Gas clothes dryer venting question-UPDATE

EBEBRATT-Ed

I am selling some property and the "inspector" says the gas vent from the dryer is too close to the ground..........it is.

I can raise it some but was checking different dryer installation instructions. What I found was they want 12" from grade to the bottom of the dryer vent..........I can't get it that high.

So 1 solution would be to come up through the floor in a corner of the bedroom and then out through the wall. I would then build a chase around it from the floor to the ceiling. That wouldn't be too bad except I will have to cut 6" or so off the Sterling fin tube baseboard.

Can't think of another solution, other than putting the chase outside which would look crappy and be difficult to seal.


Also, my real question I read NFPA #54 and from what I found the dryer vent doesn't require any clearance from wood as far as I can tell..........is this correct

mattmia2

Can you get it out a different wall? You can have a fairly long run off of the dryer's built in fan. It will be worse than the current installation, but that isn't your problem and it might meet whatever criteria they want. It probably should actually be 12" above the snow line. Is there a closet you could get it up in if the foundation is that close to grade all around?

EBEBRATT-Ed

No. No closet I can get to. I guess I can come up through the floor I still have some leftover paint to paint the chase with.

Never thought about clearances from the dryer vent before. It's bugging me. What do you think?

pecmsg

Install a T outside and run it up enough to get the 12”. Leave the bottom of the T open. 

heathead

This is not going to get you 12 inches but this helps.
Lambro 289W Dryer Vent Seal

Gilmorrie

Tell your real estate agent that you decline to accept. Take it or leave it.

Larry Weingarten

Hi @EBEBRATT-Ed , Any chance the vent could be fit inside of the wall? I know it's likely a four inch pipe and a three and a half inch space, but sometimes things flex a bit.

Yours, Larry

hot_rod

would something like this get the required clearence?

EBEBRATT-Ed

@hot_rod & @heathead TY that may get me close, have to check it out.

@Larry Weingarten

Good Idea but no wall space. The outside wall is 6" or 8" block 1" furring strips and plaster. I actually saw a transition duct on line made for that situation if it was a normal wall

STEVEusaPA

Gilmorrie said:

Tell your real estate agent that you decline to accept. Take it or leave it.

What kind of answer is this? Ed is the seller, the buyer gets the inspector.

ratio

The buyer wants it to get done. You can say no & they can back out or not, up to them. It may be be issue with an FHA loan.

Larry Weingarten

Hmmm, Might be time to go with a heat pump dryer/washer. No vent needed!

Yours, Larry

Hvac_artisan

If it was a home inspector for a real estate deal those guys are often hacks and in accurate and what they’re saying before you jump through hoops to satisfy the inspection I would recommend declining to make that repair if the customer is considering it necessary as part of your counter offer

unclejohn

Dig out from underneath the vent about a foot each side should do. Your welcome.

mattmia2

unclejohn said:

Dig out from underneath the vent about a foot each side should do. Your welcome.

just get a window well..

motoguy128

Tell them house is sold “as-is”. Offer them $500 off the selling price and they can fix it themselves. IF they don’t like your solution then you wasted your money and time.

The solution above looks promising, but looks a little odd.

EBEBRATT-Ed

It's in a window well now, that's the problem. I'll figure out something.

Thanks for the input gives me a few ideas.

But my other question was what about clearance from the dryer vent to combustable wood.......any issues?

heathead

Look at a break down of the drawing of the vent number I gave you on a google image search.  Same thing as hot rods pic.  Looks like you could add pipe after the elbow to bring it taller.  I think it about $20.00 on supplyhouse.com.  I haven’t used one so I don’t know if you could add pipe.  Only saw one years ago and said that’s A great way  to get out of a jamb.  It looks like it would seal better also.  Good luck.  

EBEBRATT-Ed

@heathead
TY i will look into it.

EBEBRATT-Ed

Thanks to @heathead & @hot_rod .

That Lambro 289W did the trick. I cored a 4" hole in the foundation up as close to the sub floor as possible. That put the bottom of the dryer vent pipe about 3" above grade. I put the vent kit on and I still was a few inches short of the 12" minimum to grade that the dryer mfg's want.

I found that thin wall PVC pipe 4" sewer pipe (the stuff with the gasketed joints was the same OD as the dryer vent so i was able to raise the vent by adding a 9" piece of pipe and a coupling which I glued on. Lowes has the pipe and couplings so I got the coupling there. Not wanting to by a stick of pipe (I only needed 9") but I scrounged up a scrap piece

I will post a picture forgot to take one. I showed it to the gas/plumbing inspector who was there to inspect some other work and he thought it was fine

heathead

Thank for filling us in glad to know it worked. Also glad to know sewer pipe will fit it.