Knowledge Builders

is it ok to vent dryer into crawl space

by Dr. Schuyler Sawayn Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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2: It's OK to vent a dryer into the crawlspace or attic, rather than all the way outside. DO NOT vent your dryer directly into a crawlspace, basement or attic.Mar 11, 2016

How to repair a dryer vent duct?

Vent Duct

  1. Turn off the valve at the natural gas flex line behind the dryer. ...
  2. Ask an assistant to help move the dryer away from the wall to access the vent duct that attaches at the back of the dryer.
  3. Loosen the clamp that secures the end of the duct to the flange at the back of the dryer with a nut driver or small socket and ratchet.

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How to properly ventilate your crawl space?

The following are some important terms of IRC:

  1. There should be at least 1 sq. ft. ...
  2. Owners should cover the ground of their crawl spaces with any vapor-resistant material approved by the IRC.
  3. Every building corner must have at least one vent opening that will allow maximum airflow.

How do you vent a basement dryer?

How do you vent a dryer in the basement? For basement installation, the vent should be a minimum of 12 inches above the ground. Drill a test hole in the center of the marked circle. Check inside and outside to be sure there isn't anything blocking the intended dryer duct installation spot. Plug the hole and re-drill if necessary.

Can you run a dryer vent under your house?

It might be a tempting alternative to vent your dryer into your garage, and while it may save you from having to crawl under your house or punch a hole in the exterior, it’s not as good of an idea as it might seem. The main function of your dryer is to remove moisture from textiles using heated air that’s forced through the inside.

Why do you need a fan in a dryer?

What happens when you put clothes in the dryer?

Will an Exhaust Fan in the Dryer Duct System Help Dryer Performance?

Can You Use Corrugated Plastic to Vent a Dryer?

Should I Insulate My Dryer Vent?

What happens if you push hot air up in the attic?

Can you vent a dryer into a crawl space?

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Can you put dryer vent under house?

Vented air from the dryer is full of moisture since it contains water from the clothing being dried. Do not vent it into your crawlspace or basement since you will definitely have moisture problems.

How do you vent a dryer without a vent outside?

Install An Indoor Dryer Lint Trap. Probably the most common way to vent a dryer without a vent to the outside is to use an indoor dryer lint trap. ... Vent It To A Window. The second way to vent a dryer without outside access is to just use a window if available. ... Install A Ventless Dryer.

How do you install a dryer vent in a crawl space?

2:4411:49Replace All Dryer Ducts | In-House Dryer Vent Hose | Outside Vent HoodYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd that's bad install crawl space exhaust vent duct. Work. So we're in the crawl. Space we're gonnaMoreAnd that's bad install crawl space exhaust vent duct. Work. So we're in the crawl. Space we're gonna put our elbow from the crawl. Space up into that hole and you can rotate it with your arm.

Can you vent a dryer down through the floor?

If you are going to vent through the floor, drill a hole through the floor then trace the vent and cut the hole out. You may want to make this hole slightly larger than the vent so that you can pull the vent through. This section of the dryer vent installation guide talks about venting through a brick wall.

Do all dryers need to be vented outside?

No, not all dryers require a vent to function correctly. Vented dryers must always be used with a vent hose because it helps to remove heat, lint, and moisture and expel it outside the building. However, ventless models, like condenser and heat pump dryers, do not require a vent.

Does electric dryer have to be vented outside?

Every electric dryer has to have an outlet through which it expels warm, moist air, or it won't work. The air is usually loaded with lint, and if you don't vent it outside, it can cause all kinds of problems. The moisture can rot framing and promote mold growth, and the lint can catch fire.

What is code for venting a dryer?

Dryer venting systems are covered in the International Residential Code (IRC) at M1502 - Clothes Dryer Exhaust.

How do you clean a dryer vent in a crawl space?

Remove lint from the duct by hand and then vacuum the inside of the duct. Use hose extensions, if available, to vacuum out as much of the duct as you can. Go outside the house and remove the exterior vent cover. Clean out the dryer vent from the outside using a vacuum.

How long can a dryer vent be?

35 feetThe maximum length of the exhaust duct does not include the transition duct. This means that vents should also be as straight as possible and cannot be longer than 35 feet. Any 90-degree turns in the vent reduce this 35-foot number by 5 feet, since these turns restrict airflow.

Is it better to vent dryer up or down?

It's fine for the dryer vent to rise vertically to enter the building ceiling, but within the ceiling the vent should slope downwards towards its exit point at the building exterior wall.

Where should my dryer vent be?

It's best to route the dryer vent in a horizontal path to the home's outside wall. All horizontal runs should pitch 1/4-inch per foot to the outside. This will help to avoid moisture from sitting in the pipe or draining back to the dryer.

Can you vent a dryer vertically?

It's best to vent a dryer through an exterior wall. However, sometimes this isn't an option. You can vent a dryer vertically as long as you don't exceed a distance of 35 feet in length. The preferred way to vent a dryer is downward or laterally but vertically is indeed an option.

Can you vent a dryer into a bucket of water?

We solved this by purchasing a dryer vent bucket from the hardware store, but our plumber says this is not permitted by code. It works just fine and never gives us any trouble. We just fill it with water and connect the dryer duct. The water in the bucket collects the lint, and we change the water from time to time.

What happens if you run a dryer without a vent?

While an electric dryer doesn't require ventilation, its performance will be negatively affected, making it energy-inefficient, causing faster wear and potential overheating. Gas dryers require ventilation when installed indoors; failure to ventilate a gas dryer can lead to carbon monoxide buildup in the room.

What happens if dryer is not vented?

If the dryer isn't vented to the outside of the home, all of that moisture is being added inside. This can promote the growth of mold and mildew and cause condensation to form on your windows. In extreme cases, the excess moisture can cause the wood in your home to rot.

Can you vent a ventless dryer?

Ventless dryers cannot be vented. Such a modification would be invasive, complicated, and would only compromise the function of the appliance, decreasing its efficiency. Ventless dryers are designed to operate safely without a vent. Venting one would not add any benefits, only take some away.

Can 4" alum. dryer vent go inside an interior wall. - JLC Online

Re: Can 4" alum. dryer vent go inside an interior wall. Your problem is not heat, it's volume/capacity of the duct. If you use rigid 4" duct, squishing a bit shouldn't be a problem IF you do the calculations for the length of the run and reduce the result to allow for the reduced cross-section.

Dryer Vent into wall, down through floor

My dryer will be in my main bathroom. I have a 2x4 wall with 2x2 material firing it out so it's a 2x6 wall up until the tub, which I have only the 2x4 wall there (this was a quick fix to gain 1.5" inches more clearance for the tub and still achieve 2x6 wall for dryer vent. I plan on installi...

Why are dryer vents so difficult to hook up?

Is it just my DH and me? Every time we've ever had to move the dryer (granted, that's not very often), it's always a MAJOR ordeal to get the darn vent hooked up again. The metal ring that goes around the vent is really hard to screw in the first place. Second, it's hard to get it tight enough that ...

Dryer vent do's and don'ts - Inman

There's misconceptions about dryer venting, and people are struggling with misinformation that they've gathered from friends, the internet or other sources.

Why vent outside?

Vent it outside to avoid any issues.

Can you vent an electric dryer in the laundry room?

Carbon monoxide and all that. If you have a very dry climate and an electric dryer, vent it right in the laundry room (you can add an additional lint trap) to help with humidity and warmth. If it causes a problem in that room, it will be obvious and you can deal with it.

Can you run a dryer through a T?

My mother vented her dryer into her basement for warmth down and upstairs (floor, open joists) and never a moisture issue at all. Ran it through a T with a door and had pantyhose on the end. It was very easy to tell when to clean out the pantyhose.

Can you vent a dryer into a crawl space?

Vented air from the dryer is full of moisture since it contains water from the clothing being dried. Do not vent it into your crawlspace or basement since you will definitely have moisture problems. After you vent it outside, run the dryer and put your hand over the vent and you will see what I mean. Share.

Is it safe to vent a gas dryer?

Since you are looking at your dryer vent, but don't mention climate or type of dryer, I will mention a few things. It is considered unsafe to vent a gas dryer indoors because the combustion fumes go into the vent also. Carbon monoxide and all that.

Does a dryer vent heat?

Your dryer puts out dry heat not moister,its not vented from wet clothes its vented or excess heat ,there is nothing wrong with it in your crawl space,mine has been under the house for 10 or more years and in the winter my floors stay warm when the dryer is running

How does a dryer vent work?

A clothes dryer removes several pounds of water from an average load of laundry, and it's the job of the vent to disperse it. When you run the vent pipe through a cool space like a crawlspace, the warm, moist air can condense on the inside of the pipe and trap lint.

How high should a pipe be above the ground?

Hang the pipe from the floor joists with plumbing strapping. Keep the pipe as straight as possible because lint collects in sags. The pipe must be at least 12 inches above the ground and 12 inches from any obstructions, such as posts or vertical framing.

Can you use flexible plastic dryer vent hose?

Avoid using flexible plastic dryer vent hose. It isn't code compliant in most communities because it can catch fire.

What are the components of a dryer exhaust?

The three components of a dryer exhaust are heat, lint , and water as humidity in the air. When you think the about the weight of a load of towels when they come out of the washer, and then what they weigh when you take them out the dryer, it’s a lot of water. And it all goes into the air.

What does it mean when you move your laundry to a different part of the house?

But relocating the laundry to a different part of the house, or damage or clogging to the original dryer duct, may mean that a homeowner changes the vent termination to an enclosed space that is usually not air conditioned.

Can you use a dryer vent kit?

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. 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. Either way, it creates an extremely moist and warm indoor environment that is conducive to mold growth, and we regularly find mold problems around indoor dryer vents.

Is dryer lint flammable?

So a dryer vent terminating in an enclosed and unconditioned space provides the heat, moisture and organic material to create an ideal environment for mold growth. Dryer lint is also highly flammable.

Can a dryer vent be outside?

Home clothes dryers don’t start out venting into an enclosed space because the building code specifies that the termination of a dryer duct must be outside. Here’s what the Florida Building Code (FBC), Residential Edition, says about it: But relocating the laundry to a different part of the house, or damage or clogging to the original dryer duct, ...

Can you put dryer ducts in garage?

There is also a second issue with terminating a dryer in the garage: no ducts between the garage and house living area are allowed because they create a route for a fire in the garage to penetrate easily into the home. This code requirement is usually referred to when a homeowner wants to install air conditioning ducts from the house HVAC system to the garage, but also applies for dryer ducts.

Why do people vent dryers into water?

The only reason that people vent dryers into water is to contain the lint so it doesn’t fly around. But that does nothing to solve the problem of getting the moisture out of the house; in fact, pushing moist air into a bucket of water simply makes the problem worse.

How often should I clean my dryer vent?

How often is a matter of how much use your dryer gets. Large families that do lots of laundry should consider having it cleaned every six months, while someone living alone and doing laundry once a week or so might need to have it done only once in three or four years.

Do you need a booster fan for dryer ducts?

However, you need to use a booster fan that’s specifically designed for dryer ducts; moisture and lint will quickly ruin a conventional exhaust fan.

Can you vent a dryer to the outside?

Definitely NOT! As the clothes dry, moisture is being removed and vented out of the dryer, which is why it’s so important that clothes dryers be vented all the way to the outside of the house. If not, you’ll be pumping a tremendous amount of warm, moist air directly into your home, which is a perfect recipe for creating mold growth, as well as potentially doing a lot of structural damage. That air also carries with it a lot of fine lint particles. That’s not something you want to be breathing, and in high-enough concentrations the lint is highly flammable.

Do dryer vents need to be insulated?

Hang the pipe from the floor joists — don’t let it drape on the ground. Misconception No. 6: Dryer vents don’t need to be insulated. If the duct is in a heated space, such as the inside of the house or in a finished basement, then no, it doesn’t need to be insulated.

Does flex ducting have lint?

The white plastic flex duct has lots of problems. Wet lint accumulates in all the little folds, and can’t be removed through normal cleaning. The plastic has virtually no structural strength, so as the wet lint accumulates, the duct sags more and more, which allows more and more lint to accumulate in a vicious cycle.

Can you vent a dryer into a crawl space?

DO NOT vent a dryer directly into a crawl space or basement. I know I’m being repetitious, but I received so many similar questions about this that it obviously bears repeating. You’ll be pumping a lot of warm, moist air under the house that can cause both mold and structural issues, and you’ll also be letting all the lint accumulate, which is a definite fire hazard!

Why do you need a fan in a dryer?

A fan system in the dryer duct will help you get your clothes to dry quicker, and you will end up burning much less electricity.

What happens when you put clothes in the dryer?

Remember, when you put your clothes into the dryer, they were soaking wet, and the dryer used warm air to help dry them.

Will an Exhaust Fan in the Dryer Duct System Help Dryer Performance?

Sometimes the route from the dryer to the outdoors is a bit longer than you would like.

Can You Use Corrugated Plastic to Vent a Dryer?

By now, we have hopefully established the fact that you have to vent a dryer.

Should I Insulate My Dryer Vent?

As we mentioned, there is going to be a good amount of moisture that runs through your dryer vent.

What happens if you push hot air up in the attic?

If you try pushing more hot air up there, it will make the attic almost unbearable.

Can you vent a dryer into a crawl space?

It is not okay to vent a dryer directly into a crawl space.

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1.Is It Okay To Vent Dryer Into A Crawl Space? (What to …

Url:https://www.homemindset.com/is-it-ok-to-vent-dryer-into-crawl-space/

28 hours ago  · It is not okay to vent a dryer directly into a crawl space. There are several reasons that this could cause damage to your home. Let’s first consider what it is that comes out of the …

2.Can I vent my dryer into the crawl space without creating …

Url:https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/15716/can-i-vent-my-dryer-into-the-crawl-space-without-creating-mold-and-moisture-prob

19 hours ago  · In conclusion. It is not advisable to let your dryer vent spew its air to your crawl space as the ramifications for this can end up with you having molds and mildew, not just in …

3.How to Run Dryer Venting Through a Crawlspace - SFGATE

Url:https://homeguides.sfgate.com/run-dryer-venting-through-crawlspace-63077.html

27 hours ago  · 3 – Fire Hazard. One of the major downsides of venting inside a crawl space is how much heat you’re releasing into your home. The amount of heat generated, alongside the …

4.Why does venting a clothes dryer into a garage, attic, or …

Url:https://www.howtolookatahouse.com/Blog/Entries/2018/6/why-does-venting-a-clothes-dryer-into-a-garage-attic-or-crawl-space-cause-problems.html

23 hours ago Please check the IRC for up to date codes. Just so you know: a dryer's exhaust is anything but dry heat. It is mostly water vapor extracted from the clothes by the dryers heat source and expelled …

5.What is the proper way to vent a dryer through a …

Url:https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/63024/what-is-the-proper-way-to-vent-a-dryer-through-a-crawlspace

24 hours ago  · Dryer vents should not be installed in crawl spaces as they can cause moisture buildup, leading to the growth of mold and mildew. In addition, dryer vents can increase air …

6.Dryer vent do's and don'ts - Inman

Url:https://www.inman.com/2013/03/29/dryer-vent-dos-and-donts/

1 hours ago  · Dryer lint is also highly flammable. 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 …

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