reasonable for a handy homeowner. Anything beyond that – particularly the rigid metal runs inside the wall or through the attic, and certainly roof terminations – involves working in confined spaces, sometimes at height, with equipment that can puncture thin-wall duct if used incorrectly. A crushed or disconnected duct inside a wall cavity can exhaust lint directly into the wall structure, which is both a fire hazard and a moisture problem. We’re not saying you can’t do it; we’re saying the documentation won’t exist if you do, and the 365-Day Done Right Promise won’t apply either. For anything beyond the visible transition section, a trained technician with a camera is the practical choice.
What happens if a dryer vent isn’t cleaned regularly?
Lint accumulation reduces airflow through the exhaust duct progressively. In the early stages, drying times get longer and energy costs go up. As restriction increases, heat builds inside the duct and in the dryer housing itself. The U.S. Fire Administration attributes roughly 2,900 residential dryer fires per year to failure to clean the vent – lint ignites at temperatures that a restricted duct can reach under normal operation. Beyond fire risk, a blocked vent that terminates on a roof or high wall can also push moist air back into the attic space, which in Katy’s climate creates conditions for mold growth in the attic decking. Cleaning is maintenance, not an upgrade. Call (346) 666-7165 for a written price today.
Does CleanRun clean vents that terminate on the roof?
Yes, roof-termination vents are a standard part of our service in Katy. Roof caps are actually common in certain subdivisions here because of how the homes were designed – the dryer sits on an interior wall and the shortest path to the exterior is up. Roof cap jobs are quoted with the height and access difficulty factored in before work starts, so you know the full price upfront. We inspect the cap physically, check the flap and seal, and verify airflow from the ground while the dryer runs at the end of the job. If the cap needs replacement, you get a written number for that before we do it. Call (346) 666-7165 and we’ll walk through the specifics of your setup.
Why Katy Homeowners Choose CleanRun
The short version: written price before the work starts, photos of the duct interior before and after, and a 365-Day Done Right Promise that’s in writing on every job – not just stated on the website. Tomas Reyes built CleanRun on that standard in 2013 because the industry norm was the opposite: a low advertised price, vague scope, and no documentation of what was actually done.
Across 52,000+ jobs, the approach has stayed the same. Equipment is professional grade – Rotobrush tooling for brush cleaning, Nikro for extraction. The technician who arrives is background-checked, uniformed, and identified by name before the appointment. Under Haven Standard Clause 3, verified crews are the baseline, not a premium option.
If you’re looking at a competitor’s quote, bring it. The free second opinion is a standing offer – we put our number next to theirs in writing so you can compare what’s actually included. No phone-based estimates, no scope that changes at the door.
Our work covers Katy and the surrounding areas, including the home communities across western Harris and eastern Fort Bend County. For the full scope of what falls under dryer vent services – including inspection, repair, and re-routing – see our main Dryer Vent Cleaning in Katy page.
To schedule a vent cleaning or get a written estimate for your Katy home, call (346) 666-7165. A live person answers every call.
Written by Tomas Reyes, Owner at CleanRun Air Duct Cleaning Katy, serving Katy.