How to Install a First Floor Dryer Vent

Correct venting is crucial for a clothes dryer to work properly, and to prevent moisture and lint buildup in your home. Venting a dryer on a first floor is usually more complicated than venting one from the basement, because you have to cut through finished walls. You also need to consider how the vent is going to look from the outside, since it will be higher and more visible on the exterior wall than a basement vent would be.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Electronic stud finder
• Power drill
• Long 1/4-in. bit
• Dryer wall-venting kit with 4-in. diameter exterior vent tube, hose and two belt-clamps
• 4-1/4-in. hole-saw bit
• Caulk
• Screwdriver

1. Pick an area of the wall where you want to vent your dryer, away from plumbing and electrical lines. Use your stud finder to locate the studs, and put a mark between them slightly above the level of your dryer.

2. Using your long 1/4-in. bit, drill a hole through the wall to the outside.

3. Go outside and find the hole. Adjust it by a few inches, if necessary, to make sure the entire vent will be on one flat span of siding and not between two pieces. Use your hole-saw bit to bore out a full hole.

4. Slide the metal tube from your vent assembly into the hole, and press the vent cover up to the siding, with the open end facing down. Caulk around the vent. Screw it to the siding with the screws provided with the kit.

5. Inside the house, caulk around the side of the tube where it comes out of the wall. Slide one end of the dryer hose around the tube and secure it there with the belt clamp provided with the kit.

6. Slide the other end of the hose over the vent tube coming out of the dryer, connecting it there with the other belt clamp.

Tips & Warnings

• Wear eye protection when using your drill.

References

• How to install a new dryer vent.