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 $149 – $229 for a single-family home with a standard exterior vent, and most jobs take under an hour. If you live in one of the 1940s – 1950s ranch homes that dominate this part of the Valley, the real issue is often that your dryer vent terminates in the original masonry chimney flue, a setup that traps lint on rough mortar joints and creates a fire risk that a standard brush alone can’t clear. We’re Ontario Chimney, and we handle dryer vent cleaning as a core safety service across Van Nuys and the surrounding Valley. Call (833) 467-7685 for a free estimate, and we’ll tell you exactly what we find before recommending anything.
Why Ontario Chimney Is Van Nuys’s Preferred Dryer Vent Cleaning Company
Most dryer vent cleaning companies in Van Nuys are generalists. They hook a brush to a drill and call it done. We approach a vent cleaning as what it actually is: a fire-safety inspection that happens to include removing lint. Al Vickers founded Ontario Chimney with that premise, and it’s why our Dryer Vent Cleaning technicians in Van Nuys carry camera equipment on every job. You’ll see the inside of your own vent, not take our word for it.
Van Nuys’s post-war housing stock is different from what you’ll find in newer Valley subdivisions. These homes were built before dryer exhaust was a separate, code-driven installation. In the 1950s, routing a dryer vent into an existing masonry flue was considered acceptable, and a surprising number of those original installations are still in service in 91470, 91482, 91496, and 91499. Our team knows what to look for in these older systems, because we see them every week. That local experience means a cleaning takes us half the time it takes someone who’s never opened a 1952 ranch house flue, and you’re not paying a technician to learn on your home.
Styles & brands we work with
- Sweep & inspection
- Caps & crowns
- Flue relining
- Masonry repair
- Gas fireplace service
Our Dryer Vent Cleaning Services in Van Nuys
Dryer Vent Cleaning
We clean the full vent run from the dryer connection to the exterior termination, using rotary brushes sized to your specific duct. In Van Nuys, that matters because many of these original 1940s – 1950s transitions and elbows are narrower than modern code allows, and overly aggressive brushing can damage aging metal seams. Standard pricing runs $149 – $229 for most single-story ranch homes in Van Nuys, with two-story or unusually long runs (common in some 1960s apartments) at $199 – $279. We’ll give you a flat number before we start, not an hourly guess.
Level 2 Inspection
This is the service that separates a real vent cleaning from a box-ticking exercise. A Level 2 inspection uses a camera to evaluate the full interior of the vent, looking for lint accumulation, disconnected joints, rust-through, or in Van Nuys specifically, the rough mortar surfaces of clay-tile flues where lint catches and builds. Homes off Vanowen Street and Victory Boulevard with original masonry terminations are the ones where we most often find a problem that a brush alone will never solve. Level 2 inspection in Van Nuys typically runs $99 – $149 when added to a cleaning, or $179 – $249 as a standalone call.
Chimney Crown Repair
If your dryer vent shares a flue with a fireplace, a cracked chimney crown isn’t just a fireplace problem. Water entering through a deteriorated crown runs down the flue walls, turns dry lint into a paste that obstructs airflow, and accelerates spalling of the clay-tile liner. That’s a common sequence in Van Nuys after the first fall rain. We repair crowns with professional-grade materials from Copperfield and Olympia Chimney, seal the flue top, and often recommend a waterproofing treatment for the crown itself. Crown repair in Van Nuys runs $350 – $650 depending on access and crown size.
Lint Removal from Shared Flues
When a dryer vent terminates in the original chimney flue, standard vent brushes push lint toward the masonry walls instead of removing it. We use rotary cleaning heads plus camera verification to remove lint that has adhered to mortar joints, then inspect the flue liner for heat-related damage. This work is specific to older Van Nuys homes and apartments, and it’s not something a generalist vent cleaning company will even look for. Pricing runs $229 – $329 for a full shared-flue lint removal and inspection in Van Nuys.
Trusted Brands We Service in Van Nuys
We don’t stock hardware-store parts. For vent terminations, caps, and transitions in Van Nuys, we keep a local supply of Famco and Copperfield components on our trucks, which means fewer return trips and a shorter schedule when your existing termination cap is rusted or missing a pest guard. For flue liner work on chimneys that double as dryer vent terminations, we install DuraFlex flexible liner systems, the industry standard for navigating the offset flues you see in many Van Nuys ranch homes. HeatShield ceramic resurfacing is another tool we use when a flue has early-stage spalling but doesn’t yet need a full liner replacement. These are professional-material choices, not budget substitutions, and they hold up to the seasonal Santa Ana winds and dry heat that punish exterior vent components in the Valley.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterCommon Dryer Vent Cleaning Problems We See in Van Nuys Homes
- Dryer vents routed into original clay-tile flues. Lint collects on rough mortar surfaces where a standard brush can’t reach it. Camera verification is the only way to confirm the flue is actually clean, which is why we include it on older Van Nuys homes.
- Santa Ana wind blowback through exterior vent hoods. Fall winds force lint, dust, and even dry leaves through flapper-type terminations, causing partial blockages that make a dryer run longer. A stuck-flapper replacement is usually a $35 – $75 fix on top of the cleaning.
- Long, sagging vent runs through uninsulated Valley attics and crawlspaces. Post-war tract homes often have transition ducts that sag between joists, creating pockets where lint accumulates even after cleaning. We’ll flag this on camera video and give you a straight answer on whether it’s safe to leave as-is.
- Rusted or missing exterior hood flaps near the roofline. Van Nuys’s dry summers don’t rot metal the way coastal climates do, but decades of UV and heat cycling leave many original hoods brittle and jammed open. That invites birds, rodents, and hot Valley air into the vent.
Pricing for Dryer Vent Cleaning in Van Nuys, CA
A standard dryer vent cleaning in Van Nuys runs $149 – $229 for most single-family homes. Homes where the vent terminates in a masonry chimney flue run higher, typically $229 – $329, because of the additional camera work and rotary cleaning required. Apartment and condo units in 1960s – 70s buildings around Van Nuys run $129 – $179 per unit depending on vent length and accessibility. If you need a Level 2 camera inspection added, budget $99 – $149. These are flat prices we quote before we start, based on what we can see about your specific setup. Call (833) 467-7685 and we’ll give you an exact number over the phone, no site visit required for most standard ranch homes in Van Nuys.
We Also Serve Cities Near Van Nuys
Our technicians cover Van Nuys and the surrounding San Fernando Valley, including Valley Glen, Sherman Oaks, Encino, and North Hills. If you’re in a neighboring area and need dryer vent cleaning, you’re still in our service area. Read more about our Dryer Vent Cleaning in Van Nuys coverage or call the number below and we’ll confirm your address on the spot.
Serving Van Nuys, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We serve Van Nuys and nearby communities. Use the map below to see the area we cover. If you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs – Dryer Vent Cleaning in Van Nuys
You can’t know without looking inside the vent, and that means a camera inspection. Homes built in Van Nuys in the 1940s and 1950s often have dryer vents that terminate in the original masonry chimney flue, which was never designed for lint-laden exhaust. Lint sticks to mortar joints, builds up over decades, and creates a fuel source directly against a heated surface. The only way to confirm your vent is clear is with a Level 2 camera inspection. We do that on every older Van Nuys home we clean. Call (833) 467-7685 to schedule one.
Yes, and it’s a common call for us in the fall. Long, hot Van Nuys summers bake lint into a hardened crust inside vent runs and flue surfaces, and seasonal Santa Ana winds push additional debris back through exterior hoods. The combination restricts airflow, so your dryer runs longer and works harder. If your vent terminates in the chimney, the problem is compounded by cracked mortar that allows hot outside air into the flue. We can diagnose this with a camera and clean it in one visit. Call (833) 467-7685 for an estimate.
Yes. Homes in Van Nuys built before roughly 1970 frequently have dryer vents that were cobbled together from existing masonry flues, metal stove pipe, or repurposed plumbing vents. Modern homes have dedicated 4-inch galvanized duct with smooth interior walls that clean easily with a standard brush. Older Van Nuys homes require a different approach: rotary brush heads sized to irregular transitions, camera verification because you can’t see into tile-lined flues, and experience with the specific ways these old systems fail. We calibrate our cleaning method to your home’s construction, not a one-size brush. Call (833) 467-7685 to discuss your specific setup.
If your dryer vent shares the flue with the fireplace, yes. A cracked crown lets rain into the flue, where it mixes with accumulated lint to form a sludge that blocks airflow and can corrode the liner. This is a well-documented failure pattern in Van Nuys after the first substantial fall rain. We’ll inspect the crown as part of a standard cleaning, show you the cracks on camera, and give you a repair number that doesn’t include speculative liner replacement. Crown repair in Van Nuys runs $350 – $650 for most single-story homes. Call (833) 467-7685 and we’ll come out and assess it.
Once a year is the right interval for most Van Nuys homes, but the reason is different from what you’d hear in colder climates. In Minnesota or Michigan, the concern is creosote from heavy fireplace use. Here, the issue is that our long dry summers bake lint into a hardened layer inside the vent, and the fall Santa Ana winds push additional debris back through the exterior hood. Even if you don’t use your fireplace, your dryer vent needs annual cleaning in this climate. If your vent terminates in a masonry flue, inspection twice a year is a safer schedule. Call (833) 467-7685 to book your annual service.
If you’re in Van Nuys and haven’t had your dryer vent cleaned in the past year, call Ontario Chimney at (833) 467-7685 for a free estimate. We’ll tell you what we find, show you the camera footage, and give you options without pressure. One company from inspection to repair, serving Van Nuys and the surrounding Valley.
Written by Al Vickers, Owner at Ontario Chimney, serving Van Nuys since day one.