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
AfterFast, Reliable Dryer Vent Cleaning Across Novato
Dryer vent cleaning in Novato typically costs $150 – $280 for a standard single-story home, with repairs to crushed or disconnected runs adding $120 – $340 depending on materials and access. We also offer Air Duct Cleaning in Novato for homes needing full HVAC system service. Most appointments are scheduled within a few business days, with our San Francisco Bay Area dispatch office coordinating crews who serve Novato neighborhoods like Hamilton, Pleasant Valley, and the Old Town corridor daily. If your dryer takes two cycles to finish a load, smells musty after fall rains, or you’ve never had the vent run inspected behind the wall, you’re probably due for service.
We’re Hollis Air Duct Cleaning, and we’ve built our name on The Garrison Standard: written prices before any work starts, background-checked uniformed technicians, and a 365-Day Done Right Promise on every job. Call us at (361) 326-5060 for a free estimate.
Why Hollis Air Duct Cleaning Is Novato’s Preferred Dryer Vent Cleaning Company
Novato homeowners know the difference between a crew that vacuums the lint trap and calls it done, and one that pulls the dryer, runs a camera, and shows you what’s actually blocking airflow. We fall in the second camp. Our technicians arrive in marked vehicles, in uniform, with photo ID you can verify through our office.
Our Dryer Vent Cleaning team serves the full Novato area, from the mid-century ranches in Hamilton to the hillside homes near Mount Burdell. We don’t quote over the phone and then rewrite the number at your door. The price is written down before we touch anything, and it doesn’t move.
Every job carries our 365-Day Done Right Promise. If the work fails within a year, we come back and make it right at no charge, including a free second visit. That’s not a slogan; it’s in writing on every invoice.
Phones are answered by a live person 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. No voicemail loops, no callback queues, no waiting until Monday for someone to pick up.
Dryer Vent Repair in Novato
Dryer Vent Repair in Novato is often the real fix hiding behind what homeowners think is a simple cleaning job. In the 1950 – 1980 ranch homes that make up much of Novato’s housing stock, original foil-flex or galvanized runs crush behind the laundry wall, separate at joints, or sag in the crawl space where moisture from seasonal rains pools against the insulation. A surface lint pull at the trap misses these failures entirely. That’s why we start with a camera inspection on every suspected blockage.
Crushed Transitions and Rigid Upgrades
The transition hose behind your dryer is the most abused piece of the system. It’s kinked when the appliance is pushed back, often crushed flat against the wall, and in Novato’s older homes it’s frequently the original foil-wrapped flex installed decades ago. We cut in a proper rigid metal transition, secure it with code-compliant clamps, and test airflow before we leave. The upgrade typically runs $120 – $240 in labor and materials.
Crawl-Space Moisture Damage
Where the vent run passes through a Novato crawl space, fall rains saturate the surrounding soil and wick into the duct insulation. The exterior terminus corrodes. The liner delaminates. We see this every November after the first heavy storms. Repair involves replacing the damaged section, sealing joints with mastic rated for exterior exposure, and sometimes rerouting above the wet zone. Costs range $180 – $340 depending on linear feet and access difficulty.
Dryer Vent Cleaning Company in Novato
Dryer Vent Cleaning Company in Novato means more than blowing air through a tube. At Hollis, we use source-removal methods: rotary brush agitation with HEPA-contained negative-air collection, the same approach commercial crews use on institutional systems. Our equipment roster includes Rotobrush rotary brush systems and Nikro negative-air machines, paired with filtration products from Honeywell, Aprilaire, and Guardsman. We explain what each tool does while we’re working, because you should understand what you’re paying for.
What a Full Cleaning Includes
We pull the dryer from the wall, inspect the transition with a borescope camera, clean the full run to the exterior cap with mechanical agitation, and collect all debris under negative pressure so nothing escapes into your laundry room or crawl space. The exterior cap is removed, cleaned, and reinstalled with a proper bird guard if the original is missing or corroded. We test airflow before and after with an anemometer, and we show you the numbers.
Whole-House Fan Complications
Many Novato homes run both a forced-air furnace and a whole-house fan, which pulls outdoor air through attic vents and can pressurize the duct network differently than a furnace-only system. Homeowners sometimes clean what they think is the dryer vent but is actually a furnace return, or vice versa. We verify the path before we start, because Novato dual-system homes hide two distinct lint pathways, and treating the wrong one wastes your money and leaves the hazard in place.
Trusted Brands We Service in Novato
We stock common venting components locally for Novato customers, including rigid aluminum pipe in standard diameters, fire-rated transition hose, bird guards, and replacement caps. Our equipment comes from manufacturers we trust: Rotobrush for rotary agitation systems, Nikro for negative-air containment, and filtration and sealing products from Honeywell, Aprilaire, Abatement Technologies, and Guardsman. This isn’t hardware-store gear. It’s what commercial crews use, maintained to manufacturer spec, and operated by technicians trained on each platform. When a Hamilton ranch needs a same-week cap replacement or a Pleasant Valley hillside home needs a longer rigid run, we don’t wait on a parts order from out of state.
Common Dryer Vent Cleaning Problems We See in Novato Homes
- Crushed foil-flex behind the laundry wall. Original 1970s transitions in Novato’s ranch homes are often flattened to a slit where the dryer was pushed back repeatedly. Airflow drops to a trickle. The dryer overheats. The customer cleans the trap religiously and still gets two-cycle dries.
- Moisture-saturated crawl-space runs after fall rains. Novato’s wet season starts late, often with the first heavy storms in November. Water seeps into crawl spaces, wicks into duct insulation, and breeds musty odor that homeowners blame on the dryer itself. The vent liner delaminates. Metal corrodes. We find this pattern predictable as clockwork.
- Missing or corroded exterior caps with bird nesting. The Pacific moisture and morning fog accelerate corrosion on cheap plastic caps. Swallows and other birds nest in the exposed terminus. We install metal caps with integrated bird guards that last.
- Dual-system confusion in whole-house-fan homes. The whole-house fan pulls dust and pollen from Novato’s oak woodlands through attic vents, and homeowners sometimes assume this contamination is coming from their dryer vent or furnace return. We map the system before cleaning so we’re treating the right path with the right method.
Pricing for Dryer Vent Cleaning in Novato, CA
A standard dryer vent cleaning in Novato runs $150 – $280 for a single-story home with straightforward roof or wall access. Two-story runs, crawl-space routing, or homes requiring ladder work on steep hillside lots trend toward the upper end. If we find a crushed transition, disconnected joint, or moisture-damaged section that needs repair, add $120 – $340 depending on materials and labor to access.
We do not quote per-vent teaser prices that balloon once we’re inside. The price is written down before any work starts, and it does not move at the door. Every estimate is free, with no obligation to schedule. Call (361) 326-5060 for your exact figure.
We Also Serve Cities Near Novato
Our crews cover the full North Bay corridor, including Dryer Vent Cleaning in Novato and surrounding communities: Fairfax, San Anselmo, Petaluma, and San Rafael. Scheduling and dispatch are coordinated from our San Francisco Bay Area office, with local technicians assigned to minimize drive time and keep appointments inside the quoted window.
Serving Novato, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Novato area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs About Dryer Vent Cleaning in Novato
Water seeps into crawl spaces after the first heavy November storms and saturates the insulation around your dryer vent run, especially in 1950 – 1980 homes with original construction. The moisture breeds mold and mildew on the duct liner, and the smell blows back into your laundry room when the dryer runs. We replace the damaged section, seal with exterior-grade mastic, and sometimes reroute above the wet zone. Call (361) 326-5060 for a free inspection.
Yes. The dual-system setup means your home has two separate air pathways, and we’ve found homeowners sometimes clean the furnace return or whole-house fan vent thinking it’s the dryer vent. We verify the correct path with a camera before starting any work, because treating the wrong system wastes your money and leaves the fire hazard in place. Call (361) 326-5060 to schedule a proper inspection.
Almost certainly. In Hamilton’s mid-century ranches, we regularly find crushed foil-flex transitions or packed lint in the wall run that reduces airflow below what’s needed to evacuate moisture. A properly flowing vent should dry a standard load in one cycle. If yours doesn’t, the blockage is likely behind the wall where you can’t reach it. Call (361) 326-5060 and we’ll run a camera to confirm.
Every 12 – 18 months for homes built before 1980 with original ductwork, and sooner if you dry multiple loads weekly, have pets that shed, or notice longer dry times. Novato’s oak pollen and dust, combined with decades of accumulation in galvanized steel runs, accelerate blockage compared to newer homes with smooth-wall duct. Call (361) 326-5060 to set up a recurring schedule.
We pull the dryer, camera-inspect the transition and run, mechanically agitate the full length with a rotary brush under HEPA negative-air containment, clean and reinstall the exterior cap with bird guard, and test airflow before and after with an anemometer. You see the numbers. The work is backed by our 365-Day Done Right Promise. Call (361) 326-5060 for a free estimate.
Written by Roy Castellanos, Owner at Hollis Air Duct Cleaning, serving Novato and the North Bay under The Garrison Standard since 2004.