How to Vent a Dryer in the House
Dryer vents exhaust hot, humid air to the exterior of the building. If your dryer is fueled by natural gas, the exhaust contains harmful combustion gases. A vent for dryer exhaust should preferably be made out of aluminum duct to resist corrosion, and it should be as straight and short as possible. Long dryer vent ducts with lots of bends promote the possibility of lint building up, which can lead to fires. It is easy to vent a dryer in the house, with all the material needed found at your home improvement store. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Tape measure
- Drill
- 4 1/4-inch hole saw
- Dryer vent hood
- Screws
- Silicone caulk
- Caulk gun
- 4-inch aluminum duct
- 4-inch aluminum elbows
- Aviation snips
- Pipe crimper
- 3-inch foil aluminum tape
- Pipe strap
- Work gloves
- Safety glasses
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Instructions
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Locate where the dryer will exit the building. Drill a 4 1/4-inch hole through the exterior of the building with a hole saw.
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2
Take your dryer vent hood, stick the pipe stub through the hole and secure the dryer vent hood to the building with screws. Caulk around the dryer vent hood with high-quality exterior silicone caulk.
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3
Install the aluminum duct from the outlet on the dryer to the dryer vent hood. Start at the dryer and slide the first piece of duct over the crimped end on the dryer outlet about 1 1/2 inches. Secure it by taping the seam with 3-inch foil aluminum tape.
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4
Continue installing aluminum duct and elbows as necessary to get from the dryer outlet to the dryer vent hood. Keep the crimped ends of the duct facing toward the dryer vent hood. If you need to cut any pieces of duct, cut them with your aviation snips and crimp one end using your pipe crimper. Secure all joints with 3-inch foil aluminum tape. Do not use screws because lint will catch on them.
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5
Secure the dryer vent duct with pipe strap and either screws or nails.
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Tips & Warnings
Galvanized metal duct may be used in lieu of aluminum duct. However, the galvanized duct may rust or corrode well before the aluminum duct would.
Keep dryer vent runs as short as possible to prevent lint buildup in the pipe.
Wear gloves and safety glasses when working with dryer vent duct. The edges are extremely sharp and may cause injury to your hands and eyes, especially when cutting it.
