topic Re: Dryer vent question in Home

Dryer vent question

Elom — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 12:26:40 GMT

I have a dilemma and maybe someone can help. When I bought this house unfortunately for me I wasn’t aware the dryer was not vented to the outside. This is a new area for me and have asked and actually had a repair person give me an estimate but he never showed up. To get a professional would I call a plumber or who’s area of work does this?

right now it is vented to garage after I contacted builder but it’s not working for me. Odd question but maybe some suggestions.

Re: Dryer vent question

dex — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 12:35:43 GMT

I would think that you need a handyman.It isn’t about plumbing or wiring so I think that you need someone who can run the vent to an outside wall.My sons dryer vents into his attic and there is a fan to draw it up and out.

Re: Dryer vent question

dex — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 12:39:44 GMT

Maybe the distance from your dryer to the outside is too great for that type of vent.There are codes about that.

Re: Dryer vent question

Imaoldhippie — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 12:44:50 GMT

Look for a reputable handyman. There is no plumbing required so no plumber needed.

Re: Dryer vent question

Little Way — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 12:45:11 GMT

Why not call a plumber or an HVAC company and ask them if they do this sort of work, and if not, could they recommend someone? If for some reason you want to use a ventless dryer, I can recommend the one I finally settled on. It is the new Miele heat pump dryer. It's expensive, but if this is the way you end up going I can tell you it beats the condensation dryers. It is worth having a vented dryer though because they do dry more thoroughly than the ventless models.

Re: Dryer vent question

SilleeMee — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 14:18:35 GMT

My dryer was, at one time, vented out to my garage. I found someone on HomeAdvisor dot com to change it. Plumbers don't do this kind of work. Usually a person familiar with duct work would know about that job, most likely a HVAC pro.

The person who did mine is a general contractor. He does everything that involves home construction and repairs.

My dryer vent now goes into another wall, different from the one adjacent to the garage, and then the dryer vent duct hose travels straight up about 8 ft then goes horizontal for about 10 feet where it is vented to the outside. There was a slight problem getting the hose to go from vertical to horizontal...at that place in the wall there is a 45 degree angle placed in the drywall to accommodate the curve in the hose otherwise it would have gotten crimped right there.

Re: Dryer vent question

itsmagic — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 13:08:52 GMT

I too would first call an HVAC company. They install all kinds of vents for furnaces so I would think they could also do a dryer vent.

Re: Dryer vent question

OKPrincess — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 13:17:48 GMT

Our washer and dryer are in the garage and the dryer vent doesn’t go outside.

They are hooked up the same as my parents had them.

Re: Dryer vent question

Fressa — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 15:45:24 GMT

We have an older home and have this situation. There is a kit that you can purchase at Home Depot/Lowes called a vent bucket. Flexible hose from your dryer is connected from your dryer to the bucket that you fill with water. It works well. Do you have a window in that room? If so, that would be a plus in the warmer months. The vent bucket works fine. You can also have an exhaust fan put in but all the construction in a foundation wall is so costly and always worries me.

Re: Dryer vent question

odie96 — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 15:53:21 GMT

I don't think you just want it just "fixed". You need to have it repaired in a way that you won't have problems with it in the future!! I don't ever like to just put a bandaid on something. I've had success with Angie's List or if you know a reputable person in your neighborhood, as them for a recommendation. You really want this fixed/repaired permanently to prevent problems later.

Re: Dryer vent question

viva923 — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 15:57:06 GMT

I would contact either a handyman OR a business that works on washers and dryers. they should be able to tell you who to call if they don't do that type of work.

Re: Dryer vent question

Mominohio — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 16:31:16 GMT

I would think every dryer vent should be routed to outside. The damp air and dust in any room, even a garage isn't really a good idea. I've never seen a filter system on a dryer hose that is efficient enough to let me leave it escaping inside.

My mom's vent ran under the floor and out the back wall. We knew it was clogged, and found a company that does just that kind of work. They had to crawl up under the house (no basement) and replace the entire thing, It was totally plugged shut and such a fire hazard, not to mention very hard on the dryer working overtime to get things dry.

Since you want yours taken out a wall, I'd be sure to hire a reputable company, not some handy man, as cutting a hole in the wall and making sure it is seal around it is a big deal to keep mice, bees etc from finding an entry point.

Re: Dryer vent question

chickenbutt — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 19:10:35 GMT

ITA - no handyman who might mess things up. Contact an HVAC company and they will be experienced. I'd hate the thought of having just some guy cutting a hole in my house. He can do smaller stuff, but this is more important, IMO.

Re: Dryer vent question

gidgetgh — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 20:17:44 GMT

We recently had our dryer vent cleaned and replaced.

You could google dryer vent repair and your city name and see what comes up.

I live in Metro Atlanta and there’s a company that does this.

Re: Dryer vent question

akaburtonfan — Thu, 18 Oct 2018 18:45:39 GMT

@SilleeMee wrote:
My dryer was, at one time, vented out to my garage. I found someone on HomeAdvisor dot com to change it. Plumbers don't do this kind of work. Usually a person familiar with duct work would know about that job, most likely a HVAC pro.

The person who did mine is a general contractor. He does everything that involves home construction and repairs.

My dryer vent now goes into another wall, different from the one adjacent to the garage, and then the dryer vent duct hose travels straight up about 8 ft then goes horizontal for about 10 feet where it is vented to the outside. There was a slight problem getting the hose to go from vertical to horizontal...at that place in the wall there is a 45 degree angle placed in the drywall to accommodate the curve in the hose otherwise it would have gotten crimped right there.

@SilleeMee -- how do you clean that out? I was told that you don't want the vent house to be that long because it would be easier for the lint to get clogged up in it as the air being vented isn't blowing that hard -- if that makes any sense.

Re: Dryer vent question

SilleeMee — Thu, 18 Oct 2018 19:21:03 GMT

@akaburtonfan wrote:
@SilleeMee wrote:
My dryer was, at one time, vented out to my garage. I found someone on HomeAdvisor dot com to change it. Plumbers don't do this kind of work. Usually a person familiar with duct work would know about that job, most likely a HVAC pro.

The person who did mine is a general contractor. He does everything that involves home construction and repairs.

My dryer vent now goes into another wall, different from the one adjacent to the garage, and then the dryer vent duct hose travels straight up about 8 ft then goes horizontal for about 10 feet where it is vented to the outside. There was a slight problem getting the hose to go from vertical to horizontal...at that place in the wall there is a 45 degree angle placed in the drywall to accommodate the curve in the hose otherwise it would have gotten crimped right there.
@SilleeMee -- how do you clean that out? I was told that you don't want the vent house to be that long because it would be easier for the lint to get clogged up in it as the air being vented isn't blowing that hard -- if that makes any sense.

I had that new hose installed about fifteen years ago. About two years ago I hired a duct / vent cleaning service to clean the dryer hose starting from the back of the dryer and all the way to the outside. Much to my surprise there was very little lint that came out. The cleaning guy said it was unusually clean for a hose that had not been cleaned in so long. I think it's because I vacuum the inside of my dryer, where the lint trap is and inside that opening under the screen. I also make it a point to check the exhaust vent located on the outside of my house and I look inside with a flashlight to check for trapped lint...none so far! I do that about twice yearly. @akaburtonfan

This is similar to what is inside my walls. The only soft hose is used where it's connected to the back of the dryer itself.

Re: Dryer vent question

Elom — Fri, 19 Oct 2018 00:48:40 GMT

Update I just got two estimates. Both approximately $600. No thank you I will keep it in the garage. I checked out the ventless and they are expensive and get bad reviews.