Venting a Clothes Dryer Indoors

[eclecticcottage]

We had a smaller dryer a few years ago that was made to vent into the house. It had no external vent hookup, just a large filter built into the door that it vented through. Didn't cause us any issues, but I imagine it depends on the dryer, the house and the set up. I wouldn't vent my new dryer into the house, but that's just me.

 

[firefighterjake]

Just don't do what the mother of one of my good friends did . . . attempted to vent the natural gas dryer inside for the extra heat . . . was even proud of the fact. My friend -- Aaron -- those of you at Woodstock's Open House met him -- was less than impressed . . . especially since he, his brother and his father are all HVAC guys . . . Dad even owns a large HVAC business in Ohio.

 

[Frozen Canuck]

You will want to avoid venting any dryer to the inside of any structure. Air quality issues aside you raise the dust level & with it the risk of fire..

Is the vacuum cleaner a fire hazard, too ?
I'd really like to eliminate that dust maker from my Saturday chores.

Your vacuum should have a HEPA filter, your dryer probably just a piece of wire screen. Huge difference in the particle size that each will allow back into the home. So sounds like you are still the Saturday vacuum cleaner pilot. Your vacuum filters dry room temp air your dryer discharges warm/hot moisture laden air at about 150 °F. That's where the mold pit I spoke of gets it's start & then one keeps adding to the problem by adding more warm/hot moist air.

Another poster spoke of condensation on the windows when venting a dryer inside, this is an early sign of a major problem. If you can see moisture condensing on a surface it is also condensing in areas that you may not be able to see, inside a wall cavity for example. Keep adding moisture & you feed the mold production, pretty simple cause & effect relationship.

BTW keeping a structure mold free out here in the West is far easier than for those of you near the Great Lakes or the Sea, simply put the MC of the air has you at a disadvantage. If it's a bad idea here it's a horrible idea there.

 

[maple1]

I get moisture condensing on windows here at times - most times it's on the inside of storm door windows, but at times there's some around the windows. This morning, our interior humidity was 45%, and the storm doors were condensated (not sure if that's a word). I wouldn't get too shaken up by moisture on the windows - it could also be a sign of very good windows & air sealing. If there is poor air sealing around a window, the resulting air movement can prevent condensation in higher moisture conditions. So if there's no condensation on windows - it could be a good sign (no excess humidity), or a bad sign (air leaks & resulting cold air infiltration).

 

[Hogwildz]

I have the plastic box jobby that has the flapper and screen.
Still in place with flapper closed. Not worth the once a week dryer use these days.
The housing and flapper warp, flapper don't close all the way any more.
PITA to have to clean out OFTEN.
SO now the stuff goes outside through the vent.
If I ran the drier every day, I would use it, but just too much a pita to bother with. And cheaply made!

 

[BrotherBart]

Of all the pros and cons, the con that finally sent my water lint catcher to the landfill and the dryer vent back to the outside is the short fibers you inhale in the house from venting a dryer indoors. Just ain't worth it. Just like working with rockwool without a premium mask isn't either. Those short fibers get in your lungs and never leave.

 

[Valhalla]

Not worth the risk, any way it is done.

Gas = carbon monoxide plus moisture = deadly risk
Electric = moisture = high risk

 

[semipro]

The energy waste of our clothes dryer has long bothered me and I've found no real good solution...yet.

For now, we dry big stuff on a clothes line outside and use the dryer (vented outside) only for loads of small stuff like socks and underwear.

One day I hope to use the dryer exhaust to preheat our hot water using a homemade air to liquid heat exchanger. Dryers that use a similar process are already widely used in Europe. They require no outside outlet.

 

[woodgeek]

One advantage of the new "Hi-Efficiency" front loading washers is that they spin faster, and extract more water. If the dryer has a sensor to shut down, this can cut your dryer usage 50%, and make air drying indoors a lot more viable/practical.

 

[semipro]

One advantage of the new "Hi-Efficiency" front loading washers is that they spin faster, and extract more water. If the dryer has a sensor to shut down, this can cut your dryer usage 50%, and make air drying indoors a lot more viable/practical.

We've observed this. Synthetics come out of the washer almost dry. Naturals, like cotton, come out wet but needing much less drying time.

 

[firefighterjake]

I should mention that I have since started routing the dryer outside after finding water droplets on the plastic film I have on my laundry room windows . . . however, in fairness, I still get the condensation so I don't think it was the indoor vented dryer causing the excess moisture.

 

[bluedogz]

One advantage of the new "Hi-Efficiency" front loading washers is that they spin faster, and extract more water. If the dryer has a sensor to shut down, this can cut your dryer usage 50%, and make air drying indoors a lot more viable/practical.

Of course, one DISadvantage is that the one the Mrs. likes costs like $795.

Best solution... have it delivered while her sister is over for a visit.