We are currently thinking about buying a house that has the laundry room in the middle of the house. The home inspection found that the dryer was just vented to the attic and there was lint all around the opening. So all the humidity and lint is going into the attic. Since our current neighbor's dryer caught on fire about two weeks ago due to lint buildup, we don't think this current venting arrangement is acceptable. We are looking into venting the dryer up through the roof since the laundry room is about ten feet from the nearest exterior wall and there are two closets between the laundry room and the exterior wall.

Does anyone have a dryer vent through the roof? If so, what type of cap do you have on the roof? I've seen several types but I've read that some people have had problems with birds and other animals trying to nest inside. How often do you clean the lint out since I assume it will settle around the dryer opening? Do you have a dryer vent booster fan, and if so, are there any issues with it such as lint buildup?

If the run exceeds 25 feet then you'll need a booster fan. If you have turns in the duct then the distance allowed could be shorter.

Dryer roof jacks usually have a screen in them to prevent critters from getting in.

Someone else will have to handle the lint issue.

Hth

We own a condo that my sister lives in. The dryer vents out thru the roof (2 story condo).IMO- horrible design. We just "cleaned" out the vent last week. We do that about 1x a year. No problems w/critters as there is a screen. We are about to enlarge the laundry room at our house & hubby says "we will just vent the dryer out the roof". I said "we absolutely will NOT do that".

To your point about the buildup being at the dryer is incorrect.

My company cleans dryer vents and especially with 2 story vents the clog occurs at the screen for birds and rodents. The lint hardens at the screen due to moisture and extreme roof heat and hardens like paper mache reducing air flow.

They are a horrible design, but will work as long as you have it cleaned every few years.

If you have an option to put it in the ceiling cavity and go to the exterior wall, I would highly recommend it.

Hope this helps!

Thanks. Good information. It's a single story house and I haven't been in the attic myself to see what it looks like. Right now we are asking the seller to install a dryer roof vent since she has to put a new roof on it anyway.

Roof terminations, while not ideal, are common. As stated they do require cleaning and some monitoring. I agree the screen should be avoided, because they trap lint. The 25 foot thing is correct, as is the reduction in length for each bend. If it exceeds the length, then a booster motor is needed.

The current attic venting is a really bad idea for a variety of reasons. But it should not be that hard to fix on a one story house.

Jcurtis, I read your comment about it going to outside wall. Should it then go outside? Guess I am confused. I looked at mine when I got Christmas stuff down. One story home just vents to attic over garage toward outside wall. Seems not good to me.

I have the same problem. We just bought a house with an interior laundry room. It doesn't even vent into the attic. I've cleaned out the "vent" but there is no duct into the attic. The current debate is either a) have the dryer vent into and out the attic which over 25 feet or b) put the washer and dryer in the detached garage.

Both options will be a pain to fix, but at least the garage option won't be a huge fire hazard.

In my opinion, all vertical vent flues ought be required to use a T and have a lint collection bottom of that T.

That's because, as soon as the blower cuts off, all the lint being blown up the flue will fall down to the bottom.

Short runs, simple runs, that is the best answer for these.

What you want if you have a roof vent and cannot change it is an in-wall lint trap... However, it makes a booster fan an absolute necessity and its an additional item to clean regularly. But it beats going up on the roof to clean it.

Dryer should ABSOLUTELY be vented to the exterior! Otherwise you are creating a serious fire hazard. This has ben true for quite a long time, so "I have an old house" is not a good excuse.

I have seen a few houses where the vent terminated into the garage (bad idea) but had a special water filter type termination. I still don't like it.

I am willing to be convinced that the humidity from a bathroom vent going into the attic is not a big deal. They were allowed that way for years....and your attic is vented. But the lint that will inevitably go through the dryer vent is flammable and should not be accumulating in your attic or crawlspace or garage or laundry room.

If you have this situation please call an appropriate contractor and have it changed..

Planning to put vent into attic area. Is an elbow to run vent back to exterior wall and then outside for vent an acceptable way to run the pipe or is going straight up through roof better?

We have this exact same problem as well. We bought this house earlier in the year and the dryer vent just blows into the attic. I am not too far off from a gable that I could terminate to and will probably do that. I have seen specialty gable vents for clothes dryers. I was unaware of the additional blower though. Where does that need to be installed? At the dryer, or in the attic where the turn occurs to head toward the gable.

[This message has been edited by ChevyAg (edited 12/12/2012 2:01p).]

How would one go about cleaning the dryer vent line from a roof? The house I just bought is vented correctly, but apparently the screen cover fell off and I want to make sure nothing got in there.