“Dryer vents are all we do.”  Sometimes, what a man IS speaks more loudly than what he DOES.  So it is with Kenneth Carney, the Dryer Vent Wizard of Montgomery County, Texas.

A year ago, 35-year-old Kenneth Carney and his wife Melissa moved from New York to Texas to find a better place to bring up their two children, Emilia, who was aged 2, and Jackson, aged 7 months. Kenneth had been working the 11:00 PM to 7:00 AM shift as a building engineer, servicing and maintaining the HVAC, water, and electrical systems in a cancer treatment facility in New York.  It was a good job, but the couple wanted a different environment to raise their family. They began nationwide online research in 2020 to find a new location and found several sites that ranked Montgomery County as the best place to buy a home and to raise a family.

“We visited the area in December 2020 and fell in love with the people.”  Soon afterward, they bought a house in Montgomery sight-unseen, based on working with a realtor who did a video showing of a new-construction home.  Shortly afterward, Melissa contacted a life group at Restoration Church in Montgomery on Fish Creek. 

The family bid goodbye to New York. Kenneth drove the moving van and towed his wife’s car to their new Texas home. Their beagle Porter rode shotgun and kept him company.

Kenneth felt welcome right away.  “I was surprised when John and Kayme Pokorny, a husband and wife from Restoration Church, showed up unannounced the next afternoon and helped me unload the moving van. I didn’t know they were coming, but I sure appreciated their help. And they’ve been our best friends ever since.”

Melissa, the children, and Kenneth’s mother Christine Carney, flew in from New York a few days later, and the family settled in their new home.

Most people relocate because of a job first, then find a community to reside in. Not so with the Carneys. “We wanted to live in a community that better represented our values.” Kenneth explained.   So, they chose to first find the right community to bring up their family, and then find a job. “I was willing to commute to Houston to work, but I always wanted to own my own business because of the possibilities for growth and for employing other people.” Kenneth said.

That’s when a friend in New York introduced Kenneth to Neighborly franchises.  After a three-month vetting process, Kenneth was able to purchase the Dryer Vent Wizard franchise for Montgomery County.

Kenneth spent a week in North Carolina, shadowing an experienced franchise owner who taught him the ropes and ladders of dryer vent cleaning.   He purchased a colorful company van complete with special ladders, vacuums, brushes, and other equipment designed to protect clients’ roofs, vents, and gutters.

Fortunately, he didn’t have to start his business from the ground. The previous owner had retired and moved to Florida, so Kenneth began by servicing the existing clients. Soon, word-of-mouth led to expanding his services into Conroe, Magnolia, Tomball, Willis, and the rest of Montgomery County.

“Cleaning the dryer vent is an important safety measure for your home.   The clothes dryer is the second leading cause of housefires, because the dryer is the only household appliance to move a flammable material past a heating source,” Kenneth explained.

“Upon arrival, we conduct a full diagnostic and safety inspection of the entire vent system. Then we discuss any services that we recommend with the homeowner before completing any work.”

In addition to the safety issues, a clogged dryer vent can cause homeowners two more problems. There will be increased energy costs if the dryer is not operating efficiently and must run more than one cycle to dry the clothing.  That leads to increased wear and tear on the dryer, which shortens the life of the appliance. 

The initial inspection fee costs $55; the total cost of the service depends upon the length of line and where it exits the house.  There are different designs of dryer vents, and they need to be taken care of based on whether they exit the house six inches away or go all the way to the roof.

Carney discusses these details with the client upon completion of the inspection and prior to doing any work.  

Service calls usually take one to two hours, depending on the size of the home and the dryer vent structure.  The service includes full diagnostic tests of the dryer, ventilation, visual safety, building code violations, and installation or replacement of ventilation.

Both mind and body are important to Kenneth.  The body art on Kenneth’s arms displays his life’s journey and reflects his Christian values.  “I got my first tattoo when I was young, because I wanted to be like all my friends, especially my best friend Keith.”

His first tattoo was ’Tomorrow Ain’t Promised.”  Kenneth’s father had died when he was 16, but he had no clue how prophetic that expression would be in his life, because his friend Keith died a few years later.  “I had his face put on my arm as a way of honoring his memory.”

Other tats reflect Kenneth’s devotion to God and country. “Jesus, Lion of Judah” reminds him of the strength of Jesus.  “We the People,” the Empire State Building, and other art reflect his love of the United States and Christ. Still others remind him of his wife Melissa, their children, and memorable trips they have taken to Thailand and Arizona.

Being physically fit is important in Kenneth’s job, as well as his family’s life.   He and his wife Melissa do CrossFit together, as well as run 5K races for fun.

Kenneth leaves home each morning at 4:15 am to coach a 5:00 am class at CrossFit Laco.   His athletes range from 18 to 70 years old. “It’s an opportunity to help people condition their minds and bodies.  It’s one of my ways of giving back to the community. I also enjoy helping out at my church when I have the opportunity.”

For more information on Dryer Vent Wizard, visit on Facebook @DVWof TheWoodlands or their website WoodlandsDryerVent.com.

Call (713) 992-0902 or email kcarney@dryerventwizard.com. to schedule your appointment for what may be the chance to prevent a fire in your home. Like the adage says, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”