How to Remove Siding to Install External Dryer Vent Cover

Vent clothes dryers through an exterior wall to remove the moist air from the house. Dryer vent covers prevent birds and insects from entering the dryer duct and creating nests that can block air flow.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• Pencil
• Safety glasses or goggles
• Drill
• 4 ¼-inch hole saw
• Squeeze tube of exterior caulk

Instructions

1. Measure the distance from a location where you want to position the vent, such as a solid wall or edge of a window, inside the home to the planned dryer vent. The originating location must be able to be located from outside.

2. Go outside, measure the same distance from the originating location, and mark the location for the dryer vent on the siding.

3. Position the exhaust vent hole so the dryer vent cover will be located with the top of the vent under a siding ridge. The ridge adds a layer of protection to keep water from running under the vent when it rains. Mark the side edges of the dryer vent on the siding.

4. Measure the distance from the top of the dryer vent cover to the top of the opening for the dryer exhaust. Use this measurement to measure down from the bottom of an appropriate ridge on the siding and mark the location with a pencil.

5. Put on safety glasses or goggles.

6. Place a 4 ¼-inch hole saw drill bit into a drill. Center the bit between the side locations marked on the siding with the top of the drill bit on the mark under the siding ridge. Drill through the siding to remove the siding to install the external dryer vent cover. Keep the drill bit straight to prevent binding or snapping the shank on the bit.

7. Use a squeeze tube of caulk and place a bead of caulk around the back ridge of the dryer vent cover.

8. Place the exterior dryer vent cover over the hole in the siding and secure with screws on the edges.

Tips & Warnings

• Another method to mark the location for the dryer vent is to drill a long screw from the inside to the outside wall. Put the screw in the general location for the dryer vent from inside the house and drill the screw until it goes through the wall and siding. Use this as a guide to place the dryer vent.

• Wear safety glasses or goggles whenever using power tools to protect your eyes in case the drill bit breaks. Pay attention to the location of wires or plumbing when putting a hole through a wall to prevent serious injury to your body or expensive damage to your home.

References

• Home Depot: Project Guide: Installing a Dryer Vent
• Ask the Builder: Installing a Clothes Dryer Vent