How to Attach Dryer Vents

Determine where in the room the dryer will be located. You will want to select a location close to where the vent will exit the home. Do not use more than 25 feet of pipe and minimize the use of 90-degree elbows.

Drill a 1/4-inch pilot hole through the side of the house. If your home has stone or brick siding, use a 1/4-inch masonry bit and a hammer drill to make the hole. Go outside and check around the hole for any obstructions that would prevent you from installing the vent in that location. The vent must be at least 12 inches above the ground.

Position the vent cap over the pilot hole so it sits flat against the house. Trace around the vent cap with a pencil and set the vent cap aside. Use a 4 1/4-inch hole saw to bore a hole through the center of the tracing. If you have brick or stone siding, draw a 4 1/2-inch circle on the house with a compass. Drill a series of holes through the circle the same way you drilled the pilot hole. Use a hammer and chisel to remove the circle.

Slide the supplied cap extender onto the vent cap. Insert the cap extender into the hole and press the vent cap flat against the house. Drill 1/8-inch pilot holes through each of the vent cap's screw holes. If the siding is brick or stone, mark the screw holes, remove the vent cap, and drill the holes with a masonry bit and a hammer drill. Use a masonry bit equal in size to the wall anchors you will use. Insert one wall anchor into each hole. Secure the vent cap to the siding with the supplied screws.

Place a metal band clamp around the dryer's exhaust outlet. Install one 90-degree elbow on the dryer's vent hole and another 90-degree elbow on the cap extender. Tighten the clamp's screw to hold the elbow in place. Ask a friend to help you move the dryer into position. Measure the distance between the two elbows and add three inches for overlap. Transfer this length onto a piece of 4-inch round duct.

Cut the duct to the appropriate length using a tin snips. Lay the duct flat on the ground with the seam up. Push the seam's edges down slightly to secure them together. Use a hand crimper to crimp the duct's cut end.

Insert one of the straight duct's ends into the 90-degree elbow attached to the dryer. Wrap metal foil tape around the two pieces to secure them together. Insert the duct's other end into the elbow attached to the vent extension. Wrap metal foil tape around the two pieces to hold them together.

Go outside. Shove cut pieces of foam backer rod into any gaps between the siding and the vent cap. Apply a bead of silicone sealant around the entire vent cap. Return inside and apply silicone sealant around the vent extension where it exits the wall.