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 New Braunfels, TX
A dryer vent inspection in New Braunfels typically runs $79-$149 and gives you a documented, camera-based assessment of your vent line from the back of the dryer to the exterior termination cap – before any cleaning quote is written. It tells you exactly what’s inside the duct: lint depth, crush points, disconnected sections, bird nests, or a termination flap that stopped opening two seasons ago. If you’ve noticed longer dry times, a laundry room that feels warmer than usual, or a vent cap that doesn’t visibly exhaust during a cycle, that’s the inspection telling you something.
At CleanRun Air Duct Cleaning New Braunfels, every inspection starts with a written price – no verbal estimates, no “we’ll know more when we’re inside.” That’s Haven Standard Clause 1, and it applies here the same as every other job we do. Tomas Reyes built CleanRun on that principle in 2013, and after more than 52,000 homes served, it hasn’t changed. If you want to start with a call, reach us at (830) 549-6847 – a live person answers, not a recording.
This inspection service is part of our broader Dryer Vent Cleaning in New Braunfels offering. If the inspection finds lint accumulation or a duct obstruction, the cleaning scope and price are written out the same visit – you decide whether to proceed. Nothing is assumed.
When You Need a Dryer Vent Inspection
Some of these are obvious. Some aren’t. New Braunfels has a mix of newer construction in Veramendi and Vintage Oaks alongside older ranch-style homes in the Hill Country Village corridor – and vent configurations vary dramatically between them. A 2022 build in Fischer might have a 6-foot straight run through an exterior wall. A 1994 slab home near Gruene could have 18 feet of flex duct routed through a cabinet, around a corner, and up through a soffit. The inspection tells you which situation you’re actually dealing with.
- Clothes are taking more than one cycle to dry. This is the most common complaint we hear in New Braunfels. Extended dry times almost always trace back to restricted airflow – either lint accumulation at an elbow joint or a crushed section of flex duct behind the dryer. An inspection locates the restriction before any cleaning work is quoted.
- The laundry room is noticeably warm during a cycle. A dryer exhausts a significant volume of hot, humid air per load. If that air isn’t leaving the building efficiently, it backs up – and the room temperature rises. In a New Braunfels summer, that’s a problem you’ll notice immediately.
- You can’t remember the last time the vent was checked. The U.S. Fire Administration recommends annual dryer vent cleaning. If you bought your home between 2015 and 2025 and the inspection records weren’t in the disclosure packet, you genuinely don’t know what the previous owner did – or didn’t do.
- The exterior termination cap doesn’t open during a cycle. Stand outside while the dryer runs. The flap or louver should open visibly and you should feel warm air exhaust. If it doesn’t move, the vent is blocked – either at the cap itself (bird nests are common near Canyon Lake Road and areas with heavier tree cover) or somewhere in the line.
- You smell something musty or burning from the dryer. A burning smell can mean lint has accumulated close enough to the heating element to be a fire concern. This is one of the few vent situations where we tell customers to stop running the dryer until the inspection is done. A musty smell points toward moisture trapped in a low section of the duct – common in longer runs with sag points.
- You’ve had pest activity or recent construction near the duct termination. New Braunfels sees significant bird and rodent pressure around exterior vent caps, particularly in neighborhoods closer to the Guadalupe River corridor. A nest at the termination can be complete enough to fully block airflow while looking unobstructed from inside the home.
Our Dryer Vent Inspection Process
Every inspection follows the same documented sequence. Nothing is skipped to save time, and nothing is added to inflate scope. The photo record starts at step one.
- Pre-inspection intake and written scope. Before the technician touches anything, you receive a written price for the inspection itself – no range, no “starting at.” One number. The technician also records the dryer make, model, vent material, and approximate run length based on a visual walkthrough. This becomes part of the job record.
- Exterior termination assessment. The technician photographs and physically checks the cap or louver at the building exterior. We document whether the flap opens freely, whether the screen (if present) is blocked by lint or nest material, and whether the cap is correctly sized for the duct diameter. In New Braunfels, we regularly find standard 4-inch caps replaced at some point with a 3-inch aftermarket cap – that mismatch alone restricts airflow by roughly 40 percent.
- Camera pass through the full duct run. Using professional-grade inspection equipment, the technician runs a camera from the dryer connection point to the exterior termination – or as close to it as the duct configuration allows. Every significant finding is photographed: lint depth at elbows, crush points in flex sections, disconnected joints, visible moisture staining, or foreign material. This is the documented photo record, and it goes to you as part of the standard job file – not something we keep on file and you have to request.
- Airflow measurement at the termination point. With the dryer running, the technician measures exhaust airflow at the exterior cap. The baseline for a clear 4-inch residential duct is approximately 100-120 CFM (cubic feet per minute). A measurement well below that confirms restriction even when the camera image looks relatively clear – sometimes the issue is a long run with multiple elbows rather than visible accumulation at any single point.
- Written findings summary. The technician writes out what the camera and airflow measurement found – plain language, specific locations (“3-inch lint accumulation at the 90-degree elbow approximately 4 feet from the wall connection”), and a recommended action. If cleaning is warranted, the cleaning price is written next to the finding. You decide. There’s no pressure to commit to anything during the inspection visit.
- Photo record delivered. Before the technician leaves, the full before-state photo record is delivered to you – digitally, the same day. If you proceed with cleaning, a second photo set showing the after-state is added to the same record. This is the documented difference between a vent that’s been looked at and a vent that’s been worked on.
BeforeAfterDryer Vent Inspection Pricing in New Braunfels
How Much Does Dryer Vent Cleaning Cost? (2026 Price Guide) - New Braunfels, TX: dryer vent inspection in New Braunfels runs $79-$149 for a standard single-story residential run. The written price is set before the technician starts – Haven Standard Clause 1 applies to every job, inspection included. Here’s what moves the number within that range:
| Factor | Price Impact |
|---|---|
| Standard single-story run (up to 12 ft, 1-2 elbows) | $79-$99 |
| Longer or multi-elbow run (12-25 ft, 3+ direction changes) | $99-$129 |
| Multi-story or rooftop termination | $119-$149 |
| Inspection bundled with same-day cleaning (inspection fee credited) | Inspection fee applied to cleaning total |
The inspection fee is credited toward our Dryer Vent Cleaning services cost if you decide to proceed the same visit. That’s not a promotional condition – it’s how we structure the job so customers aren’t paying twice for the same mobilization.
If you have a written estimate from another company, bring it. CleanRun offers a Free Second Opinion on any written estimate – we put our number next to theirs in writing, same day. That’s not a sales tactic; it’s how we hold ourselves to the price we quote.
To get your written price before the visit, call (830) 549-6847. We’ll confirm the duct configuration details over the phone and deliver the written price before scheduling.
What CleanRun Finds in New Braunfels Homes
After inspecting dryer vents across New Braunfels since 2013 – from Gruene Road to the newer subdivisions near FM 306 – a few patterns show up consistently.
Flex duct crush is common in homes built between 1998 and 2010 where the original installer routed the duct through a tight cabinet base. The duct looks fine from the outside. The camera shows a section compressed to roughly half its diameter, which reduces airflow significantly regardless of how clean the rest of the line is. Cleaning a partially crushed duct without addressing the crush doesn’t solve the drying-time problem.
Bird nests at exterior termination caps are particularly common in neighborhoods with established tree cover – Canyon Lake Road, River Chase, areas near Landa Park. A cavity wren or house sparrow can build a complete nest inside a louver-style cap in a single week, and from the laundry room it looks like nothing has changed. The camera finds it immediately.
Longer-than-code runs appear more often in New Braunfels than in newer metro markets because a lot of the older Hill Country construction placed the laundry room toward the interior of the house, requiring a longer vent path to reach an exterior wall. IRC code allows a maximum effective duct length that accounts for elbow deductions – each 90-degree elbow reduces the allowable run by 5 feet. A run that was at code on install can fall out of compliance after a single added elbow during a renovation. The inspection documents the actual run length and elbow count so you have that record.
Equipment We Use
For camera inspection, we use professional-grade equipment capable of traversing elbows and returning a clear image in an unlit duct. For airflow measurement, we use a calibrated anemometer to document CFM at the exterior termination – not an estimate, a reading. For Vent Cleaning work that follows an inspection, we use Nikro negative-pressure extraction systems paired with Rotobrush agitation equipment. Both are trade-recognized brands with documented specifications customers can verify independently before agreeing to a price.
The 365-Day Done Right Promise
Every inspection and cleaning job at CleanRun is backed by the 365-Day Done Right Promise. If the work isn’t right – if airflow hasn’t improved, if a finding was misidentified, if a duct section we said was clear shows a problem within the year – we come back and make it right. That’s in writing on every job record, not a policy subject to manager approval. Tomas Reyes signs off on that promise on every job that leaves this company.
FAQs – Dryer Vent Inspection
How long does a dryer vent inspection take in New Braunfels?
A standard dryer vent inspection in New Braunfels takes 45-75 minutes from arrival to photo delivery. That covers the exterior cap assessment, the full camera pass, the airflow measurement, and the written findings summary. Longer runs or multi-story configurations add 15-20 minutes. If you’re scheduling back-to-back with a cleaning, plan for 2-3 hours total depending on duct length and condition. Call (830) 549-6847 for a time estimate specific to your duct configuration.
Is a dryer vent inspection different from dryer vent cleaning?
Yes – an inspection and a cleaning are separate services with different scopes. The inspection documents what’s in the duct: lint depth, obstruction location, duct condition, airflow measurement, and exterior cap status. Cleaning removes the material found during inspection using negative-pressure extraction and rotary agitation. You can have an inspection without cleaning – for instance, if you’re buying a home and want a baseline record before closing, or if you simply want to know the current state of the vent before deciding whether cleaning is needed. If cleaning follows the inspection the same day, the inspection fee is credited toward the cleaning total. Our full Dryer Vent Cleaning in New Braunfels page covers the cleaning process in detail.
Can I inspect my dryer vent myself?
You can check a few things without equipment: confirm the exterior cap opens during a cycle, look for visible lint at the connection behind the dryer, and note whether the laundry room is warmer than normal during operation. What you can’t do without a camera and airflow meter is locate a restriction inside an elbow, measure actual CFM, or document crush points in a flex section – the parts of the duct that aren’t visible from either end. The camera-based inspection finds what a visual walk-around misses, and the photo record gives you something in writing if you’re in a sale or a warranty situation. Dryer vent systems can also develop problems – such as disconnected sections or heavy lint accumulation near heat sources – that carry real fire risk. For that reason, we’d rather you call us than attempt to probe the duct interior yourself.
How often should dryer vents be inspected in New Braunfels?
Once per year is the standard for a household running a dryer regularly – 5 or more loads per week. New Braunfels homes with longer-than-average vent runs (common in older Hill Country construction) or gas dryers benefit from inspection on that schedule or slightly more frequently, since gas dryers move higher volumes of exhaust air and accumulate lint faster than electric models. If you’ve had recent construction, a rodent or bird issue near the exterior wall, or a noticeable change in dry times, don’t wait for the annual cycle – call for an inspection at (830) 549-6847. The written price comes before the visit.
Key Takeaways
- Dryer vent inspection in New Braunfels runs $79-$149, with the written price delivered before any work starts.
- Every inspection includes a camera pass, airflow measurement, written findings summary, and a same-day photo record delivered to the customer.
- The inspection fee is credited toward the same-day cleaning total if you decide to proceed.
- All work is backed by the 365-Day Done Right Promise – in writing on the job record.
- CleanRun has served New Braunfels homes since 2013, with every job documented by photo before and after.
- A Free Second Opinion on any written estimate is available at no cost – call (830) 549-6847.
Schedule Your Dryer Vent Inspection in New Braunfels
If your dryer is running longer than it should, the laundry room is warm, or you simply don’t have a record of the last time the vent was checked, the right next step is a written price and a camera look – in that order. CleanRun serves New Braunfels and the surrounding Hill Country area. A live person answers at (830) 549-6847 every time you call. Give us the basics on your duct configuration and we’ll put the written inspection price in front of you before we schedule anything. That’s how every job starts here – including this one.
You can also learn more about how the full service works on our home page, or go deeper on what happens after the inspection on our Dryer Vent Cleaning in New Braunfels page.
Written by Tomas Reyes, Owner at CleanRun Air Duct Cleaning New Braunfels, serving New Braunfels since 2013.