Dryer Vent questions

[NBN]

Hi All,

I've lurked for a while trying to pick up tips here and there to make sure I'll be happy with what I build.

I'm at the point where I plan on enclosing my carport and have a question about my clothes dryer vent.

Currently the vent exits the side of the house where the carport/garage is. Obviously, I dont want the vent to go into the soon to be enclosed garage increaing temperature, humidity and lint. How do I extend the vent 20 feet?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Wardster]

I used 3" PVC to vent the dryers in my house, so that is an option. Just add onto it and run out of the carport.

-Wardster

 

[rsanter]

if you have a crawl space under the house I would redirect the vent to another location outside of the garage

bob

 

[Lou's Garage]

Extending it is possible. Use the solid tubing that's available for dryer venting. From experience, keep it accessible as with that much of a "run" you'll need to open it up to clean it out every year or so.

Lou

 

[Jaguar Fan]

Extending it is possible. Use the solid tubing that's available for dryer venting. From experience, keep it accessible as with that much of a "run" you'll need to open it up to clean it out every year or so.

Lou

agreed... every now and then you'll read about a house fire that somehow started in a dryer vent clogged with flammable lint...

 

[kbs2244]

The local chimney sweep added "dryer vent cleaning" to the side of his truck.
He works every day now.
Make any elbows where it turns removable so you can open it up for cleaning.

 

[JMURiz]

Here's a good link to look at, I knew I saw you weren't supposed to have one over 25' long:
http://www.greatinspector.com/faq-clothes-dryer.html
basically get the rigid 4" diameter pipe and have as few bends as possible. Also be sure to have a large opening 4" diameter vent to the outside.

 

[Red'n'WhiteRebel]

Lots of good points already. Don't use flex for sure, don't use screws(foilback tape works great to hold joints tight). Check the dryer's manual for the max pipe length, if it's a gas dryer make sure the termination hood has no plastic parts, HD/ Lowes carries all metal hoods.

 

[NBN]

Guys,

Each of you have been helpful. I was concerned about the potential lint clog and possibility of running the vent so long. I'll just have to make sure the line is cleaned periodically.

 

[larry4406]

Rule of thumb for dryers is 25 foot max, each 90 degree fitting is worth 5 equivalent feet. Use metal pipe, no screws, and tape as suggested above. Can't remember, but its either 4 inch or 5 inch metal duct pipe. Also, use a flapper type discharge wall cap rather than one with a bird screen on it. The bird screen catches too much lint.

 

[ebarber]

They say not to use PVC or plastic because of the static charge. It will collect lint on the inside and clog quickly. Use metal.

 

[Dustoff 35]

There are dryer booster fans available if you need to extend over the recommended length. check out this link:

http://www.fantech.net/dryer_boosting.htm

 

[Kevin54]

About 10 years ago when we sided a buds house, he had to extend his dryer vent. He used a rubber coupling to fasten the drop to the straight run and ran a small rope thru the vent tube. When it came time to clean it out, he would tie a large rag and another rope to the rag. One would be in the crawlspace and one outside. A few times of pulling the rope back and forth had the vent as clean as new. He did this on a regular basis, once in the spring and once right before it got real cold out. Never had a problem.

 

[randydupree]

the problem with a long vent pipe is the dryer runs longer,it will not dry as well,meaning longer run times.
at least thats what happened to me.
i moved my washer/dryer from my old house to a new house i had built and the dryer didnt dry for squat,a 20' dryer vent pipe was the reason.
i cut a hole in the garage wall and ran a short pipe into the garage and all was well.
a fan would be a must on a 20' run.
Randy

 

[MPContractor]

There are dryer bootster fans available if you need to extend over the recommended length. check out this link:

http://www.fantech.net/dryer_boosting.htm

Depending on how long the run has to be, you may be able to use long turn elbows. They are more airflow efficient and don't require a reduction in run length for each turn. I found it online at www.dryer-ell.com and use them instead of booster fans which can be expensive.

 

[6768rogues]

Larry is right on with his statement about typical 25 foot maximum length and an elbow being equivalent to 5 feet. Size is usually 4 inch and you should use rigid aluminum non corrugated duct made for a dryer. Aluminum is noncombustible and will not rust. Moisture is more of a problem with a longer run, so slightly pitch the pipe to the outside and use aluminum. A booster fan can be used, but they require frequent service because of lint, and if they fail they are an obstruction to airflow.