Dryer Vent Rant

[ChristopherLutz]

Full Disclosure: I am NOT a patient man. Still, the options available for venting the clothes dryer are stuck in the 1950s.

This morning, I awoke to a picture of the Earth from 900 Million miles away. (from Saturn)

Somehow, we can take a picture of our planet from another planet (crystal clear, btw) but we can't invent a clothes dryer venting system that goes together smoothly.

Fiddly and Rickety are the only two (non expletive) words I have for this chore.

I would love to hear from any of you home engineers that have found clever ways of cleaning, attaching and re-attaching.

I'd also like to hear if others are frustrated......I have a hard time understanding how I can build cabinetry from scratch but can't seem to muster success in simply venting the dryer.

My list of complaints:

- The outside vent: Many styles, EVERY single one of them uses some flexible gauge metal that warps, bends and compresses upon attaching vent hose. Why is this? This is a semi permanent part of your home...and a hole in the wall to the outside. Shouldn't the part be fairly stout and not subject to damage each time you fiddle with it?

- The vent from the dryer: NOT STANDARD. WTF? Every Home Depot and Lowes connection options shows a crinkle output (sorry, don't know the proper terminology) and mine is not. It's smooth. Therefore, every option at HD and Lowes DOES NOT connect as per instructions.

- Semi -Rigid ducting: uber hard to work with and cut. Also doesn't bend particularly well for a material that is supposed to bend. Why oh why can't there be threaded connectors on the end? Would that really be that hard?

- Cleaning: Why doesn't the output duct go all the way to the front of the dryer for easy clean out? If you clean as per recommendation (and try to stay safe from a leading cause of household fires) you must move the dryer to clean. Oh...I know you can try to do this from the outside - but, you'll just end up dislodging the vent hose from the dryer INCREASING the risk of fire.

After many trips to the hardware store trying virtually every possible combination of parts they had available....I ultimately asked my wife to call someone.

Embarrassing.

 

[NUTTSGT]

It's not embarrassing and I believe you are correct on all accounts.

 

[rust buster]

Concur with everything you said. I just went through this myself in a basement remodel...There is no clean/stout way to do it, and I went through just about every option out there before settling on a mix of semi-rigid and rigid duct...just remember that good quality metal duct tape is your friend.

 

[mtnwalton]

One of the problems is trying to move the dryer for cleanout, putting it back without smashing the tube or making sure it's reattached properly. I'm planning on re-working mine this fall by installing one of these:

www.dryerbox.com.

as well as shortening the run of hose and replacing with pipe.

 

[KEH]

We have avoided those problems by using solar clothes drying.

Another problem seems to be that a bunch of lint and crud collects at the vent outlet and has to be cleaned off the lawn or shrubbery.

KEH

 

[Duck tape Bill]

One of the problems is trying to move the dryer for cleanout, putting it back without smashing the tube or making sure it's reattached properly. I'm planning on re-working mine this fall by installing one of these:

www.dryerbox.com.

as well as shortening the run of hose and replacing with pipe.

That looks like a good idea, I think I might try that. I've got a mud room/laundry room that's only about 6 feet wide and the stupid builders decided that it would be better to put the washer/dryer on the side wall instead of the end. So there's little room to work in front of them and the dryer sticks out 6" farther than the washer because of the stupid vent duct.... makes me mad just thinking about it.

 

[kellymc]

I agree with your rant as well, when I remodeled I bought 3" diam stainless steel tube and welded up my own vent tube and cap because I too was tired of the stupid designs available. To connect to the dryer, I used a v-band clamp for diesel exhaust which I tig'ed to the dryer side. My vent is only 2 feet long, so I did not include an compensation for flex, but it the vent line was longer I would have thought about a flex coupler somewhere in the design.

 

[sands35]

If it's a new build, then it's all about vent route planning. Using galvanized vent pipe more commonly used for HVAC works well - IF you can plan the room for the elbows and penetrations.

Otherwise, you are sort of stuck using the aluminum stuff from the big box guys.

They make a duct that has a square cross section and telescopes to make the wall connection. Works well.

ALSO - a lot of newer dryers have kits available that will allow the vent to go down the bottom. It helps a lot if you have a 12-15" pedestal too.

Duct crimps.... there is a tool that does this - or you can use a pair of needle nose pliers and make the crimps yourself. Just did exactly that the other day to install a vent hood.

Duct cleaning and house fires. The only real issue is when morons use vinyl hose, not metallic hose.

Cleaning right out of the dryer basically requires removing the dryer. Sorry, no way around that.

The fire problem is right out of the dryer - and then typically when people try to dry rags or clothing with a lot of volatiles on them AND they don't let the dryer cool down properly before shutting off (i.e., they stop the load manually) AND they use plastic ducts.

But frankly, dryer fires rank up there with Audi "unintended acceleration" or Toyota "failed brake systems" or "vaccines causes autism" issues. i.e., idiot people.

I guess if you've never cleaned the duct in 20 years that might be a problem... But there are millions of 50 year old houses out there that have likely never had dryer ducts cleaned.

 

[LEVE]

I installed this:



It's adjustable and has been a godsend when I put dryer back in place after servicing it.

 

[lbperry]

Hear, Hear! Another vote for a sensible dryer vent. Good Luck!

 

[mobiledynamics]

It's pretty straight forward for me IMO.

Ridgid Duct all the way, proper crimps for connection, supported along the run.
I seal the joints with mastic duct tape followed by duct mastic coating, about 3 inches across both sides of the seam (6 inch wide).

The connection between the duct and dryer for me, is just held in place with the friction fit of the duct.

Cleaning - I use the speaility dryer cleaning rods, turn the dryer on - clean from the outside. All of that stuff just blows out, and the tool is even able to make the 90 bend I have in the run.


it's not rocket scientist. Just install it right the 1st time , and it's just a yearly cleaning for me. If I have some *spare time*, I might do a 2nd cleaning mid-season, just because I am OCD about cleaning...

Maybe about every other year, I'll pull the dryer out, take the compresser and BLOW it out on the dryer side. There is not that much buildup.....when I do this though.

 

[ratdoggy]

I agree with your rant as well, when I remodeled I bought 3" diam stainless steel tube and welded up my own vent tube and cap because I too was tired of the stupid designs available. To connect to the dryer, I used a v-band clamp for diesel exhaust which I tig'ed to the dryer side. My vent is only 2 feet long, so I did not include an compensation for flex, but it the vent line was longer I would have thought about a flex coupler somewhere in the design.

Stupid fact of the day....
One of the Marx Brothers had the patent for and manufactured V clamps. I think it was Zeppo.

 

[ratdoggy]

I agree on all counts. Assembling a decent drier venting set-up is only for masochists.

 

[Cobra6]

I installed this:



It's adjustable and has been a godsend when I put dryer back in place after servicing it.

same here - the best solution I found so far.

 

[MayhemMOORE]

Glad to see I am not the only one who curses these stupid things. Just installed our dryer in the new house and besides having basically no room to get my arm behind the dryer to hook it up, let alone my head to actually see, the house and dryer ducts fall about a foot apart behind the unit. And of course the flexible duct doesn't fit on the rigid stuff worth a damn. Since there is no way to work a rigid duct between the two connection points, I basically used HVAC tape to hold the flexible junk as best I could for now. I will have to look into a better solution once other projects are caught up.

 

[scab]

I've always daydreamed that, if I were rich enough to build the Biltmore-esque home I see in my head, that one of the things I would do would be to put a small access room behind the wall of all televisions and washer/dryers. Then I could just open a closet door and walk in to have access to all the dust, wires, and venting. This would be a complete waste of money but the most practical solution I can imagine.

Nevertheless, I feel your pain. That **** is annoying as hell. I also hate how, given the tight space you have to work with, your arms are never quite long enough to reach the vent at the base of the dryer while leaning over the unit whenever you finally get it pushed back into place and the damn things pops off....

 

[er3456df]

- The vent from the dryer: NOT STANDARD. WTF? Every Home Depot and Lowes connection options shows a crinkle output (sorry, don't know the proper terminology) and mine is not. It's smooth. Therefore, every option at HD and Lowes DOES NOT connect as per instructions.

This is news to me, but I've only been selling, installing, and servicing appliances for about 10 years now. What brand do you have?

The absence of crinkles doesn't mean it's a different size. Most are smooth now. The duct still fits.


You guys are putting clamps on the flex ducts, right? I don't see how it's possible to have the duct pop off unless you're trying to make it happen.

 

[Milton Shaw]

I just had to replace my dryer after 25 years of service. I had installed the dryer with the vent hole exactly in line with the hole in the wall. I removed the dryer drum (was GE service tech 20 years). Installed the new dryer with no flex only 6 feet of straight vent that runs over closet floor through outside wall. It cleans easily with out removal with 4" dryer vent brush all the way into the dryer and stops at the blower housing. Yes most dryers are installed in impossible to hook up and keep straight flex vent pipe. Yes I have seen several dryer fires from plastic pipe and a lot of fires that were flash fires inside dryer that customer did not even know they had been on fire. Dryers should be cleaned inside at least every two years of lint build up around motor and drive assy. This requires removing front, belt and drum but will result in a lot safer dryer use.

 

[PCO6]

I blow my dryer vent out from the outside of my house. I made the air line attachment shown below out of commonly available parts. It's a 3 way manifold with a brass plug in the port that would typically be used for the air inlet. I inserted air line fittings in the other 3 holes.

I attach an air line to one of the 3 fittings and drop the air line into the vent from the outside. The attachment is fairly heavy and it drops in quite easily. The 2 open fittings face back toward the outside and blow the lint out.

 

[58Yeoman]

Lint outside? What's with that? Growing up, I don't remember a lot of lint outside the vent, but today, you'd think there was a cotton field nearby. My wife cleans the filter everytime, and there is still a lot outside.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I blow my dryer vent out from the outside of my house. I made the air line attachment shown below out of commonly available parts. It's a 3 way manifold with a brass plug in the port that would typically be used for the air inlet. I inserted air line fittings in the other 3 holes.

I attach an air line to one of the 3 fittings and drop the air line into the vent from the outside. The attachment is fairly heavy and it drops in quite easily. The 2 open fittings face back toward the outside and blow the lint out.

Damn smart idea. I think I'll pick one of those up the next time I go to HF.

 

[Jaguar Fan]

Decaf, ChristopherLutz. Try switching to decaf.

 

[olds70supreme]

I agree in general with frustrations cleaning dryer vents. I bought my house and discovered that the original vent attached to the outside of the house (3 years old) was made so cheaply that the tin flapper couldn't seal in the down position. This made for a constant draft of cold air all winter long coming through the dryer. I had two options for replacement at the hardware store, either an identical cheapo unit, or a relatively HD version. I went HD (not wanting to repeat the frustration of the first one), but through a combination of a finer mesh screen at the flapper and possibly a heavier weighted flapper door, the lint plugs at the screen. This drops makes lint settle in the duct and renders the dryer useless at its intended purpose. Right now I am about 1 month between cleanings just to make the dryer operable. It would be better to clean it more regularly for dryer performance and operating costs, but who has time to do that?

As for the duct itself, mine is rigid all the way from the flapper at the wall to the dryer, where there is a short flex piece. Moving the dryer is a PIA, so I installed an economizer (http://www.lifeandhome.com/heat-economizer-heat-vent.html?gclid=CPzu0obJyLgCFe4-MgodVFQAyQ) in the middle of the horizontal run. This allows me easy access to the backside of the flapper door going one way, and the dryer going the other way, all without moivng the dryer. I just bring my mini shop vac and drop the hose down. Turn it on and clean away.

 

[Jagmandave]

I'm sorry, I don't see the problem......

View media item 31870
This has been in my house about 10 years now, I've cleaned it once in that time and got very little out of it......less than a good handful out of the pipe, dryer and entire thing, and most of it was right at the outdoor end - the flapper - I can't imagine it get's hot enough at that end to start a fire.

 

[Chukster]

I recently had to replace my dryer, so I've been thru this in spades. Several years ago I replaced the outside flapper (that was made of aluminum foil) with one of these:

Dryer Vent Stopper

http://www.ebuild.com/battic-door-e...s-dryer-vent-seal-catalog/2004/1436_0_1_1.hwx

It helps a lot to keep the outside air out & inside air in. All the flap-thingies I've ever seen eventually get so filled with lint they don't close again. Yeah, sucky sucky design.

There seem to be several brands out there, and lots of vendors.

When I did the work I also corrected shortcomings in the original pass thru the wall; builder had only put a sleeve in the wall, about 1 inch longer than the thickness of the wall (and again, the aluminum sleeve wasn't very far from aluminum foil...). New sleeve, long enough to provide grip surface on either end, and made of real galvanized.

 

[marty_p]

I'm just thinking 'outside the box' for a moment: Could the actual blower motors/fans be contributing to the excess lint? As in, have the blower motors been getting less powerful over the last few years, and are the fan assemblies any smaller with less-pitched blades?

 

[mobiledynamics]

Possibly.

Flex Duct is not good...period.
Depending on the run, or how many 90's it has (some laundry rooms/dryers) are just not a direct run that goes up and out a exterior wall ....inline blowers do make a difference.

I'm surprised there is so much GRIPE about it.

It's all about the install, but that's just like anything else, wheter it be kitchen ducting or just your DWV design...

 

[9GUY9]

I agree in general with frustrations cleaning dryer vents. I bought my house and discovered that the original vent attached to the outside of the house (3 years old) was made so cheaply that the tin flapper couldn't seal in the down position. This made for a constant draft of cold air all winter long coming through the dryer. I had two options for replacement at the hardware store, either an identical cheapo unit, or a relatively HD version. I went HD (not wanting to repeat the frustration of the first one), but through a combination of a finer mesh screen at the flapper and possibly a heavier weighted flapper door, the lint plugs at the screen. This drops makes lint settle in the duct and renders the dryer useless at its intended purpose. Right now I am about 1 month between cleanings just to make the dryer operable. It would be better to clean it more regularly for dryer performance and operating costs, but who has time to do that?

.

THe screen is meant to be removed when your vent is used for a dryer. It has the screen in it for use with a exhaust fan. Just something I recently learned when I too was going through the head ache of replacing my dryer vent and ducting.

I agree with everyone's complaints, dryer ducting and vents are a frustrating pia. Seams even worse when you spend over a grand on a dryer and still have to use the cheap **** ducting.

 

[Falcon67]

No decaf! Power through!

I still use some of the wrinkled pipe BS but I used 4" 90 degree turns at the dryer and the outlet from the house. I'd use a more sophisticated layout but the outer wall is brick and I'm not going to chop through good brick for a stupid dryer vent. Doesn't help that the washer/dryer setup has door swings opposite of the connection layout on the wall. No, the doors can't be swapped around.

 

[mtnwalton]

I'm planning on adding an inline booster fan when I re-rout my dryer pipe. Don't remember the name, maybe www.fantech.com

 

[JamieK]

Has anyone ever used a ventless dryer? Friend of mine has one and says they work great.

 

[Tim The Tool Man]

I am able to attach dryer vent hoses just fine but I'm a contractor and I have all the necessary tools. In my youth I am sure I struggled plenty though!

I always use the heavy gauge galvanized rigid duct pipe, not that aluminium **** that bends out of shape with the slightest pressure and, if possible, I align the the duct pipe so I can slide the dryer in place and make a snug (clamp free) connection.

For around $20 you can get a dryer duct cleaning brush that attaches to your drill. Put the dryer in a no heat air dry cycle and run the brush in from the outside and watch the lint fly.

I do think that the OP is onto something with a front access duct clean-out. It would save a lot of headaches.

 

[PugetDude]

I'm sorry, I don't see the problem......

View media item 31870

Having to leave 12-14" of dead space behind the dryer is a real problem.
That's 50% of the dryer depth...

 

[CNGsaves]

There was guy who developed a pedestal "heat capture" that went under dryer and had On / Off closure mechanism that would direct the heat back into the house (ie during winter), or out the pipe to outside (ie during summer). He was trying to get funding on TV show Shark Tank and they shot him down due to limited total sales potential.

I think he had right idea as EVERY electric dryer should have some similar feature to save that heat during winter. Also could develop the lint filters, etc. to all be easily serviced from front of dryer.

IMHO the high-end appliance manufacturers should improve their own product!

 

[fluid power]

There was guy who developed a pedestal "heat capture" that went under dryer and had On / Off closure mechanism that would direct the heat back into the house (ie during winter), or out the pipe to outside (ie during summer). He was trying to get funding on TV show Shark Tank and they shot him down due to limited total sales potential.

I think he had right idea as EVERY electric dryer should have some similar feature to save that heat during winter. Also could develop the lint filters, etc. to all be easily serviced from front of dryer.

IMHO the high-end appliance manufacturers should improve their own product!

The reason that you don't duct the dryer back into the house is they put a tremendous amount of moisture back into the room. Even in the winter, the amount of moisture is amazing.

 

[Clik]

I seem to remember installing mine years ago using plastic flex hose and it zip ties. No big deal. I've never had to clean it. I know it still vents good because I feel the discharge when I walk past it outside and my wife has the dryer running. The discharge box is plastic with a swinging flapper door.

 

[Joe B.]

I had one that was a nightmare. I needed go do down then up and then make a u-turn to get out of the house.

I'm pleased that my new house the dryer is right next to the exterior wall so it just has to travel a little ways to get out of the house. I don't understand why dryers don't just back to an exterior wall. That would make things much simpler.

 

[hardalada]

That lint is your expensive clothes being shredded by the tumbling action inside the drum. The clothing retailers love tumble dryers, it wears out clothes so much quicker than hanging them on a rack and letting the air flow over them. Yes, the output of moisture does go into the air in the room. I use my heat pump during the winter;it might as well dry clothes at the same time it heats me. I use a portable dehumidifier and run that overnight to compensate for the moisture produced, and it also dries all the couches, curtains and other absorbent materials in the room, hallway, bedrooms or house depending if I leave all the doors open. A byproduct of this extraction of moisture is a comfortable level of humidity even on rainy days. In the summer, the sun does all the work outside. Obviously apartment dwellers have to have either vented or condensing dryers. Condensing dryers seem to be the way to go, but are much more expensive and They still wear clothes out with their tumble action and still produce flammable lint!

 

[77thor]

I recently had to replace my dryer, so I've been thru this in spades. Several years ago I replaced the outside flapper (that was made of aluminum foil) with one of these:

Dryer Vent Stopper

http://www.ebuild.com/battic-door-e...s-dryer-vent-seal-catalog/2004/1436_0_1_1.hwx

...

I had one of those for awhile, but after a few years, being on the south side of the house, the top cover discolored, cracked, and fell apart due to heat and sun (UV) exposure.

 

[Old Moparz]

I hate working with those cheap, flimsy ducts & almost always dent, crush or kink parts of it. Aside from being junk, my biggest complaint is that with all the focus on energy efficiency & sealing up a house, not one company can design or make a vent with an insulated flapper that can seal out cold air.

My electric dryer is in the basement & the vent is high up on the wall to clear the concrete foundation. The outlet for the vent was there when I bought the house, so all I did was buy the flexible, aluminum ducts to connect the dryer to it. It was a long run, maybe 12 feet of duct, so I had to get two to make an extension.

I knew that sharp bends weren't a good idea but I had no choice since I had to go around an inside & outside corner because of a jog in the foundation wall. It was in place for 15 years until the flexible duct got hit with something & crushed. When I moved the dryer to replace it all, I had expected to find a s**t load of lint but found almost nothing. Been using the same set up now with five, 90 degree bends in the flexible duct running about 12 feet since 1989 & never had any trouble.

Now the bathroom exhaust fan was a nightmare. The same, cheap, crappy ducts & flappers, but you I needed to be a contortionist in my attic while trying not to crush any of it.