ClothesDryer Exhaust

paul sr

if you have a window nearby you could take plywood and go across the length of the window and about 6-8 inches up and cut a 4 inch hole and install a dryer vent. paint it up and it wont look so bad. could make it fixed or removable for every load. better than adding all the humidity and lint to the air in the home paul sr.

Steve Paul

Clothes dryer exaust

My son lives in a high rise Condo in Brooklyn. He just got permission to install a stackable washer/dryer combo. For the life of me, I can't figure out what to do with the dryer exhaust! The condo association will not permit him to chop through the wall to the outside. He was told by a "Genius" neighbor to vent into the 4" sanitary vent stack--- I WON'T PERMIT THAT". Do the "Water Pot" dryer exhausts really work? I just can't see dumping 1-2 gallons of condensate into the apartment from every wash load. Help a Dad out here guys.

pminspector

dryer exhaust ?

simple answer, just open a window and run a rope over to a pulley on the adjoining condo and back and hang all your laundry on the line until dry. Its what they do in iraq....(all you republicans out there, think about it).

J.C.A._3

Hey.....

That's the same thing they did in NYC until the 60's. (I imagine the whites pose a bit more of a problem). Chris

[Deleted User]

stackable washer/dryer

Steve,
I recently worked on a condo where we roughed in a dryer vent for the stackable unit, after the washer dryer were delivered it turned out that the dryer was a new model that did not need an exhaust duct. It had a way of collecting the moisture and draining it off. I don't
recall the manufacturer but it is out there. Mike

Constantin

Miele is one brand...

... we had one in Germany. It's got a small dehumidifier in there that collects the moisture either in a removable cassette or dumps it down the drain. Very, very slow even if you spin the clothes to 1600 RPM first.

Constantin

The water pot units...

... are a lawsuit waiting to happen, IMHO. Somewhat reminiscient of all the "open-loop advantages" that the hucksters use, these pots are not going to solve the lint problem (yech!), may cause a lot of humidity damage, and even a fire. Of the solutions mentioned here, I like the window approach best followed by the dehumidifier-style dryers. Some units (LG?) even do cleaning and drying in one unit, which may be of interest in a Condo.

Geo_5

washer/dryer combo

The combo washer/dryer units on the market are only for the very Desperate that refuse to go to a laundrymate,the clothes come out wet not damp like they say.There is a vented combi unit that workd great,big space saver.

Constantin

I'm not sure we're talking about the same unit...

... the Miele dehumidifier-based dryer works great and does not require a vent. You pay for that convenience though, with long drying times and a very high up-front cost. It's the perfect unit for situations where you cannot vent (and possibly cannot drain) the "flue gases" from a dryer.

Bob_41

Combo washer/dryer

We installed an LG WH3632DW back in 2002. They utilize a condensing dryer so there is no need for an exhaust vent. The reason most find that they don't dry as well is around the electrical reqs ... Electrical 110v - Typical dryers are 220v. A few combo's are beginning to show up here in the states for 220v which should make them more attractive. Given that they only can dry around 50% o their washing capacity.

The LG's are pretty neat, energy star rated. Some features:

1200rpm spin
Uses around 12-15gals water per load
Heats water (can keep your DHW temps down) only up to around 160 degrees. Some European units will get the water over 200 degrees for real sanitary washing.
Quiet

Since they are a condensing dryer all the lint goes through the drain. We're using a dedicated lint trap (Filtrol 160) that we have left over from our previous home which was on well/septic... lint going into a septic field is a no-no. The amount of lint captured n a combo really is amazing!

All-in-all my wife would probably prefer a dedicated W/D but she has learned to like the convenience of the combo. We originally opted for the combo since our current home didn't offer a good location for a dryer vent or a 220v outlet without alot of additional work (ie new electric panel, wall demo etc). A flooded basement from pin hole leaks made that a moot point last summer as we have since gutted the basement, added a new breaker panel and did a heavy-up and replaced all the old copper with pex.

Bob

C-Tec_2

dryer vent

Have you thought about running the vent into the ceiling and then terminating through the soffit? It wouldn't be seen there and would work fine.