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I discovered last night that our dryer vent has come loose from the dryer. It was just blowing linty steam into the pantry.

There’s a crimped pipe that comes out of the back of the dryer (visible in photo 2), a small elbow (Photo 1) that fits neatly over that, a flexible tube from the elbow down to a solid tube at the floor, and then it heads into the crawl space and out to a vent from there.

Photo 1: Photo 2:
Photo of vent tubing connected to back of dryer Photo of the crimped connection at the back of the dryer

The point where the elbow connects to the dryer had no foil tape and no hose clamp. It was apparently just held on with friction.

I fitted the elbow back on, but when I start the dryer, the elbow joint shown in the photo just flies off, which makes sense since there is a lot of hot air blowing straight at it. I added a hose clamp, and tightened it down but after about 15 minutes of drying it also flew off.

I can try to tighten the hose clamp more, but I feel like I’m missing something.

The elbow fits on so snugly that there’s nothing to use the foil tape on. Should I be doing more than just tightening the hose clamp to get the elbow connected to the dryer?

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    Sounds like there may be a restriction that is causing backpressure so the elbow blows off. Check the entire duct to see if there is cleaning needed. If so, clean the entire duct and re-attach the elbow , adding a self tapping screw or 2 to keep it on.
    – RMDman
    Jan 6 at 3:18
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    It sounds like I need to get in there and clean it. That had not occurred to me, but for sure makes sense.
    – Amanda
    Jan 6 at 16:38

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If that exhaust duct hasn't been cleaned in a while - it probably needs it. There are companies that will do it for you or you can purchase a dryer duct cleaning kit that has brush extensions and typically attaches to a hand drill.
Once it's clear of obstructions the elbow will probably stay on for you with the hose clamp. If not, after attaching the elbow you can drill small holes through the edge of the elbow and the exhaust flange on the dryer exhaust and hold it on with small (maybe 1/4") sheet metal screws. Keep them as short as possible so they won't catch a lot of lint when the dryer is in use.

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    Instead of predrilling, one can simply use self-tapping sheet metal screws. They'll make their own hole, then thread themselves into the hole as you continue to turn. Otherwise, spot on!
    – FreeMan
    Jan 6 at 13:57
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    I've never tried it but you can use a leaf blower to blast out dryer ducts. (There are YouTube videos).
    – Steve Wellens
    Jan 6 at 15:58
  • @FreeMan - Good point!
    – HoneyDo
    Jan 6 at 18:28
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    Word of caution -- The disconnecting of the exhaust hose is a feature. Lint clogged vents are a fire risk and not getting sufficient airflow through the dryer will cause the heating element to rise to unsafe temperatures. I'd advise against securing the exhaust hose in at least one place.
    – psaxton
    Jan 6 at 19:18
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    I did a good deal of cleaning on the vents, including ensuring that the vent outlet to the outdoors is clear and dried a full load of sheets without the elbow flying off. I think the issue was at the vent to the outside, but I cleared everything out with a vacuum.
    – Amanda
    Jan 8 at 20:33
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The whole of the exhaust tube should not be under any pressure from the air being blown through it. If there is pressure in the tube, it could be that the final vent to outside is blocked, or will not open easily. That's there to stop air entering the appliance, or building, when the wind blows. Check that first, and also any bend in the tube which may restrict air flow, or any build up of lint anywhere in the tube.

The large clip should clamp the beginning of the tube to the outlet. If it doesn't, I suggest a layer of flexible mastic between the two, as well as the clamp. Leave for a day or two to go off, after a good tightening.

Or, purchase a hard plastic tube which will go over the tumbler's outlet, and into the flexitube. Around 4"-6" in length, so it mates well with the latter. Given there's enough room, that can be screwed, or better, pop-rivetted onto the back of the machine. 90 degree bent ones are also available.

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If your right angle pipe doesn't have any crimps (like the dryer outlet) or other stress reliefs built into it, using a hose clamp may not be doing much.

You're not going to able to compress that end of the right angle pipe with a hose clamp and screw driver - the opening is too stiff.

Cut a handful of approximately 1 inch slots around the end of the right angle pipe, the more the better. This will allow that end of the pipe to compress around the dryer outlet when you tighten it down with a hose clamp. Like in this markup of your photo.

enter image description here

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You could try wedging a stick here. Albeit, it would probably come loose over time due to vibration unless you also secured it to the wall.

enter image description here

In reality you should figure out if there is a blockage in the pipe because it should not have enough pressure to just blow off the pipe like that unless it's extremely loose and gravity+vibration is causing the disconnect.

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  • I think that functionally, this is what was holding it on before. Normally the dryer is closer to the wall -- I pulled it out so I could get in there and fix the connections.
    – Amanda
    Jan 6 at 16:40

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