Dryer Vent Hose Replacement in San Jose, CA

Replacing the dryer vent hose

Is the hose the problem, or the duct inside the wall? The hose is only the transition duct, the visible piece between the dryer and the wall fitting. White vinyl and thin accordion foil are still in service in plenty of pre-1980 homes here. Both must be swapped for rigid or UL-listed semi-rigid metal. The ridges hold lint. The hose sags, then crushes flat when the dryer gets pushed back.

A correct replacement is short and mostly straight. Clamps hold both ends, worm-drive style, not screws. No sheet metal screws through the duct, since the points inside catch lint and build a plug. Foil tape on the joints, never cloth duct tape. In interior-closet stacked units with 2–4 elbows into a chase, inches matter, so a recessed wall box or an offset fitting earns its keep.

Run type decides the work. Short exterior-wall garage runs of 3–8 ft foil flex are an easy swap. Raised-foundation 1920s–40s bungalows drop through the floor to a crawlspace rim, so the connection sits low and gets kicked. Eichlers and flat-roof mid-century homes have no attic at all.

If towels still need two cycles on a new hose, the restriction is past the wall. Think roof jacks on 20–35 ft second-floor runs, or a dead booster fan. Nesting in an un-screened hood is another cause.