Material
Rigid or semi-rigid metal
Smooth-bore metal duct flows better and doesn't melt. Flexible plastic ducting is no longer recommended for new installs.
Dryer ducting · Sydney-wide
Dryer ducting and exhaust
Ducting moves hot, moist, lint-laden air out of your home. When it's blocked, kinked, too long, or routed poorly, dryers run hotter, slower, and become a fire risk.
Why ducting matters
It's the part of a dryer nobody thinks about.
Until clothes stop drying properly — or worse.
- 01
Lint is highly flammable
Lint that escapes the filter builds up inside the ducting and around the heating element. It's one of the leading causes of dryer fires.
- 02
Long drying times waste energy
If you're running cycles twice to get clothes dry, the dryer's working harder than it should — usually because air can't escape.
- 03
Dryers fail early when they overheat
Blocked ducting forces the dryer to overheat, shortening the life of the heating element, thermal fuse, and motor.
- 04
Moisture damage
Bad ducting vents humid air back into the room or roof space, causing mould, paint damage, and structural problems over time.
Signs your ducting needs attention
What you'd notice first.
Most ducting problems creep up gradually. Drying takes a bit longer, the laundry feels warmer than usual, and clothes come out hotter — by the time you notice a burning smell, lint has been building up for a while. None of these signs should be ignored.
Cycles taking longer and longer over time
Dryer or laundry running hotter than usual
Clothes coming out very hot at the end of a cycle
Burning smell during or after a cycle (stop using immediately)
Visible lint around the back of the unit or at the external vent
External vent cover not opening / blocked by bird nests, leaves
Damp patches or peeling paint near the dryer
What we look for and fix
Six things we check during an inspection.
Blocked or clogged ducting
Lint builds up over years. The first sign is usually longer drying times; later you'll notice a burning smell.
Kinked or crushed ducting
Flexible ducting often gets squashed behind or above the dryer. Air can't move through a kinked duct.
Too long, too many bends
Every bend and every metre of duct length adds resistance. Long runs and tight bends choke airflow.
Wrong materials
Flexible plastic ducting is a known fire hazard and is no longer recommended. Semi-rigid foil and rigid metal are safer choices.
Damaged or blocked external vent
Bird nests, insect screens, leaves, or a vent cover that doesn't open properly will all stop the air getting out.
Ducting vented into the roof or wall cavity
Sometimes ducting just dumps moist air into the ceiling space. That's not safe or compliant — it needs venting to outside.
What a good install looks like
Four things that decide how well it works.
If your existing setup misses any of these, we'll quote the fix when we inspect.
Length
Keep it short
Manufacturer specs vary, but a typical maximum is about 7.5m with two 90° bends. Every additional bend subtracts roughly a metre of effective length.
Route
Straight and supported
Long sags, sharp bends, or crushing behind the dryer all choke airflow. Ducting should be supported and routed to keep its diameter.
Vent
Outside, with an opening flap
Always vent to outside — never into a wall, ceiling or roof cavity. The external cover should swing open under dryer airflow and close at rest.
Before you call
A minute of detail saves a return trip.
A bit of detail up front means we can come prepared with the right parts and ducting on the first visit.
Where the dryer is — laundry, garage, in a cupboard, stacked above a washer.
How long the duct run is, roughly, and where it exits the house.
What the ducting material looks like — flexible plastic (silver or white), foil, or rigid metal.
Whether you've cleaned the lint filter recently and whether drying times have changed.
If there's a burning smell — stop using the dryer and call us before running it again.
Servicing Sydney & surrounds
Not sure if we cover your suburb? Give us a call — we cover more areas than the list below and we'll tell you straight up if we can help.
- Maianbar
- Bundeena
- Cronulla
- Caringbah
- Miranda
- Sutherland
- Engadine
- Menai
How a ducting job goes
Three steps. No surprises.
- 1
Call or message
Describe the dryer's location, how the ducting is routed, and what you've noticed — longer cycles, smell, or visible damage.
- 2
We inspect
We check the ducting from dryer to external vent and tell you what we find.
- 3
Clean, replace, re-route
We clean, replace, or re-route as needed and confirm airflow before we leave.
Got a broken appliance? Give us a call.
Tell us what's happening and we'll talk you through whether it sounds repairable, what it usually costs, and when we could get to you.
Hours
- Mon–Fri 9:00am–5:00pm
- Sat closed
- Sun closed
Direct
- 0414 334 563
- service@mixquickfix.com.au
- ABN 13 204 152 288