To properly vent a dryer to the outside, ensuring safety and efficiency, follow these key steps based on best practices and the provided guidelines:
The process primarily involves selecting the right location, accurately measuring the path, using appropriate materials, ensuring secure connections, and verifying airflow both indoors and out.
Key Steps for Venting a Dryer Outdoors
Effectively venting your dryer involves careful planning and execution. Adhering to these steps will help prevent common issues like lint buildup, reduced dryer performance, and potential fire hazards.
- Pick the Right Spot: Your dryer should be close to an outside wall. This minimizes the length of the vent duct required, which improves airflow and reduces lint accumulation points. A shorter, straighter path is always preferred.
- Measure Carefully: Before you start, measure the vent path from the dryer's exhaust port to the intended location of the vent hood on the outside wall. Accurate measurements help you purchase the correct amount of ducting and fittings, avoiding unnecessary joints.
- Keep It Straight: Try to keep the vent path straight with minimal bends. Each 90-degree bend significantly restricts airflow, making the dryer work harder, increasing drying time, and promoting lint buildup which is a fire risk. Use wide-radius elbows if bends are unavoidable.
- Use Metal Ducts: Metal ducts are safer than plastic or foil types. Flexible metal ducting is acceptable for connecting the dryer to a rigid duct system, but rigid metal ductwork is highly recommended for the main run through walls and attics. Metal ducts are durable, resist crushing, and do not sag, which can trap lint. They also won't melt in case of a dryer fire.
- Secure Everything Tightly: Ensure all connections are secured tightly. Use metal foil tape (not duct tape) to seal joints between duct sections and where the duct connects to the dryer and the wall vent hood. Secure the ducting along its run to prevent sagging. Tight seals prevent air and lint leaks.
- Check Outside: Once the interior ducting is complete and connected to the through-wall fitting, go check outside. Install the exterior vent hood, ensuring the flap opens and closes freely. The hood should have a damper to prevent pests and backdrafts when the dryer is not running.
- Test It: Finally, test it. Turn the dryer on (perhaps with a damp towel) and go outside to verify that air is blowing strongly from the vent hood. Check the interior ducting and connections for any leaks or signs of stress. Ensure the exterior flap is opening properly.
Following these steps will help ensure your dryer is safely and efficiently vented to the exterior.
