Dryer Ventilation

Installation

• In order for a dryer to be vented, it needs to have a ventilation pipe and an exhaust vent on the outside of your house. The ventilation pipe connects to a periscope box that draws air from the dryer up to the pipe, which runs up to the exhaust vent and directs the hot air out of your home. The ventilation pipes connect to each other using quick-lock settings that hold tight and don't require a band clamp. Sometimes, additional pipe pieces, such as elbow pieces, may need to be installed to direct the ventilation pipe where it needs to connect to the exhaust vent. Sometimes, the exhaust vent seal becomes loose or the flap to the exhaust stops closing; this can lead to a draft in your home as the ventilation pulls cool air from outside into the home.

Proper Pipe Material

• Dryer ventilation pipes may be found in home improvement stores in several different materials and rigidities. Flexible plastic pipes, usually white, should be avoided as ventilation pipes for dryers. These pipes lack the longevity of other pipes because the plastic can't stand up to the intense heat of the dryer. This causes the plastic to sag, droop or even melt; the sagging causes lint buildup that can negatively affect the dryer. Similarly, flexible foil pipes have trouble with sagging and bending out of shape. The best dryer ventilation pipes, according to This Old House, come in metal and are fully rigid, preventing them from losing their shape.

Cleaning

• To clean the dryer ventilation system, the dryer must be turned off and unplugged. Gas-powered dryers should have their gas valves closed. The dryer needs to be pulled away from the wall so that the vent pipe can be removed. Once it's removed, take a vacuum hose to suck out all the lint from the vent pipe and around the area that connects the pipe to the dryer. The lint trap and exhaust vent need to be cleaned as well. For those not comfortable with attempting duct cleaning at home, professional cleaners can be called in to thoroughly clean a ventilation pipe.

Potential Hazards

• When dryer ventilation is neglected, several different problems can occur. Improperly installed pipes sag and collect more lint than properly installed ventilation pipes. Clothing dries more slowly with clogged vents, and the dryer expends more energy to dry clothing. Eventually, if the lint backs up enough, a fire can break out. Approximately 4,000 of the 13,000 laundry room fires that occur each year in the United States happen because of unclean dryer vents, according to Consumer Reports.