Ducting A Clothes Dryer

Remember the time you painted the bathroom and about a month after it was all done the mildew started to show up again on your beautiful, freshly painted ceiling? Have you ever had to scrape out the caulking from your shower because the mildew was so deeply embedded in the joint that you couldn’t bleach it away? Are the bedroom closets beginning to smell a bit musty? Is mildew growing somewhere in your home? Well, if the answer to any of the above questions is yes then you will want to read on.

Mildew is everywhere. It’s in the air – all around us. And the minute it comes into contact with water (or any kind of moisture for that matter) it begins to multiply. And multiply it does – exponentially – only after about 2-hours of exposure. And as it multiplies it becomes visible as a soft blanket of black or green fir that begins to cover everything in its path. But the way, mildew gets the liquid refreshment it needs in the most interesting ways: steam in a shower hits the surrounding walls and ceilings and condenses, steam from cooking hits the surrounding walls and ceilings and condenses, steam from the clothes washer hits the surrounding walls and ceilings and condenses. Starting to get the picture? Believe it or not, this same kind of condensation can occur when the clothes dryer is not ducted to the exterior. The damp air that a dryer usually exhausts can immediately inundate an area with moist air, which then condenses upon contact with any cold surface (i.e. walls, ceilings, etc.). Is there a chance that your dryer is creating “another mildew feeding ground?” Well, if it isn’t ducted to the exterior then chances are you’ve got a hidden mildew maker in your midst. The good thing is that the problem isn’t difficult to solve. All you need to do is duct your dryer to the exterior. There is another good thing to expect once your dryer is properly ducted. No more lint in the house. Wow!

If your dryer is already ducted make sure that the ducting is clean and clear. Did you know that (according to the National Fire Protection Agency) clothes dryers cause an estimated 14,000 home fires each year. And the leading cause of dryer fires was clogged ducting. So, if you are installing ducting do it properly and keep it clean. No mildew and no fire. How boring life will be.

Here’s are the rules on how to install an efficient and safe dryer duct:

• Dryer ducting must be a minimum of 4-inches in diameter.
• The ducting can be flexible in locations where it can be accessed (attic, basement, crawl space, etc.) and should be the foil or aluminum type – not the plastic kind.
• Ducting must be rigid in inaccessible areas (as when built into a wall or between floors).
• The male joint of each section should connect in the direction of the flow.
• The duct must be dampered at the exterior.
• All joints should be secured with metal tape (the shiny silver kind) – not duct tape.
• No length of concealed rigid duct should exceed 25-feet in length. Deduct 5-feet for each 90 degree turn and half that amount for each 45 degree fitting (example: a concealed rigid duct with one 90-degree fitting should not exceed 20-feet [25’- 5’ = 20’]). Lengths may vary depending on local codes and manufacturer’s specifications.
• Also, keep in mind that dryer vents must not be combined with any other vent system or chimney of any kind.

Oh, and whatever you do, don’t duct your dryer into the attic, garage, basement or crawl space. You will create a fire hazard and a stinky, hard-to-access, mildewed mess.

In as much as the actual installation is concerned all you have to do is secure enough pipe and fittings to do the job and cut to length as necessary – tin snips (metal scissors) make light work of the task. And don’t forget heavy leather gloves. Freshly cut tin can be sharper than a jagged piece of glass. Use one-inch wide strips of tin to secure the pipe in place off the ground. Simply make a full wrap around the duct with the tin strap and nail the two loose ends to the framing. How much easier do you want it!?!

Finally, don’t forget to test your ducting on a regular basis. It’s easy. While the dryer is running go outside and get up close and personal at the exhaust damper. Is it open and is air gushing out or does the flow seem restricted? If it does a cleaning is in order. You can do it yourself or hire it done, but don’t use your dryer when the duct is partially clogged. And, good luck!

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