Dryer Vent Extension

oberah said:
Hi, I recently learned that my dryer exhaust vent really should not be so close to my home HVAC system. Is there anything I can do to extend the vent away from my HVAC? Photo is attached? Thank you.
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Move dryer vent flap at least 3ft away from the AC condenser unit, easiest way would be to make a new outside wall perforation.

Clean the rodent grate over the vent at least every other dryer run. I can't get the Wife to do it, I end up doing it myself. It will get clogged less if she doesn't clean off the in-dryer lint screen every use; I "mansplained" to her that a 3/16" of lint is a good thing not a bad thing - it filters the heavy stuff so the dryer hose/pipe doesn't get constant "clogged arteries" and it passes the needed CFM just dandy.
She doesn't get that concept either.

She can buy the next new clothes dryer!
 
OH, you got one of hose wives too :)...Glad I'm not the only one. She drove her car like a Mack truck. Eating brakes and rotors for breakfast. Told her, " Next brake job, YOU take it to a shop and pay for it , rather than me doing it" She drives like a 90yr old now ! LOL :)
 
See, easy peasy. Even you're wife could do it. ( Mine wouldn't....noo way ).... ( I'm retired, so I need her bene's. My job wanted $ 900 bucks a month for bene's. That's a lot o dough taken out of my pension per month, so you bet you're a-s I'd be cleanin the dryer vent :) LOL )
 
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No stockings or screens on dryer vents, bad move. It reduces internal air flow in the dryer causing heating elements or burner to short cycle on the heater box safety thermostat. Sooner or later it will blow the thermal fuse in series with the thermostat also. Also shortens the life of heating elements as they run hotter.
Dryer air flow is high volume, low pressure, that's why they use a 4 inch vent. Any restriction is a reduction in efficiency.
Dryer vent rule of thumb, maximum of 25 ft length, every 90 deg. elbow deduct 3 feet of length. One reason laundry rooms are traditionally on exterior walls.
 
repairman54 said:
Dryer vent rule of thumb, maximum of 25 ft length, every 90 deg. elbow deduct 3 feet of length. One reason laundry rooms are traditionally on exterior walls.
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25' is a good long run. If the drier is on the other side of that wall shown in the photo, an extension can easily be added. More info needed.
 
Repairman, tell that to the stupid builder who stuck the natural gas dryer in the middle of the house on the ground floor, ( It was already there when I purchased house ). Then proceeded to install vent directly under deck, on the house, 1' from a sliding door. Someone got a C.O. somehow. I extended it 20' to get past the deck, pitch it, insulate it, then had to install 2-110 CFM vent boosters near dryer to push it all out. Has 1- 90 elbow and 1-45 elbow, before my extension. What a pain to clean it !!!! Now it's safe. Idiot builders:(
 
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Any thoughts on an additional lint trap on the duct to catch any lint that bypasses the filter? It would need to be in an accessible location though, which seems unrealistic.

1752784090748.webp


https://dundasjafine.com/product/proclean-dryer-duct-lint-trap/
 
Yes Kev, I installed a similar one on mine, only made out of metal. Installed it before the 2-110 CFM vent boosters I had to install due to wrong location of vent end. Added about 20+ feet to the run. Dryer fan couldn't handle the push. Installed the secondary filter so not to clog up the booster fans. You'd be surprised how much it catches. Peace of mind knowing booster fans and extended run are staying cleaner, but still have to clean everything 1X a year. 2 day process. I dread doing it. I had a company come in to install the fans and the lint trap, and they ran like hell out of the house. So, the ball was left in my court. I did it, took me 3 days, but I did it.
 
There are no building codes for dryer vents. Only Mfgr. recommendations. I've seen some horrible installations. Many in multi million dollar homes also. Real common for contractors to put vents through deck ledger boards.
Common practice is not to vent out of the front of the home, aesthetics, so they run them out the back no matter how long the run. Can't have winter ''steam'' or the outlet showing out front.
Architects have no knowledge on venting requirements either since they are not coded. Laundry room placement is the proof.
Yes gas dryers produce CO but internal temp. limiters shut down or short cycle the burner long before dangerous CO levels can be produced.
I've seen many rooftop vents also using bathroom venting hoods for a dryer. Many in condos.
Poor vents work OK for a couple years until the lint ''cholesterol'' builds up in the ''artery''.
As a factory service tech I've had many a challenge on its not the dryer but your vent is bad calls and running through the client educational process not to mention new dryers in an old installation where people replace a good old dryer because the vent is plugged.
 
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Kev those little heat diversion vent boxes screens plug up only after a few loads. Biggest problem with them is multiple operators of the dryer and cleaning them. They were a fad for a while with ducting heat into the house in winter but then moisture becomes a problem and CO with gas units along zero screen cleaning on the diversion box.
 
Friggin builders. No one takes pride in their work anymore. The gas dryer vent was blowin CO steam up from the trex deck floor, smack into the sliding glass door to get out onto the deck. I mean REALLY !!! The same with the gas hot water tank vent and the gas HVAC furnace. All 3 of them I had to extend, pitch, insulate to the edge of the deck. Shear laziness !!!. As for the secondary lint trap, it gets cleaned every time we use the dryer. The 2- 110 CFM vent boosters were needed. I was burning out dryer vent motors like crazy. Had to push exhaust up 1-45 & 1 - 90 elbow, before it ran straight. Total footage now is around 35'. Cleaning that run is no joke. I hate it. Can't wait to move. Unfortunately, 8 more years :(....That's 8 more times I gotta clean the friggin thing !!!! But some of those other stories are insane ! How do you live with yourself knowing that you just finished a real sh-t job ???? I couldn't.... My 1st house was like Pablo's. 6' run tops.
 
We have a service contract for our HVAC. They come 2X a year for two complete systems for $350. Clean things. Look for things like a capacitor starting to bulge.

And if we keep the service contract and parts needed during the 10 year Trane warranty are installed at no cost

And if a problem we will be near the top of the list vs bottom.
 
repairman54 said:
No stockings or screens on dryer vents, bad move. It reduces internal air flow in the dryer causing heating elements or burner to short cycle on the heater box safety thermostat. Sooner or later it will blow the thermal fuse in series with the thermostat also. Also shortens the life of heating elements as they run hotter.
Dryer air flow is high volume, low pressure, that's why they use a 4 inch vent. Any restriction is a reduction in efficiency.
Dryer vent rule of thumb, maximum of 25 ft length, every 90 deg. elbow deduct 3 feet of length. One reason laundry rooms are traditionally on exterior walls.
Click to expand...

We've been doing the "nylons" for 20-25 or more yrs now....after we discovered how much lint was blown all over our screened in back porch. It holds a LOT of material and only fills up near the feet of the 18" long nylons. Dryer is still on the original heaters/electronics from 1991 when we bought the Kitchen Aid dryer new.....only had to replace drive belt and timer in that time. Actually much worse is letting the vent cover metal flapper hinge get linted up where it prevents the flapper from opening more than around 1/2". I now clean that out 2X per year to get a full 1.5"-2" open when dryer is running. A flapper that will only open partially WILL prevent the heat from coming out of the dryer. Once I learned that lesson about 15 yrs ago when the 6-8 ft long hose mostly plugged up from a mouse nest just inside the dryer duct base...... it's been all good since. Having the rodent flapper mostly closed is a much bigger drop in efficiency when that hinge gets bound up from material behind the flapper. The nylon "sock" offers no more restriction to flow than the filter on an Air Conditioner window unit, Dehumidifier, or the lint screen in the dryer itself. By this logic, lint screens should be killing our dryer parts.

I recall when my elderly neighbor complained of his clothes taking "forever" to dry. Well, he never bothered to clean the lint trap
over dozens of dryer cycles....maybe a year or longer. When I removed the lint trap, the checkerboard dust pile of many "colors" expanded upwards to the height of approx 2". Looked like a shag carpet. As soon it was removed and cleaned, the dryer operated perfectly for the next 1-2 yrs before he passed away....no effect that we could see on the heater.
 
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Obviously not ideal, but I would assume the safety thermostat in the dryer would shut the heating element off before things got too hot (assuming it still works...)
 
repairman54 said:
They were a fad for a while with ducting heat into the house in winter but then moisture becomes a problem
Click to expand...
We had one in our old house, but I can't remember if it was already there or I installed it. We used it though and as you say, the idea was to "heat" the laundry room a little bit as it was in the unheated basement.
KevinMalone said:
Obviously not ideal, but I would assume the safety thermostat in the dryer would shut the heating element off before things got too hot (assuming it still works...)
Click to expand...
Yeah, the thermal fuse should always blow before the heating elements get damaged.
 
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