The opening can be a primary entrance for mice and other unwanted roommates, so be sure to securely hook up your dryer vent and select a pest-preventing cap. Depending where you live, you may be allowed to run your dryer vent hose to a place inside your house. It's not intentional heating, and would only coincide with the dryer, but I'd think that dumping some hot air into the garage would raise the temperature a bit. When a vent line is too long, dryer exhaust ends up being stuck inside your vent line. reply, Blake T. You can NEVER vent a gas dryer indoors! Are you using your fireplace efficiently? Put a knee high stocking over the end to catch the lint. Preparing the Offset Dryer Vent . Just in winter.. Important note: Do not consider this if you have a gas dryer. You’ll notice it takes longer for your clothes to dry and the exterior of your dryer is hot. Simply use some duct tape and place a metal grate over the exhaust to catch lint.4. In my opinion, this object is a safe and beneficial thing for your home and outside as well. Because all types are sold for use with dryers, you would naturally assume that all are suitable for … Venting your clothes dryer into the house can cause mold and condensation problems. I put a knee high on the vent to collect the lint. This is an absolutely idiotic idea. Every electric dryer has to have an outlet through which it expels warm, moist air, or it won't work. Only do this with an electric dryer. If your home requires dryer vent cleaning, air duct cleaning, or other similar services, don’t hesitate to contact A … Some people try to counteract the dryness by installing a humidifier to add moisture to the house. Be sure to insulate (like stuff an old towel) in the opening to the outside for the rest of the season. It also isn't good for anyone with allergies... * If you live in a dry area (Like Arizona) you could open the windows & run a load or two, (If you REALLY need some clean clothes before you can get it hooked up) this wouldn't hurt anything, but I wouldn't do it on a regular basis. I found the other end of the hose just lying on the floor on the other side of the wall in my furnace closet. It's a well intended suggestion but please be very careful! Dont use a flammable material to act as a lint catch. Just to review, it really isn’t a good idea to vent your dryer to inside your home. Not only will you recover all the heat normally pumped outside but you'll be adding humidity to the air. Dryer vent pipes, properly called vent ducts, come in a variety of materials. Venting an electric dryer indoors would cause heat and moisture to accumulate inside, but there could be times when that it very desirable, like when it is 20 degrees outside, and the air indoors is extremely dry because the home is heated with a forced air heating system. Venting your dryer to the attic is not only a potential fire hazard but can result in moisture problems which causes more problems. Venting the electric inside will only cause problems with moisture, which can get expensive over time. On the bucket, drill holes around the upper half all the way around. Only do this during winter months when the humidity level in a home is low.2. Every home improvement show on the TV says all types of dryers should be vented to the outdoors. Put a knee high pantyhose over the vent. I don't think it's a good idea at all. I lived with an electric dryer vented inside for about 16 years. reply, David It's also called a periscope dryer vent.Offset vents allow the dryer to be installed closer to the wall than a typical basement installation, using a 90 degree 4-inch duct elbow on dryer's discharge vent. Hidden hazards I am not thinking of? I had some problems with the dryer and the electrician that came to repair it had an absolute fit when he saw the knee high. | It maintains above freezing due to the contact with the house, but it still gets intolerably cold. Just make sure you have at least 2 rows of holes drilled all around the top rim of the bucket.You will have to empty the bucket now & then, depending on how much laundry you do. They tend to be smaller than most Americans are used to and take longer to dry the clothes, but otherwise seem to work well. By doing this you have exponentially increased the likelihood of a house fire. I do not know how much heat (BTU's) a dryer outputs during a run but it seems like it would be a small amount, and of course most people don't run their dryer very often - maybe a handful of times a week. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community or ask a new question. She says it saves a lot of energy on heating and keeps the house from getting so dry in the winter. The lint will be caught in the hose, but the air will be able to blow through. Also, be sure to have your dryer hooked up properly, because if you use a plastic vent hose & not the fire-resistant metal type, then if lint gets stuck in a kink or bend of the line a nasty house fire might start! Any input? If it was a good idea everbody would be doing it. I know that venting a GAS dryer indoors would be extremely dangerous, because of carbon monoxide it produces. Dryer vent air is full of water vapor and dust. What about all the moisture what do you do about that? Mold and mildew? We have the electric dryer venting into the house rather than to outside because the dryer is in the middle of the house and the distance is too long for efficient venting. reply, Carolina Country To make the dyer more efficient, you can buy an inexpensive heat diverter and install it in the exhaust duct of electric dryers only (not gas dryers).You’ll save about 50¢ worth of heat per load in the winter. Load up on savings with these laundry tricks. Arnie Katz is the former building science consultant for Advanced Energy in Raleigh. Please help and offer some helpful suggestions before we get mold all over. How do you know when the added moisture will make you more comfortable or lead to mold growth or even rot? I've considered routing my electric dryer out there to help keep it a bit warmer. Venting a gas dryer inside would be dangerous because of the fumes. Some people have had luck with putting the hose inside a glass 1 gallon jar, but you have to watch it so it gets emptied often. Don’t Vent Dryer Into Home. How can I vent it outside to make it less of a fire hazard? The exhaust vent is also the combustion vent. Sometimes you need a paper towel roll to fit in the opening but do vacuum it regularly. This humidity can cause condensed moisture to form on your windows and other surfaces…a perfect recipe for mildew. The laundry is … In a recent issue of our newspaper, one of your fellow writers said it was OK to vent an electric (NOT GAS) dryer indoors to gain heat and humidity with an indoor-outdoor venting system. | I wouldnt do that. Home Depot and such stores carry kits for this. Wet lint does not always make it to the vent hose! Do I have recourse against the construction company? I vent the dryer inside only in winter. I used my dremel multi-tool with a cutting bit to make a pretty good circle, one that the vent hose end would just fit into. (03/29/2007). Try putting a knee hi on the end of your vent hose. I'd do it again if I didn' have an outside vent. Dryers pose significant & very real fire (due to lint) & health (due to mold) risks. My best scenario is for moving the dryer/washer into the garage to avoid the problem of distance venting issues, but we would have to get a plumber/electrician to get that set up. reply, A fireside tip for keeping your home energy efficient. How to install a dryer vent and make sure that it is safe. I'm going to get absolutely roasted for asking this, but... We're moving into a new house and will be replacing the old electric hot water heater with a new heat pump unit (probably a Stiebel Eltron) in the basement. DEAR BARRY: When we bought our condo, the home inspector said we might have trouble with the dryer vent, and he sure was right. That's why building codes are so specific about dryer venting. Bring the pipe up behind the dryer and extend it over the top so you can reach it. It was not problem and worked very well. The answer is that a gas stove doesnt give off as much carbon monoxide as a gas dryer or gas boiler. All in all, dryers can cost a lot to operate and create serious issues with moisture, comfort and even health. Additionally, if you own a gas-fired dryer, you need to install a carbon monoxide detector in your laundry room and ensure that your … It should catch the majority of any wayward lint. Good way to never wake up after taking a nap after doibg laundry. Save some money on heat this winter. But if you're inclined to do this, at the very least cut large 4" holes & optionally attach coarse stainless steel screen. The heatpump takes the heat and moisture and blows out cold air so i was thinking of adding an option to my dryer to vent inside instead outside. And it's obvious from the picture there is not enough exhaust holes to allow proper venting. October 18, 2017 | Determining where to vent the dryer may be more trouble than it’s worth. no no no don't use a stocking! He said it was a fire hazard and should be removed immediately. reply, John Snoozer's solution looks like a bigger version of what I paid money for. Have something to add? In addition to the hot moist air and lint, the vent from a gas dryer contains the combustion products of the gas fuel! Operating a dryer safely and effectively requires proper ventilation at all times. According to North Dakota State University Extension, if humidity levels are low inside the home, venting the dryer inside is a safe alternative. I also know that the ICC debated whether to amend the code, making the practice against code (403.5). The problem is determining which houses and when. Indoor dryer vent buckets are not ideal because of safety reasons, and they may be fire hazards as well. Source: My Dad had showed me this years ago. I understand the concern was the moisture and mold but what about this case with electric water heater. Although a dryer vent typically vents moist clothes dryer air into outdoor air, it is possible to vent an electric dryer indoors. You run a higher risk fire by not cleaning the duct switching winter summer would keep the duct clean. | My reasoning was just what your sister-in-law says: save all of the heat from blowing outside, and use the moisture to help prevent excessive dryness in the house. The low relative humidity in homes creates problems of dry skin and nasal passages. It's a shame to waste the heat & water. Here’s why. | While it is true that it heats up the interior of the home, it adds moisture to the air which causes mildew, mold and fungi growth, and dry rot of the framing members in the laundry room area walls, floors, and ceilings. You should check building codes in your area, and also visit your local hardware stores for kits to do the job. February 04, 2018 | Q. You don't want the products of combustion (e.g., carbon monoxide) in your house. Does the bucket catch a lot of it? How to install a clothes dryer exhaust vent: choosing materials, routing vent ducting, dryer vent duct connections, dryer vent termination at an exterior wall. Do a web search for indoor dryer vent. Any additional thoughts on this premise? All of the heat produced by the dryer is "lost" when you blow it outside. Venting inside compromises air quality, deposits uncontrolled moist air into the living space, and your insurance policy could void covering any moisture damage. What I do not know is whether the amendment passed. How to Run Dryer Venting Through a Crawlspace. You could vent an electric dryer indoors safely but it can lead to too much humidity in the place and mold. As the dryer is operating, the lint, moisture, and heat are vented into the bucket. I get sick from basement venting. A: This is an idea that's been around for awhile. I used my dryer a few times when the hose became disconnected, & saw mold spores. They suck air from the house into the dryer, heat it up with an electric element or gas burner, and blow the hot air — along with the moisture from your clothes — out the vent pipe. I wouldn't want to blow it into my house. If your house is already very leaky and dry in the winter, this will just make it worse. June 19, 2020 | Yea, it depends on the house and area youre in. If your duct has a … It had some little plastic vented cap on it so it was no accident. Q My sister-in-law told me about a device she attached to her dryer vent that collects the lint and directs the air into the house instead of outside. Dryer lint is also highly flammable. Venting a clothes dryer inside is against national code for a reason. Electric dryers can be vented indoors. | Now you might ask yourself why isnt a gas stove required to be vented outdoors? Get a 5-gallon bucket that has a lid. reply, Tom Boehlke The latest high tech approach is the solar clothes dryer. ago on my basement where the laundry room was relocated did NOT have the dryer vented outside. Back in the 1970s, I often advised my clients to vent their dryers into the house during winter. Some are flexible, and others are rigid. Good luck. The following are a few factors you should consider before choosing an … If the dryer isn't vented to the outside of the home, all of that moisture is being added inside. It's critical to avoid restricting the airflow (you're not even suppose to allow sheet metal screws to protrude into the vent). The answers depend on several facts. This isn't ideal, however, and there are many compelling reasons to vent your dryer outside instead. This approach is experimental and highly controversial. Venting an electric dryer indoors would cause heat and moisture to accumulate inside, but there could be times when that it very desirable, like when it is 20 degrees outside, and the air indoors is extremely dry because the home is heated with a forced air heating system. An indoor dryer vent is necessary for homes and other dwellings that cannot connect an outdoor dryer vent. In the summer, the air sucked in by the dryer tends to be hot and humid, making the air conditioner work harder. It was very damp. You can’t do this with a gas dryer, only electric. The devices that allow you to terminate the vent inside are a worst-case scenario treatment to allow you to have a dryer where one was never intended to be ( i.e., where there is no vent to outside). Venting a gas dryer into any enclosed space can cause an accumulation of carbon monoxide that could become lethal to humans and pets. Dryers exhaust should always be vented outside the home. It seems to me that the warm moist air from the ELECTRIC dryer exhaust is exactly what is missing from the indoor air UNDER THESE CONDITIONS. This catches the lint and helps keep it cool. Nope. March 05, 2018 | It's not safe to vent a gas dryer indoors. January 10, 2021 | When a dryer is in operation, it’s removing moisture and lint and venting it to the outside. Most dryer ducts are round and 4 inches in diameter. In this way, the indoor air remains safe to breathe, and the dryer itself can operate with increased efficiency. Kathy from OH. You can buy a box called an “indoor dryer vent kit” at home improvement stores, and it manages to control most of the lint, but not the water dumped into the air. Remember to turn down the thermostat when burning a fire, and close the damper when a fire is not burning. Not likely, unless a) you already have this issue or b) you are drying dozens of loads a day. But you should never vent a gas dryer indoors due to carbon monoxide build up and the same issues with electric dryer with mold. (04/22/2008), Finding Home Repair Help for Low Income Families, Removing Permanent Marker from Inside a Dryer. How do I vent it? Dryer vents exist to ventilate the air from your dryer outside your home and get rid of the lint inside the machine. An electric dryer pulls lots of moisture out of the clothes it's drying. ( gas dryers cannot be used as carbon Monoxide is a byproduct of burning natural gas )3. I suggested tying a stocking to the end of the pipe to prevent lint from blowing all over the house. Some people do this by putting a nylon stocking over the vent pipe because they think it is a cheap source of heat. My husband's solution is to put the stocking over the vent to avoid lint in the house. reply, Hugo For electric dryers, it is Underwriters Laboratories UL 2158. These are archives of older discussions. Every search result says that venting a gas dryer indoors is deadly. The quantity is much much larger and for longer periods. Simply disconnect the venting pipe to the outside and install a separate 4 inch aluminum flexible vent pipe. If you need more moisture in the winter, get a home humidifier. Here's a link that will help. Venting the dryer outside in cold weather wastes a lot of heat. The national codes have exceptions for interior venting of condensing type dryers. For most of us, trying to keep track of all of that to decide whether to vent the dryer inside or outside is probably more trouble than it's worth. | I am very alarmed at what I'm reading about this, as it is a GAS dryer. This style runs through an external wall, ending in a dryer vent cap outside of your home. Gas dryers, by contrast, are required to vent dryer exhaust out of doors. I have seen them advertised, and it supposedly isn't that bad an idea. reply, Tom Rason I'm well aware of the problems venting dryers, even electric, indoors. I would like more on venting gas dryer's indoors, and it's gas emmissions safety. There are some new, high tech solutions to this. Yes! I've seen some research reports that there are even some special devices now available to pin the clothes to the line. Outdoor dryer vents, on the other hand, are suitable for dryers with any power source. (03/29/2007), Though my dryer is vented to the outside the lint was collecting in my flower bed. I have an electric dryer in an interior utility room in my co-op. This would never pass code, permits more than enough moisture to form mold, will increase the time it takes to dry your clothes, & is a maintenance headache. With these standards, rigid and semi-rigid metal vent pipes are the accepted ways to vent the dryer. We constantly argue if the fan should be POINTED TOWARDS the source of the vent or AWAY FROM the vent to disburse the hot humid air around further into the house. My husband argues that it works best pointing away from source for whatever reason. In the winter, the make-up air the dryer sucks in tends to be dry, making the air in your house dry. Venting inside compromises air quality, deposits uncontrolled moist air into the living space, and your insurance policy could void covering any moisture damage. The devices that allow you to terminate the vent inside are a worst-case scenario treatment to allow you to have a dryer where one was never intended to be ( i.e., where there is no vent to outside). | You have to keep the cup filled with water in the type that I am familiar with. (03/29/2007). You’ll also have moisture in your home, which will show up as condensation on your windows or ceiling. "Fill the bucket halfway up with water. I just had to comment regarding snoozer55's suggestion. You take a special cord called a "clothes line" and stretch it between two poles outside in the sun. First, the air coming out of your dryer is mega humid. In general, dryer vents work to remove heat exhaust from the dryer during its operation. In extreme cases, the excess moisture can cause the wood in your home to rot. I am in favor of pointing fan towards the source of airvent so it is eliminated/decreased as soon as it exits (hopefully). Is this a good idea? Indoor dryer vent pros and cons: Are indoor dryer vents safe? Some homeowners use a much simpler system of venting down into a bucket of water, like in the photo at the top of this page. If you have an electric dryer, there may be some houses during some times of the year where using this strategy could be beneficial. 1. Vent dryers outside. Make plenty of holes, because the vent will go into the lid, which will be on top of the bucket, and you want it to "breathe. I have a gas dyer and I need to vent it inside the house. I vent it into the lint boxes (filled with about an inch of water), open the door to the utility room when the dryer is running and it works fine. September 04, 2018 | Any time you exhaust air from your house, an equal amount will be sucked in to make up for it. Gas burns creating carbon monoxide. Gas dryers should never be vented inside. In the winter, many homes could use a little extra heat and even some more moisture in the air. When I was younger I moved in to a house we'd just bought & started using the electric dryer without bothering to vent it to the outside & guess what!? My dryer vents to our enclosed porch, so here's what I made. Dryer vents are designed to expel moisture from just-washed clothes out of the house. Dryers are significant users of energy. A clear dryer duct can save energy and prevent a fire. I just last night found out that the remodel done 5 yrs. 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