Dryer Vent Thru Attic

A dryer vent should be vented outside.

Dryer vent thru attic.

In these cases it may be necessary to vent your dryer through the attic. This also means that you can t blow the dryer exhaust into the attic or the crawlspace. Clothes dryers should be vented through the side of the house preferably within reach from the ground. Keeping a clean dryer vent is much easier when you can safely reach the exit.

Vent the dryer with 4 in. Doing so would fill your attic with warm moist air that could rot the framing. You must terminate your dryer vent outside the building according to section m1502 of the irc. In real world tests inefficient roof terminations would often all but negate the improved efficiency of eliminating restrictive elbows.

Seal the ceiling penetration so that the duct can expand in length as it heats up during use a standard roof boot such as you d use to flash a vent pipe would work. Not all dryers will allow for this so be sure to check the owners manual to ensure it can be vented in this manner. To make the dyer more efficient you can buy an inexpensive heat diverter and install it in the exhaust duct of electric dryers only not gas dryers you ll save about 50 worth of heat per load in the winter. Often going straight up through the roof is the shortest route.

This causes the steam from your dryer. Venting the dryer outside in cold weather wastes a lot of heat. When bath fans and clothes dryers vent through the roof they melt a bunch of snow. Be careful you don t cut through any studs electrical wires or pipes in the process.

A vertical dryer vent is typically a problem because it acts as a moisture condenser. These terminals need to be cleaned on a regular basis to prevent lint buildup. After the snow melts below the vent it ll probably freeze again farther down on the roof. If venting outside isn t an option you can vent the dryer out of the attic through the roof using a special roof vent to keep rain out.

When venting dryers for long distances use rigid metal pipe with as few elbows as possible. Continue the ductwork horizontally through the attic to the closest exterior wall. The international residential code allows you to run a dryer vent through the attic but you can t terminate it there. Metal duct going vertically from the dryer through the second floor ceiling.

The sheet metal duct is cooled by the outside air in the attic. Sometimes such as in town homes or condos it s not possible to vent a dryer through a wall outside.