Venting Electric Dryer Into Attic

The international residential code allows you to run a dryer vent through the attic but you can t terminate it there.

Venting electric dryer into attic.

Hang the pipe from the floor joists don t let it drape on the. This is unsatisfactory because of the lint and because the hot dryer air condenses when it hits the cold attic air. However condensation collected in the low spots of the flexible hose. But we don t recommend it for two reasons.

The photo below shows an accumulation of dryer lint in an attic after years of the vent terminating in it. For every 90 degree turn and 2 1 2 feet for every 45 degree turn for dryer vent installation. Venting a dryer into an enclosed space is never a good idea. Wrap insulation around duct pipes that run through the crawl space or the attic.

This code requirement is usually referred to when a homeowner wants to install air conditioning ducts from the house hvac system to the garage but also applies for dryer ducts. Sometimes such as in town homes or condos it s not possible to vent a dryer through a wall outside. Where changes of direction are required use 4 inch aluminum elbows. Be careful you don t cut through any studs electrical wires or pipes in the process.

This helps keep the pipes clean by preventing condensation. It literally rains on the insulation. Venting the dryer outside in cold weather wastes a lot of heat. 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.

Recently we have simply vented the dryer into the attic. Clean the vent periodically to prevent lint build up. For dryer venting use 4 inch smooth wall aluminum pipe. Not all dryers will allow for this so be sure to check the owners manual to ensure it can be vented in this manner.

Doing so would fill your attic with warm moist air that could rot the framing. A dryer vent should be vented outside. Use no more than 25 ft. Keep in mind these rules of thumb.

Duct and subtract 5 ft. The shorter the distance and fewer the turns the better for dryer vent installation.