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.
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After
Before
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Before
AfterDryer Vent Inspection in Littleton, CO
A dryer vent inspection in Littleton typically takes 30 to 60 minutes, costs between $79 and $149 as a standalone service, and gives you a camera-documented record of exactly what is inside your vent line – from the dryer connection at the wall to the termination cap on the exterior. If the inspection finds lint compaction, a crushed flex section, or a bird nest at the cap (all three of which we see regularly in Littleton’s older Ken Caryl and Columbine neighborhoods), that finding goes into a written scope before any Dryer Vent Cleaning services or repair work is proposed.
CleanRun Air Duct Cleaning Littleton has been doing this work since 2013 and has documented the inside of more than 52,000 duct runs across the metro. Tomas Reyes built the company on one rule: show the customer what the camera found before saying a word about what it costs to fix. You can read how that fits into our broader Dryer Vent Cleaning in Littleton service, or call us directly at (720) 315-7291 – a live person answers every call.
When You Need a Dryer Vent Inspection
- Your dryer takes two or more cycles to dry a normal load. In Littleton’s semi-arid climate, a dryer that performs well in summer can start failing in winter when static lint clings more aggressively inside a cooler duct line. If drying time has crept up, the vent is the first thing to check – not the appliance.
- The laundry room feels noticeably warmer or more humid than the rest of the house. A dryer vent that is partially or fully blocked pushes moist air back into the space instead of out through the wall. That moisture can also feed mold growth inside a wall cavity, which turns an inexpensive inspection into a much bigger remediation project if left alone.
- You smell something burning during or after a drying cycle. Lint is highly combustible. A burning odor is not a quirk – it is lint making contact with the heating element or the duct wall. This is the scenario the U.S. Fire Administration flags as one of the leading causes of residential dryer fires, and Littleton Fire Rescue treats it the same way. Do not run the dryer again until the vent has been inspected.
- Your home was built before 2000 and the vent has never been inspected. A significant number of homes in Littleton’s Columbine Valley, Governors Ranch, and Bow Mar areas use foil accordion flex duct that was installed during original construction and has been in place for 20-plus years. That material collapses, kinks, and traps lint at every fold. A camera inspection shows whether replacement is overdue.
- The exterior termination cap is missing, damaged, or caked with lint. Walk around to the side of your house where the vent exits. If the louvered cap is missing a flap, bent inward, or visibly packed with gray lint, exhaust airflow is restricted and birds can nest inside the duct during Littleton’s mild spring months. We find active nesting material in vent lines every March and April without fail.
- You’ve just bought a home and the seller’s disclosure doesn’t mention dryer vent service. A home inspection covers the appliance connection but almost never runs a camera down the full vent line. If you moved into a home in Littleton’s Heritage Hills, Centennial Park, or Highlands Ranch border communities in the last two years and have no documentation of prior vent cleaning, an inspection is a reasonable first step before you assume the line is clear.
Our Dryer Vent Inspection Process
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Written scope delivered before we touch anything.
Before the inspection begins, you receive a written price – a fixed number, not a range we adjust after opening the wall. Haven Standard Clause 1 means “call for a quote” does not exist at CleanRun. The inspection fee covers the full camera run and the written report. If we find something that warrants cleaning or repair, that is a separate written line item you approve or decline. No one is pressured. -
Access and connection point assessment.
The technician disconnects the dryer from the wall collar and examines the first 12 to 18 inches of duct – the section where the flexible transition hose meets the rigid run inside the wall. This junction is where we most often find crushed foil, clamp failures, or lint that has bypassed the screen and packed against the elbow. We photograph this point before and after, every time. -
Camera run from collar to cap.
A flexible inspection camera is fed the full length of the duct line. In Littleton homes with longer runs – particularly in two-story homes in Roxborough Park or homes with laundry rooms positioned far from an exterior wall – a single vent line can span 20 to 35 feet and include three or four 90-degree elbows. The camera documents every foot of that run and flags debris accumulation, duct damage, disconnected sections, and termination cap condition. The footage is captured as part of your Documented Photo Record, which you keep. -
Airflow measurement at the termination cap.
We take a static airflow reading at the exterior cap using a calibrated anemometer. A clear, properly configured dryer vent should move air at 25 feet per second or better at the cap. Readings below 15 feet per second indicate meaningful restriction even when the camera image looks relatively clean – a detail that matters in homes with long horizontal duct runs or undersized duct diameter. -
Written findings report with camera images.
After the camera run, the technician puts findings in writing: duct material, total run length, number of bends, any observed debris depth or damage, airflow measurement, and a condition rating. If the vent is clear and performing normally, the report says that – in writing. If cleaning or repair is warranted, the written findings form the basis for a written estimate. You receive both documents the same day. -
Recommendations with no obligation.
Tomas Reyes built CleanRun on the premise that a customer who understands exactly what was found makes a better decision than one who is sold at the truck. If the inspection shows a vent line that needs cleaning, the technician explains what the camera found and what cleaning would address. If it shows a duct that needs replacement, that recommendation comes with the camera image that supports it. If the vent is fine, we say so and you pay the inspection fee only.
BeforeAfterDryer Vent Inspection Pricing in Littleton
A standalone dryer vent inspection in Littleton runs $79 to $149, depending on duct run length and access complexity. That price is written down and handed to you before we start. It does not change based on what we find inside.
| Scenario | Typical Price Range |
|---|---|
| Standard inspection, single-story home, short run (under 15 ft) | $79 – $99 |
| Inspection, longer run (15-35 ft), multiple elbows | $99 – $149 |
| Inspection bundled with dryer vent cleaning (same visit) | Inspection fee credited toward cleaning price |
| Second opinion on a competitor’s written cleaning or repair estimate | Free – we put our number next to theirs in writing |
What affects the price: total duct length, number of 90-degree elbows (each adds resistance and inspection time), duct material (rigid galvanized steel versus aging foil accordion flex), and whether the exterior cap requires ladder access. Homes in Littleton’s hillside sections near South Wadsworth Boulevard or backing to Chatfield Reservoir sometimes have vent exits 12 to 16 feet off grade – that adds time and affects the quote accordingly.
If a competitor has already given you a written estimate for Vent Cleaning or replacement, bring it to us. We will put CleanRun’s own written number next to it at no charge. That is not a marketing line – it is Haven Standard policy.
Call (720) 315-7291 to schedule. The price is written before we arrive.
What the Camera Actually Finds in Littleton Homes
Littleton sits at roughly 5,360 feet elevation. The dry air and temperature swings between seasons affect how lint behaves inside a duct line differently than in lower-elevation humid climates. In summer, low humidity keeps lint loose and easier to exhaust. In winter, cold exterior walls cause moisture in warm exhaust air to condense just inside the termination cap – which makes lint stick to the duct wall at that point and build up faster than in any other section of the run. Our Nikro inspection camera has captured that exact pattern dozens of times in homes near Clement Park and Jackass Hill Road during January and February service calls.
The other consistent finding in Littleton is foil flex duct in homes built between 1978 and 1995. That material is no longer code-compliant for dryer vents under current IRC standards – the corrugated surface traps lint at every ridge and the material collapses under its own weight over time. A camera inspection in a home of that age almost always shows accordion collapse at one or more points in the run, regardless of how recently the exterior cap was cleaned.
We document all of it in writing and in photographs, included as a standard deliverable on every inspection visit.
FAQs – Dryer Vent Inspection
How is a dryer vent inspection different from dryer vent cleaning?
A dryer vent inspection documents the condition of your vent line using a camera and an airflow measurement – it does not remove lint or debris. Cleaning is the physical removal of that material using negative-pressure extraction equipment. An inspection tells you what is there and whether cleaning is warranted. Some vents we inspect are clear and need no cleaning; others show debris depth or structural damage that cleaning alone won’t fix. We always inspect before we recommend cleaning, and we never charge for both unless both are actually needed. Call (720) 315-7291 if you are not sure which service applies to your situation – the written quote is free.
How often should a dryer vent be inspected in Littleton?
Once a year is the standard recommendation for a household doing four or more dryer loads per week. Littleton homes with longer duct runs – common in two-story builds in Highlands Ranch-adjacent zip codes or homes with laundry rooms positioned toward the center of the floor plan – tend to accumulate lint faster and benefit from annual inspection regardless of load frequency. Homes with pets, or anyone in the household who washes heavy cotton loads like towels or bedding regularly, often need inspection every 8 to 10 months. If your last documented inspection was more than 18 months ago, schedule one. Call (720) 315-7291 for a written appointment.
Can I inspect my own dryer vent with a phone camera?
You can look into the first few inches of the duct at the wall collar, but a phone camera cannot reach, illuminate, or document the full duct run – especially through elbows, which are exactly where debris and damage concentrate. A professional inspection camera is flexible enough to navigate 90-degree bends, captures still images at any point in the run, and takes an airflow reading at the cap that a visual check cannot replicate. What you see from the collar opening is rarely representative of the condition of the full line. The camera record from a professional inspection also gives you documentation useful for a home sale or an insurance inquiry – a phone snapshot does not. For anything involving the duct interior, a trained technician with proper equipment is the right call. Reach us at (720) 315-7291.
Is dryer vent inspection covered by homeowners insurance?
Preventive inspection is generally not a covered expense under standard homeowners policies in Colorado. However, if an inspection reveals damage caused by a covered peril – a bird nest that led to duct blockage and a resulting appliance failure, for example, or pest intrusion – a documented written report with camera images is exactly the kind of evidence an adjuster needs to evaluate a related claim. CleanRun’s written findings report and Documented Photo Record serve that purpose directly. For coverage questions specific to your policy, contact your insurer. For the inspection itself, call us at (720) 315-7291 – the written price is ready before we arrive.
The CleanRun Standard Behind Every Inspection
Every dryer vent inspection CleanRun performs in Littleton is documented, priced in writing before it starts, and backed by the 365-Day Done Right Promise. That promise is written into the job record – not mentioned in a phone script and forgotten. If something we inspected or recommended turns out to be wrong within 365 days, we make it right. That is Haven Standard policy, and it applies to every job regardless of size.
Technicians who arrive at your home are background-checked, uniformed, and identified by name before they knock – Haven Standard Clause 3: Verified Crews. The inspection camera and airflow measurement tools we use are professional-grade. The Abatement Technologies equipment we carry for cleaning work, if cleaning is warranted, is from the same category of tools used in commercial remediation – not a modified shop vacuum.
The full home service menu and credential documentation are available on our main site. If you have a competitor’s written estimate and want a second opinion, we produce our own written number at no cost. No pressure, no time limits on the offer.
To schedule a dryer vent inspection in Littleton, call (720) 315-7291. A live person answers. The written price arrives before any work begins.
Written by Tomas Reyes, Owner at CleanRun Air Duct Cleaning Littleton, serving Littleton since 2013.