Dryer Venting

I would say spend a little extra on a decent, aluminum vent assembly with a good flapper on it. The ones I'm familiar with run about $15 at Home Depot. If you keep the dryer door closed when not in use, I don't think you'll lose much heat through the vent, especially when that spring-loaded flapper is shut.

Have you considered an inside vent? If you can beat the dust problem, it makes more sense to keep the heat and moisture in the house. You probably can't do that with a gas dryer, but I know it works with electric.

Have you considered an inside vent? If you can beat the dust problem, it makes more sense to keep the heat and moisture in the house. You probably can't do that with a gas dryer, but I know it works with electric.

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This reminds me of a funny story where the builder told me he did not need a dryer vent. He would supply a bucket of water and attach a sock on the end of the vent. I told I would sign off the home ,if he could produce it in either manufacture spect or in the International Mechanical Codes. Final inspection requires a dryer vent passage passing threw the interior envelope exiting outside.

Flexible vent pipe of any kind can not be concealed Plastic and tin foil type have been non code compliant since 1988 All manufactures manuals spec hard pipe vent. Been this way for at least the past 10 years. 15,000 dryer fires in USa every year and not all are gas dryers. Most due to lint build up in the vents. Vents should be cleaned like your wood stove every 6 month moderate use,light use once a year. Vents passing in un headed spaces outside the insulation envelope are required to be insulated Verticle rising vents require cleanout tees A lot of codes to have a dryer to run safe and effecient.

I knew I was going to catch hell for even suggesting that.

I guess a laundry room would be a great place for a smoke detector.

shoot, the dryer vent in our apartment terminates in the kitchen and there is dust EVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERYWHERE.

SWMBO has to dust the kitchen 4 times a week so a film doesn't built up. Very unpleasant.

I think I read somewhere that if you stretch an old sock over the vent line and terminate it into a bucket with water at the bottom, you won't have that problem.

Pardon my ignorance, Corie, but WTF does SWMBO stand for?

SWMBO stand for?

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She who must be obeyed

I like Gideons response.

Dry the clothes outside on a line spring through fall, and inside during the winter. The dryer is one expensive azz appliance to run

Actually, my SWMBO dries them outdoors year-around. Clothes will dry just as well when it's below freezing, as long as the sun is shining. About the only time she uses the machine is when it's raining. Of course in the winter somebody (MWMO) has to shovel out a path to the clothesline.

Too bad there isn't some kind of heat exchanger you can run the exhaust through.

Eric Johnson said:

Too bad there isn't some kind of heat exchanger you can run the exhaust through.

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how about running the exhaust thru one of those things you can put on a chimney pipe (i forget what they call them) they have them for oil or gas with a fan that runs when it heats up. they throw a ton of heat. i seen one run on a oil burner i think it will go as high as 30000 btu output and dryers are i think 22000 btu.

If you have a well sealed house, running your dryer vent to 'heat your house' is going to give you a mold problem up the wazoo.

Vent that wet damp air outside. Live with the heatloss. Frontload washer and dryer will save you bucks on power and water.

What did you use for a vent on the outside? A flapper door or did you get one of the things that slides a cup up when the dryer is one and gravity brings it back down to close air off.

My gas dryer quit lighting years ago. I use a wood close drying rack, in the summer I have a de-humidifier next to it that sucks the moisture out quickly. In the winter it's so dry that I turn the settings off. This is in my basement and I have a very dry basement-no odor or effervesense.

My dryer is in the same room as my wood burner and I put a pair of panty hoes over the vent and vent it right twards the wood stove I'm looking for a little extra moisture anyways. I just replace the panty hoes everyonce in a while. no more figure I'm saving the money for the panty hoes with the extra heat I'm gaining from the dryer. Then in the summer I just hook it back up to the outside vent

struggle said:

What did you use for a vent on the outside? A flapper door or did you get one of the things that slides a cup up when the dryer is one and gravity brings it back down to close air off.

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My .02, I ditched the the regular dryer vent for the gravity cup type, awesome! Have to clean the lint on the outside to make sure it seals good about half way through the winter but I will never buy anything else and always recommend it.