But if you're inclined to do this, at the very least cut large 4" holes & optionally attach coarse stainless steel screen. 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! Mold and mildew? Nope. For electric dryers, it is Underwriters Laboratories UL 2158. What about all the moisture what do you do about that? Arnie Katz is the former building science consultant for Advanced Energy in Raleigh. | 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. 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. 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. 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. We have a standalone fan which is running in the washer/dryer closet in the hallway of the house to help disburse the humid air from the dryer. It's not safe to vent a gas dryer indoors. This style runs through an external wall, ending in a dryer vent cap outside of your home. In extreme cases, the excess moisture can cause the wood in your home to rot. This depends on a number of factors including how tight your house is, how big it is, what it's made of, how much laundry you do and what the weather is. Dryer vent air is full of water vapor and dust. It's even illegal in some communities. reply, Blake T. This catches the lint and helps keep it cool. Two voluntary sets of standards exist for dryer venting. This can promote the growth of mold and mildew and cause condensation to form on your windows. February 04, 2018 | CAUTION: Since this article was originally published in 2011, venting dryers indoors is no longer considered a safe option. Yes! I wouldnt do that. The problem is determining which houses and when. 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. If your house is already very leaky and dry in the winter, this will just make it worse. Gas dryers, by contrast, are required to vent dryer exhaust out of doors. As the dryer is operating, the lint, moisture, and heat are vented into the bucket. Simply disconnect the venting pipe to the outside and install a separate 4 inch aluminum flexible vent pipe. Don’t Vent Dryer Into Home. Venting inside compromises air quality, deposits uncontrolled moist air into the living space, and your insurance policy could void covering any moisture damage. Here’s why. 1. 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. Dryer lint is also highly flammable. Q. Perhaps a sign on the dryer? (03/29/2007), Though my dryer is vented to the outside the lint was collecting in my flower bed. You can NEVER vent a gas dryer indoors! It worked for me. Are you using your fireplace efficiently? reply, A fireside tip for keeping your home energy efficient. Just cut off a leg below the knee and attach it with a large rubber band or something else that will keep it secure to your hose. | Bring the pipe up behind the dryer and extend it over the top so you can reach it. Yea, it depends on the house and area youre in. This is an absolutely idiotic idea. Wet lint does not always make it to the vent hose! Home Depot and such stores carry kits for this. What are the dangers of venting an electric dryer indoors? Kathy from OH. Just to review, it really isn’t a good idea to vent your dryer to inside your home. I don't think this is a solution for a gas dryer. I just last night found out that the remodel done 5 yrs. Indoor dryer vent buckets contain water in a bucket, to which the dryer vent is attached. It left a very moist & somewhat warm foggy feeling in the house. When a vent line is too long, dryer exhaust ends up being stuck inside your vent line. Dryer vent pipes, properly called vent ducts, come in a variety of materials. You don't want the products of combustion (e.g., carbon monoxide) in your house. Putting a nylon over a vent pipe can cause a fire.Never vent a dryer into a house. In addition to the hot moist air and lint, the vent from a gas dryer contains the combustion products of the gas fuel! Every clothes drying cycle takes two or three cycles to dry a load of clothes - this is not a very large load either. I have seen them advertised, and it supposedly isn't that bad an idea. 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). Proper Venting. She says it saves a lot of energy on heating and keeps the house from getting so dry in the winter. (04/22/2008), Finding Home Repair Help for Low Income Families, Removing Permanent Marker from Inside a Dryer. I know that venting a GAS dryer indoors would be extremely dangerous, because of carbon monoxide it produces. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community or ask a new question. Here's a link that will help. Please help and offer some helpful suggestions before we get mold all over. An electric dryer pulls lots of moisture out of the clothes it's drying. There are some new, high tech solutions to this. The answers depend on several facts. In the winter, many homes could use a little extra heat and even some more moisture in the air. I suggested tying a stocking to the end of the pipe to prevent lint from blowing all over the house. How to Vent an Electric Dryer. | But you should never vent a gas dryer indoors due to carbon monoxide build up and the same issues with electric dryer with mold. You can’t do this with a gas dryer, only electric. Works for him too. I vent the dryer inside only in winter. Be sure to insulate (like stuff an old towel) in the opening to the outside for the rest of the season. Vent dryers outside. That's why building codes are so specific about dryer venting. 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. The latest high tech approach is the solar clothes dryer. If it was a good idea everbody would be doing it. If your home requires dryer vent cleaning, air duct cleaning, or other similar services, don’t hesitate to contact A … I understand the concern was the moisture and mold but what about this case with electric water heater. For electric dryers, the dryer vent trap should be free of damage and the termination of the venting should be a commercial interior dryer vent kit. By doing this you have exponentially increased the likelihood of a house fire. BTW, I commend snoozer's ingenuity & completely agree there should be a better solution, like some sort of a heat exchanger & condenser unit. 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. Clothes Dryers: Use Only as Intended provides more information on how to use dryers safely and efficiently. You have to keep the cup filled with water in the type that I am familiar with. (03/29/2007). Preparing the Offset Dryer Vent . So does it make sense to bypass all of this and re-route the dryer vent to the inside? I don't believe there are any tax credits for it yet, but it definitely shows promise. reply, Carolina Country How it that possible moist heat retards fire. But we don’t recommend it for two reasons. Save some money on heat this winter. 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. Put a knee high stocking over the end to catch the lint. I'm well aware of the problems venting dryers, even electric, indoors. According to North Dakota State University Extension, if humidity levels are low inside the home, venting the dryer inside is a safe alternative. Operating a dryer safely and effectively requires proper ventilation at all times. How to install a clothes dryer exhaust vent: choosing materials, routing vent ducting, dryer vent duct connections, dryer vent termination at an exterior wall. Obviously, the ducts must handle a large amount of high-temperature air with a force that might compete with a leaf blower. 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. In general, dryer vents work to remove heat exhaust from the dryer during its operation. 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. May 29, 2014 | It did add needed humidity to my basement and helped it stay warmer in winter. ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. As the lint accumulates, it can constitute a fire hazard. Get a 5-gallon bucket that has a lid. | Dryer vents exist to ventilate the air from your dryer outside your home and get rid of the lint inside the machine. It's critical to avoid restricting the airflow (you're not even suppose to allow sheet metal screws to protrude into the vent). 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. With these standards, rigid and semi-rigid metal vent pipes are the accepted ways to vent the dryer. Should you vent your clothes dryer inside your house? Depending where you live, you may be allowed to run your dryer vent hose to a place inside your house. Indoor dryer vent buckets are not ideal because of safety reasons, and they may be fire hazards as well. The following are a few factors you should consider before choosing an … What you should not do is cobble together something based on some random advice from people who really know nothing about the issue. Venting a gas dryer into any enclosed space can cause an accumulation of carbon monoxide that could become lethal to humans and pets. The answer is that a gas stove doesnt give off as much carbon monoxide as a gas dryer or gas boiler. When a dryer is in operation, it’s removing moisture and lint and venting it to the outside. Ask a QuestionHere are the questions asked by community members. I lived with an electric dryer vented inside for about 16 years. Cindy asks, "My dryer vents into my attic. I've considered routing my electric dryer out there to help keep it a bit warmer. I am very alarmed at what I'm reading about this, as it is a GAS dryer. This isn't ideal, however, and there are many compelling reasons to vent your dryer outside instead. Venting your clothes dryer into the house can cause mold and condensation problems. If your duct has a … If you're worried about make-up air, seal your house. Every electric dryer has to have an outlet through which it expels warm, moist air, or it won't work. They tend to be smaller than most Americans are used to and take longer to dry the clothes, but otherwise seem to work well. I help run a volunteer weatherization group and have seen only one dryer vented indoors but since then have heard of many more. In the winter, the make-up air the dryer sucks in tends to be dry, making the air in your house dry. For gas dryers, the voluntary standard is ANSI Z21.5.1 (CGA 7.1). 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. I've seen some research reports that there are even some special devices now available to pin the clothes to the line. You should check building codes in your area, and also visit your local hardware stores for kits to do the job. Good luck. Venting your dryer to the attic is not only a potential fire hazard but can result in moisture problems which causes more problems. I just had to comment regarding snoozer55's suggestion. | Electric dryers can be vented indoors. Vent your electric clothes dryer inside in the winter! I have an electric dryer in an interior utility room in my co-op. But if you really want to save energy on clothes drying, it may be worth looking in to. (03/29/2007). Share on ThriftyFunThis page contains the following solutions. Venting a clothes dryer inside is against national code for a reason. Dryers pose significant & very real fire (due to lint) & health (due to mold) risks. Most dryer ducts are round and 4 inches in diameter. Dont use a flammable material to act as a lint catch. 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. Does the bucket catch a lot of it? 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. Please share your solution! Dryers are significant users of energy. Good way to never wake up after taking a nap after doibg laundry. Every search result says that venting a gas dryer indoors is deadly. "Fill the bucket halfway up with water. The secret to a NON fire hazard is Change the Stocking as soon as you can see it is half to three/quarters full to insure you get proper airflow and don't forget to vacuum out the inside of the dryer where the lint goes to the vent. no no no don't use a stocking! I found the other end of the hose just lying on the floor on the other side of the wall in my furnace closet. All in all, dryers can cost a lot to operate and create serious issues with moisture, comfort and even health. Clothes Dryer Exhaust Vent Installation, or dryer vent duct cuct intallation specifications. And it's obvious from the picture there is not enough exhaust holes to allow proper venting. He said it was a fire hazard and should be removed immediately. Now you might ask yourself why isnt a gas stove required to be vented outdoors? DEAR BARRY: When we bought our condo, the home inspector said we might have trouble with the dryer vent, and he sure was right. ago on my basement where the laundry room was relocated did NOT have the dryer vented outside. reply, Jen March 05, 2018 | reply, David Any input? 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. How do I vent it? If you need more moisture in the winter, get a home humidifier. 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. Any additional thoughts on this premise? January 10, 2021 | It was not problem and worked very well. A clear dryer duct can save energy and prevent a fire. Indoor dryer vent pros and cons: Are indoor dryer vents safe? 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. Source: My Dad had showed me this years ago. But the wisest ones (in my opinion) will spend that money sealing the house, making it less dry in the winter while reducing heating bills. 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