In short
- The HomeStars Ottawa page lists dryer vent cleaning at $100–$175; a Canada-wide guide puts a standalone visit at $150–$200.
- Ontario's Building Code says a dryer exhaust must discharge directly outdoors through a smooth duct that can be reached for cleaning.
- In U.S. fire data, failure to clean was the largest factor in residential dryer fires, and these fires peaked in January.
- Ottawa Fire Services suggests having dryer ducts cleaned every year or every couple of years.
Typical prices in Ottawa
| Job | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dryer vent cleaning, Ottawa | $100–$175 | HomeStars Ottawa page |
| Dryer vent cleaning, standalone visit | $150–$200 | Canada-wide HomeStars guide |
| Whole-home duct cleaning, Ottawa | $300–$500 | HomeStars Ottawa page; the vent can be a line on the same visit |
| Long run, roof exit or new duct | price is set after a look at the job | HomeStars lists no Ottawa figure for this |
Sources. HomeStars, Air duct cleaning pros in Ottawa, cost section, seen 29.10.2026. HomeStars, Duct Cleaning Cost in Canada: 2026 Guide, seen 29.10.2026. Fire data and venting: U.S. Fire Administration, Clothes Dryer Fires in Residential Buildings (2008–2010), TFRS vol. 13 issue 7, August 2012, seen 29.10.2026. Ottawa Fire Services advice: CTV News Ottawa, Tips to prevent 3 common household fires, republished by the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs, 14.08.2024, seen 29.10.2026. Code: Ontario, O. Reg. 332/12 Building Code, Article 9.32.1.4, seen 29.10.2026. Vent length chart: Whirlpool, 240-volt compact dryer dimension guide, ref. 8565592, seen 29.10.2026. Gas appliances: TSSA, Be fuels-wise and Ontario, Carbon monoxide safety, seen 29.10.2026. Contracts: Ontario, guide for home renovation businesses and Ontario, rules for contracts at a consumer’s home, seen 29.10.2026.
Where the lint goes after the screen
A full load of wet clothes can hold up to one and a half gallons of water, the U.S. Fire Administration says, and the dryer pushes it out as warm, moist air. The screen traps much of the lint and the rest travels into the vent. Where a vent is long or bent, moisture condenses on the walls and catches lint, and the build-up slows the airflow. Nests in the outside hood block it the same way.
In the Fire Administration’s data, failure to clean was the largest factor in residential dryer fires, at 34 percent, and lint and dust ignited first in 28 percent. Ottawa Fire Services’ prevention officer calls lint the major risk with a home dryer.
Long runs, elbows and where the vent comes out
Run length and the number of turns decide most of the job. A basement dryer on an outside wall may need only a short duct. The Fire Administration notes that newer houses often put the laundry upstairs or in a closet, which takes a longer duct to reach an outside wall, across a ceiling or through a wall cavity.
Dryer makers cap the run. One Whirlpool guide sets the limit by vent type, elbows and hood style: for its compact dryer, 90 feet of rigid metal with no elbows and 70 feet with two, against 64 and 50 feet of flexible metal. Each model has its own chart. The same guide wants the hood at least 12 inches above the ground, which matters once snow piles against an Ottawa wall.
What the Building Code and the maker ask for
Article 9.32.1.4 of Ontario’s Building Code says dryer exhaust ducts must discharge directly outdoors, stay independent of other exhaust ducts, be accessible for cleaning and be made of smooth, corrosion-resistant material. Where several dryers share one exhaust, the system needs one central fan with a central lint trap, so in a building like that, check with the manager first.
The Whirlpool guide asks for a 4-inch metal vent and rules out plastic and foil. The Fire Administration advises replacing coiled foil or plastic with rigid metal, and warns that wire screen on the hood collects lint.
What moves the price
The HomeStars Ottawa page lists dryer vent cleaning at $100–$175; the Canada-wide guide puts a standalone visit at $150–$200. What moves a quote:
- Length and turns. A short, straight run is the quick end of the range.
- The exit. A roof outlet or a hood high on a second storey needs a ladder.
- Access at the dryer. Stacked units or a laundry closet take longer to pull out and put back.
- Condition. A crushed connector, a broken flap or a nest means parts and time.
- Bundling. Added to a duct cleaning, the vent shares the visit; Ottawa figures are on duct cleaning cost in Ottawa.
A vent that ends indoors, or runs longer than the maker allows, becomes a re-route, priced after a look.
What the quote should list
The quote names the run it covers, from connector to hood, and the method. Parts go on their own lines: a metal connector, a new hood or flap, any duct replaced in a wall or ceiling. Then labour, access charges, HST and the total.
Ontario’s guidance for home renovation businesses calls for a written agreement on any contract over $50. An estimate in it can be exceeded by 10 percent at most unless you sign a change, and a contract signed at home has a 10-day cooling-off period. Duct cleaning is on Ontario’s restricted list for sales at your home: a contract signed after an unsolicited knock offering it is void.
Gas dryers
A gas dryer is a fuel-burning appliance. In Ontario, fuel-fired appliances are maintained by TSSA-registered contractors who employ certified gas technicians, so moving a gas dryer for a cleaning may need one. A home with a fuel-burning appliance also needs a carbon monoxide alarm; see the carbon monoxide page. If the furnace is due too, add the annual furnace service to the same request.
Who handles your request
Ottawa Heating Desk sends what you write in the form to one independent Ottawa company that cleans dryer vents. That company calls you back, prices the cleaning and does the work.
Questions to ask the company
- Does the price cover the whole run, from the back of the dryer to the outside hood?
- How will you clean it, and from which end?
- Will you check the outside flap, and list a new hood as its own line if it is broken?
- If the connector is plastic or foil, what metal duct do you fit and at what cost?
- Can I have the total with HST, and any ladder or roof charge, in writing before you start?
Have this ready for the call
- Where the dryer sits and on which wall or roof the vent comes out
- A photo of the outside hood taken while the dryer runs
- A photo of the connector behind the dryer, if you can see it
- Gas or electric, stacked or side by side
- How long a normal load takes to dry now
Questions people ask
How often should a dryer vent be cleaned in Ottawa?
Ottawa Fire Services suggests having dryer ducts cleaned every year or every couple of years. The U.S. Fire Administration asks for cleaning by qualified service people, sooner if clothes take longer than normal to dry.
What tells me the vent is blocked?
The Fire Administration names heavy loads taking a long time to dry and clothes hotter than usual at the end of the cycle. An outside flap that stays shut while the dryer runs is another sign.
The duct behind my dryer is plastic or foil. Is that a problem?
The Fire Administration says manufacturers warn against plastic flexible ducts, calls foil a poor choice too, and advises rigid metal. One Whirlpool guide rules out plastic and metal foil. Ask the company to price the change on the same visit.
Can a dryer vent end in the garage or attic?
Ontario’s Building Code says dryer exhaust ducts must discharge directly outdoors. If yours ends indoors, say so in your request: the job becomes a re-route, priced after a look.
I have a gas dryer. Does that change anything?
The Fire Administration advises a yearly professional check of the gas line and connection. Mark the dryer as gas in your request, since moving it means disconnecting a gas appliance.
