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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Before
AfterDryer Vent Inspection in Alpharetta, GA
A dryer vent inspection is a documented examination of your dryer’s exhaust pathway – from the transition hose behind the machine all the way to the exterior cap – using a camera and airflow meter to identify blockages, crushed duct sections, disconnected joints, and lint accumulation before they become a fire or carbon-monoxide hazard. In Alpharetta, where many homes were built between 1998 and 2018 with long interior vent runs routed through finished walls or attic spaces, the ductwork is often inaccessible enough that problems go undetected for years. A single inspection gives you a written record of exactly what’s inside, with photographs before anything is touched.
At CleanRun Air Duct Cleaning Alpharetta, Tomas Reyes built the inspection process around one rule: show the customer what the camera found before saying a word about what it costs to fix. Every inspection concludes with a Documented Photo Record delivered to you as a standard job deliverable – not an upsell, not a PDF you have to ask for. If you want to start with a conversation, call us at (678) 679-7540 and a live person will answer. Our Dryer Vent Cleaning in Alpharetta service covers the full cleaning scope; this page covers the inspection that tells you whether cleaning – or something more – is actually warranted.
When You Need a Dryer Vent Inspection
Most Alpharetta homeowners schedule an inspection after noticing one of the symptoms below. Others do it proactively – particularly after buying a resale home, because the previous owner’s vent maintenance history is almost never in the disclosure packet.
- Clothes take more than one cycle to dry. This is the most common complaint we hear from homeowners in the North Point and Windward neighborhoods. Reduced airflow from a partial blockage means the dryer runs longer and hotter without finishing the job.
- The top of the dryer or the laundry room feels noticeably warm. When exhaust heat can’t exit the duct efficiently, it backs up into the room. In Alpharetta’s humid summers, that heat and moisture combination can also encourage mold growth inside the duct.
- It’s been more than 12 months since the vent was last cleaned. The National Fire Protection Association recommends annual dryer vent inspection and cleaning. If the last documented service predates your memory, it’s overdue.
- You’ve just moved into a resale home. Homes in Alpharetta’s Crabapple and Milton Road corridors regularly show five or more years of lint accumulation when we run the camera – even when the sellers described regular maintenance. The photo record from an inspection gives you a factual starting point.
- The exterior vent cap is damaged, stuck open, or hard to locate. Many Alpharetta homes have vent caps mounted at the roofline or behind landscaping. Caps that don’t close properly allow nesting material from birds and squirrels to enter the duct – a blockage source most homeowners never consider until the camera shows it.
- Your dryer is making a new noise or shutting off mid-cycle on thermal overload. A thermal overload trip is the machine protecting itself from overheating. It’s a symptom of a duct restriction, not a dryer malfunction – and cleaning before replacing the appliance is almost always the right first step.
Our Dryer Vent Inspection Process
The inspection follows a fixed sequence. Every technician who works under the H.A.V.E.N. Standard is background-checked and uniformed, and you’ll know their name before they arrive. Here’s what happens from the time the truck pulls up to the time you receive your documentation.
- Written scope and price before any access panel comes off. Under Haven Standard Clause 1, no work begins without a written price in your hand. We note the duct length, routing type, number of elbows, and exterior cap location – then put a dollar figure on the inspection before touching anything. No call-for-a-quote, no estimate-subject-to-change after the fact.
- Visual and physical check of the transition hose. The flexible section connecting the dryer to the wall stub-out is the most frequently damaged segment. We check for kinks, tears, and the type of material – foil accordion hose is a code-acceptable choice in Georgia, but semi-rigid aluminum is significantly better for airflow. If we find a white plastic (vinyl) transition hose, we document it; that material is no longer permitted under current codes and is one of the leading ignition points in residential dryer fires.
- Camera run from the interior termination point through the full duct length. We use a flexible inspection camera to travel the entire duct run – around every elbow, through any vertical rise, and to the exterior cap. The camera feed is recorded. Lint depth, debris type, crushed sections, disconnected joints, and pest intrusion are all noted with timestamped photographs. In a typical Alpharetta new-construction home with an interior duct run of 20-30 feet, this step takes 15-25 minutes.
- Airflow measurement at the exterior termination. A calibrated meter measures the actual cubic-feet-per-minute (CFM) output at the cap. Manufacturer specs for most residential dryers call for a minimum of 25 CFM at the terminus; we record what we measure and note the variance. This gives you a before number – and if you proceed to cleaning, the after number is measured again and documented side by side.
- Exterior cap inspection and condition report. The cap is checked for intact flaps, secure mounting, absence of nesting material, and clearance from grade or roofline. In Alpharetta, we see a disproportionate number of louvered caps that have been painted shut or caulked closed by exterior contractors working on other projects – a situation where the dryer appears to be exhausting but is actually pushing against a sealed termination.
- Written findings report with Documented Photo Record. Before we close up and leave, you receive a written summary of every finding – with photographs organized by duct segment – and a written scope of any recommended work. If cleaning is warranted, the price for that service is on the same sheet. You decide what happens next. The photo record is yours regardless of whether you book additional work.
Before
AfterDryer Vent Inspection Pricing in Alpharetta
A dryer vent inspection in Alpharetta typically costs $89 to $149 as a standalone service. The price is written before work starts – Haven Standard Clause 1, no exceptions.
Several variables affect where a specific job lands in that range:
- Duct length and routing complexity. A short 8-foot horizontal run to a side wall is faster to inspect than a 35-foot run that rises vertically through a finished wall to a rooftop cap. Longer runs with multiple elbows require more camera setup time and longer airflow measurement procedures.
- Accessibility of the exterior cap. Ground-level caps on an exterior wall are the easiest to access. Roofline caps on two-story Alpharetta homes – common in the Haynes Bridge Road and Old Milton Parkway corridors – require ladder work and add time.
- Combined inspection and cleaning. When inspection findings support a cleaning in the same visit, most customers book both together. Combined pricing for inspection plus cleaning in Alpharetta runs $159 to $279 depending on duct length and obstruction level, with the inspection findings already in hand before cleaning begins.
If you’ve received a written estimate from another company, bring it. CleanRun offers a Free Second Opinion on any written estimate – we put our own number next to theirs in writing, and you compare. Call (678) 679-7540 to schedule. Estimates are free, and the price you get in writing is the price you pay.
| Service | Typical Price Range (Alpharetta) |
|---|---|
| Dryer Vent Inspection (standalone) | $89 – $149 |
| Inspection + Cleaning (combined visit) | $159 – $279 |
| Inspection + Cleaning + Cap Replacement | $199 – $329 |
| Re-inspection after prior service (airflow verification only) | $49 – $79 |
All pricing includes the Documented Photo Record and the written findings report. The 365-Day Done Right Promise applies to any cleaning or repair work performed in the same visit – if the outcome isn’t what was documented and promised, we make it right, in writing, without a service-manager approval chain.
What We Find Inside Alpharetta Dryer Vents
Eleven years of inspections across Alpharetta – from the townhome clusters near GA-400 and Mansell Road to the larger single-family homes in Echelon and Windward – produce patterns that are specific to this market. Knowing what’s typical here is different from knowing what’s typical nationally.
The most common finding in Alpharetta resale homes built before 2005 is a vinyl (white plastic) transition hose that has never been replaced. These were installed legally at the time and were never recalled, so they sit quietly behind dryers for decades. The camera shows them clearly; the written findings note the current Georgia code status and the risk rating.
In newer construction – particularly townhomes built after 2012 with stacked laundry closets – we regularly find duct runs that exceed the maximum equivalent length allowed by the appliance manufacturer, because the builder routed the vent around HVAC equipment and through multiple 90-degree elbows to reach an exterior wall. Each 90-degree elbow reduces effective duct length by roughly five feet of equivalent resistance. A run that looks short on paper can be performing like a 50-foot run once the elbow penalties are added. The airflow meter reading makes this visible immediately.
Pest intrusion is less common but worth noting: Alpharetta’s tree canopy is dense, and we see bird-nesting material inside exterior caps at a rate that surprises most customers. A louvered cap with a broken or missing flap is an open invitation. Abatement Technologies equipment handles the debris extraction when nesting material is present; the before photograph documents what was there before a single piece is removed.
Inspection vs. Cleaning: How to Know Which One You Need First
The short answer: inspection first, always. Cleaning without inspection is guesswork – you don’t know the duct material, the actual length, whether there’s a disconnected joint behind a wall, or whether the exterior cap is even functional. A shop-vac service that skips the camera and airflow meter can “clean” a vent that has a crushed section six feet in and show you nothing but noise as evidence it worked.
CleanRun’s approach, and the one Tomas Reyes has held since the company’s first job in 2013, is that the inspection findings determine the cleaning scope – not the other way around. That’s why the written price you receive at the start of an inspection visit may be updated after step three (camera run), but never without showing you the photograph that justifies it.
The full Dryer Vent Cleaning in Alpharetta page covers the cleaning process in detail, including the negative-pressure extraction method (using professional-grade equipment to pull debris toward the exterior rather than pushing it deeper into the duct) and the post-cleaning airflow measurement that confirms the run is actually clear.
FAQs – Dryer Vent Inspection in Alpharetta
How often should a dryer vent be inspected in Alpharetta?
Annual inspection is the standard recommendation for most Alpharetta households. Homes with longer duct runs, gas dryers, or high laundry volume (four or more loads per week) may benefit from inspection every six months. The Georgia Uniform Construction Code does not specify a residential inspection interval, but the NFPA 211 standard, which governs vented appliances, calls for annual professional inspection. If your last documented inspection is more than 12 months ago, call (678) 679-7540 and we’ll get a written scope to you before any appointment is confirmed.
Can a dryer vent inspection find a blockage inside a finished wall?
Yes – that’s exactly what the camera is for. The flexible inspection camera travels through the duct interior regardless of what’s around the outside of the duct. A blockage, crushed section, or disconnected joint inside a finished wall shows up on camera the same way it would in an accessible utility space. The photograph is timestamped and included in your Documented Photo Record. What the inspection cannot do is access a section of duct that has been fully sealed or buried in concrete – a situation we’ll note clearly in the written findings if the camera feed stops before the expected termination point.
Is a dryer vent inspection the same as a dryer vent cleaning?
No. An inspection documents the condition of the duct using a camera, airflow meter, and visual checks at each end. Cleaning uses negative-pressure extraction equipment and rotary brushing to remove lint and debris from the duct interior. Inspection tells you what’s there; cleaning removes it. The two services are related but distinct – and the inspection findings are what a responsible cleaning scope is based on. Running a brush through a duct without knowing the duct’s material, length, and condition is how joints get disconnected and foil sections get torn. CleanRun does not perform Dryer Vent Cleaning services without inspection findings on record.
What happens if the inspection finds a problem CleanRun can’t fix in the same visit?
You get the written findings report and the Documented Photo Record regardless – those are standard deliverables, not conditional on booking additional work. If the finding requires duct repair work beyond the scope of a single visit (for example, a disconnected joint inside a finished wall that requires drywall access), we put a written scope and price for that repair in front of you before leaving. The 365-Day Done Right Promise covers any repair work we perform. If you want to get a second opinion on the repair scope before committing, the written findings report you already have is exactly what you’d hand to another contractor to compare against.
Key Takeaways
- Dryer vent inspection in Alpharetta runs $89 to $149 as a standalone service, with a written price delivered before any work starts.
- Every inspection includes a camera run of the full duct length, an airflow measurement at the exterior cap, and a Documented Photo Record delivered as a standard job deliverable.
- Alpharetta’s mix of older homes with vinyl transition hoses and newer townhomes with long, elbow-heavy duct runs creates specific inspection findings that a national average doesn’t capture.
- The 365-Day Done Right Promise, in writing, applies to any cleaning or repair work performed after inspection findings are documented.
- CleanRun has served Alpharetta homeowners since 2013 – every one of those visits with a written price before the work started and photographs when the crew left.
- A Free Second Opinion on any written estimate is available at no cost. Call (678) 679-7540.
Schedule a Dryer Vent Inspection in Alpharetta
If you’re not sure what’s inside your dryer vent duct, the camera will tell you – and the photograph will be in your hands before we discuss next steps. CleanRun Air Duct Cleaning Alpharetta, which also provides Vent Cleaning, serves homeowners throughout Alpharetta, including Windward, North Point, Crabapple, and the communities along Old Milton Parkway and Haynes Bridge Road. Call (678) 679-7540 to schedule your inspection. A live person answers every call, and the written price arrives before any access panel comes off. That’s Haven Standard Clause 1, and it’s held on every job since we started in 2013.
Written by Tomas Reyes, Owner at CleanRun Air Duct Cleaning Alpharetta, serving Alpharetta since 2013.