Tool Making Brushes and dryer tube clean outs.

[Janger]

I need to clean out my dryer vent which goes from the basement through and inside up the wall and out under my deck. I can barely fit under the deck with 2 feet of space and a narrow trap door. It's a complete pain. How do you clean this vent out? shoving a vacuum up the inside is pretty ineffective. And also the flap vent with those 4 stupid plastic louvers just jams with lint up, ices up, towels take two runs to dry. I was looking at the various crap you can buy - wheel brushes on a flexible shaft you put together. Wondering why such a shitty tool costs $37 and people say in the reviews it has broken inside the wall. How does anyone clean this out - and no I'm not hiring some ass with a truck system for $450.

That got me wonder how the hell do you make a wheel brush anyway, can I make one, and what could the flexible shaft be made of?

This dude in India uses a technique from the 1880's must be and tools also from the 1880's but it works.

So I need a source of filament, or nylon fiber. I could use 3d printer filament maybe. fishing line? Any other ideas?

Now what about the flexible shaft? It has to go around corners. Any good ideas?

 

[YotaBota]

Now what about the flexible shaft? It has to go around corners.

This may not be a good idea but at least it's and idea.

Run a fish wire (electricians type) all the way thru and pull a rope/string thru long enough to be able to tie the brush in the middle and then "floss" out the pipe. Have the young skinny guy down in the tight spot and you in the comfy spot. You will probably need to make a short bushing to keep the brush upright but that's what machining tools are for.

 

[mbond]

power snake?

 

[ChazzC]

Use two half-
round brushes back-to-back, with a swivel coupling to get around bends.

 

[kevin.decelles]

I use these on my pellet stove vents and dryer vents

Dryer vent brush

 

[kevin.decelles]

The rod material varies. I like the fibreglass ones for rigid pipe and the twisted wire ones for softer vent material

 

[mbond]

A toilet brush on the end of a power snake will clean out most any dryer lint from even the most prolix of piping configurations

 

[Janger]

0.023" welding steel wire might be an option. I have a 5kg spool...

 

[fixerup]

These duct must be the steel galvanized type, because if they are the flexible aluminum foil type, I don't think they would survive any snake or flex brush clean. At my previous house I had a short run, about 15' and I was able to remove the flex line and take it outside to vacuum it clean.

Just had an idea. They use a nozzle on pressure washer which has orifices directed towards the back and propels the pressure washer hose forward, while cleaning the pipe walls. I wonder if that idea would work using an air line not the pressure washer. The air nozzle would propel the hose forward and blow the lint out behind it. Probably not enough air pressure to propel the air line forward and blow the lint out...... maybe if the dryer was blowing at the same time the lint might come out. Note: the young skinny guy is fishing the air line in, were the lint is blow out.

Sometimes I have ideas and later realize what was I thinking ..... LOL Before, I used take these kind of idea and just jump and go for it, now I try to think it over just a little longer before doing something really stupid.

 

[140mower]

These duct must be the steel galvanized type, because if they are the flexible aluminum foil type, I don't think they would survive any snake or flex brush clean. At my previous house I had a short run, about 15' and I was able to remove the flex line and take it outside to vacuum it clean.

Just had an idea. They use a nozzle on pressure washer which has orifices directed towards the back and propels the pressure washer hose forward, while cleaning the pipe walls. I wonder if that idea would work using an air line not the pressure washer. The air nozzle would propel the hose forward and blow the lint out behind it. Probably not enough air pressure to propel the air line forward and blow the lint out...... maybe if the dryer was blowing at the same time the lint might come out. Note: the young skinny guy is fishing the air line in, were the lint is blow out.

Sometimes I have ideas and later realize what was I thinking ..... LOL Before, I used take these kind of idea and just jump and go for it, now I try to think it over just a little longer before doing something really stupid.

I had a similar idea with air, but just drilling a series of small holes on a 45 along the edge of a 1/2" pvc cap. Connect to an air line and hopefully it pushes the lint out ahead of it.....

 

[CWret]

This is a blow nozzle we used to clean out blast holes.
Installed onto the end of a pipe it worked great to clean out a blast hole of debris or water. The air vent holes are pointed backwards & cause the debris to be forced backwards and come out towards you. Great for cleaning holes but only newbies were given the pleasure to use it.
A home made smaller version could maybe clean out your dryer vent.

 

[140mower]

This is a blow nozzle we used to clean out blast holes.
Installed onto the end of a pipe it worked great to clean out a blast hole of debris or water. The air vent holes are pointed backwards & cause the debris to be forced backwards and come out towards you. Great for cleaning holes but only newbies were given the pleasure to use it.
A home made smaller version could maybe clean out your dryer vent.

That is kinda what I had in mind, only with the holes going the other direction....... And a little more "homemade".

 

[Doggggboy]

This is a blow nozzle we used to clean out blast holes.
Installed onto the end of a pipe it worked great to clean out a blast hole of debris or water. The air vent holes are pointed backwards & cause the debris to be forced backwards and come out towards you. Great for cleaning holes but only newbies were given the pleasure to use it.
A home made smaller version could maybe clean out your dryer vent.

Princess Auto sells a similar nozzle for pressure washers to clean sewer pipes. Works like a charm. My 3100 psi washer with one of these nozzles can pull 110 feet of 3/8 hose through a clogged sewer line with ease.. -

https://www.princessauto.com/en/pressure-washer-drain-cleaning-nozzle/product/PA0008195612

A lot cheaper than calling Roto Rooter

 

[fixerup]

I need to clean out my dryer vent which goes from the basement through and inside up the wall and out under my deck. I can barely fit under the deck with 2 feet of space and a narrow trap door. It's a complete pain. How do you clean this vent out? shoving a vacuum up the inside is pretty ineffective. And also the flap vent with those 4 stupid plastic louvers just jams with lint up, ices up, towels take two runs to dry. I was looking at the various crap you can buy - wheel brushes on a flexible shaft you put together. Wondering why such a shitty tool costs $37 and people say in the reviews it has broken inside the wall. How does anyone clean this out - and no I'm not hiring some ass with a truck system for $450.

That got me wonder how the hell do you make a wheel brush anyway, can I make one, and what could the flexible shaft be made of?

This dude in India uses a technique from the 1880's must be and tools also from the 1880's but it works.

So I need a source of filament, or nylon fiber. I could use 3d printer filament maybe. fishing line? Any other ideas?

Now what about the flexible shaft? It has to go around corners. Any good ideas?

I like watching these How it's made video's . The technic looks to be doable in a home shop. The filament holding cups and crimp is simple and effective for a permanent hold. Instead of the permanent crimp, maybe a threaded rod, nuts and cups would allow to change the filament to a different type. They did pass the wire through a knurl to produce a wavy wire. To give it more volume? more effective when the wires are spaced in between?
The round brush ChazzC suggested would be a good alternative.
You mention the reviews that some of these store bought wheel brushes and flex shaft would break inside the wall. That would not be a good thing, especially if the duct is behind wall. If you make a flex brush kit, provide a good secure connections between the flex and brush. If it is a threaded connection, lock the reverse switch on the drill so that it can't be turn on in reverse.
Do the dryer vent need to be brushed to clean them out effectively ?

Hamster wheel noise........ sorry
Just an idea. A good fitting adapter on the dryer duct which connects to an electric leaf blower. Removed the stupid plastic louver. You operate the leaf blower and the young skinny kid videos the output of the dryer vent so you can later watch and see if it was effective. If successful it would be a quick way to maintain these annoying yearly task.

I have another idea, but I just waited a second though about it and that one is not appropriate to post.

 

[historicalarms]

A bit of an unorthodox suggestion but if you have room to feed a heavy lenght of logging/tow chain down the pipe & shake/wiggle it around it will jar the crud loose and it will fall to the bottom opening.
If you dont have room to do the wiggle/shake thing, the chain (if heavy enough) will drag a wad of rag material up and down your tube also ( think of pulling a cleaning rag thru a gun barrel with a sting puller).

 

[Doggggboy]

Reminds me of this

 

[ChazzC]

These duct must be the steel galvanized type, because if they are the flexible aluminum foil type, I don't think they would survive any snake or flex brush clean. At my previous house I had a short run, about 15' and I was able to remove the flex line and take it outside to vacuum it clean.

Just had an idea. They use a nozzle on pressure washer which has orifices directed towards the back and propels the pressure washer hose forward, while cleaning the pipe walls. I wonder if that idea would work using an air line not the pressure washer. The air nozzle would propel the hose forward and blow the lint out behind it. Probably not enough air pressure to propel the air line forward and blow the lint out...... maybe if the dryer was blowing at the same time the lint might come out. Note: the young skinny guy is fishing the air line in, were the lint is blow out.

Sometimes I have ideas and later realize what was I thinking ..... LOL Before, I used take these kind of idea and just jump and go for it, now I try to think it over just a little longer before doing something really stupid.

The foil ducts & vinyl ducts are no longer (for a long time) allowed in tge U.S. In fact, dryer installers will check the duct system and refuse to do the installation if they find issues. The HD Aluminum duct is still ok for short runs.

Dryer manufacturers also specify the total number of 45’s & 90’s that can be in a system.

 

[Janger]

Good ideas all. I don't think air or chains would remove the crud on the tube walls - unless at pressure and CFM rates beyond my compressor. I broke down and bought the $37 drill brush flexible tool from Home depot. It is a good tool, seems sturdy with good threaded fittings. The crud inside the tubes is kinda baked on and all over but multiple passes of the drill brush took it all off. I bought some elbows and tubing and am going to vent it above the deck so I can clean it out without submarining under the deck.

 

[Janger]

Avid Amateur Home Shop Machinist, Electronics Enthusiast, Chef, Indoorsman. Self-Proclaimed (Dabbler? Dilettante?) Renaissance (old) Man..

@ChazzC I love your sigline. me too. at various levels of competence.

 

[Janger]

Under the deck! You can see the hole I cut for the tube to come up. That’s not done!!! Just temporary until I can make a cedar box for it. Need to keep the mice out for now and it’s supposed to snow ⛄️ and get cold. See the trap door - it's 18" wide barely enough for me to wiggle through.