The most effective way to extend a dryer vent is by running it straight through the wall behind the dryer to the outdoors. If this doesn’t work, you can vent it through the nearest exterior wall or run the duct upward and horizontally along the ceiling joist to the outdoors. For a dryer in the basement, run the duct upward and then horizontally along the ceiling joist to the outdoors.
To speed up clothes drying and prevent lint build-up, install a smooth metal dryer vent. This involves several key steps: measuring and cutting the distance from your dryer to the exterior wall, connecting to the exterior vent using a hose clamp, sealing the connection with metal foil tape, and checking that the exterior vent cover is clean and functioning.
Extending a dryer vent can improve efficiency, reduce mold and fire hazards, and prevent lint buildup in the venting system. It also helps keep your laundry room cooler and more efficient. To attach a dryer vent, plan out the shortest route from your dryer to the outside wall and avoid kinks in your duct work.
The maximum developed length of a clothes dryer exhaust duct shall not exceed 35 feet from the dryer location to the wall or roof termination. You can get an extension at Lowe’s, Home Depot, or other hardware stores.
To extend a laundry room dryer vent, measure the amount of venting needed, trim the rigid vent material, form the pipe, and tap the vent. Use solid aluminum and very sticky duct tape and use three self-tapping 1/2″ long screws at each joint.
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Thank you for this article! As a middle class homeowner with no financial breaks articles like this are so incredibly helpful! It’s also always so interesting to read comments from others who have cool feedback but don’t have any DIY articles that they have contributed…. I guess it’s easier to comment on someone else’s articles. Thank you again!
i have 2 of those in my house installed first the plastic ones which lasted only 2 year because heat makes it so fragile then upgraded to the metal ones. They are great product specially the stainless steel one. This past winter when temperatures were low something i noticed as you can see the steam traveling path in colder weather much clearer the issue was is if your soffit AREA HAS VENTS AND THEY ARE 6 to 10 feet above the vent it just suck all the steam and condensation into your attic. That is a perfect recipe to cause mold in your attic
I have been doing home repairs for many years first time perusal your show I believe you should have seal the surrounding areas before installing the new Dryer Vent also by placing an additional vent extension tube inside, the dryer vent tube you have created a place for the lint to accumulate and eventually create a blockage
Something I think you neglected to talk about and is probably why the original was done with that burried tube. That is lint can get pilled into the A/C condenser and block the heat transfer surfaces reducing its efficiency and making it eork harder. Your solution while good will allow lint to get pulled into the condenser. That is a serious mistake having the dryer vent and the A/C condenser that close together.
Great product, i might get one. One word of advice though, at around the 6:00 min mark you put another piece of pipe inside. I think you should remove the newly installed piece inside. The dryer blows out lint and will be caught in between the two pipes and will build up over time. Kind of the same reasoning behind why dryer vents should not have screws connecting them (building code).
Nice vent and thanks for the article. However my concern is spider webs, mud daubers and wasp and bee like nest in the area of the floating stopper. Some may not be aware of mud dauber habits but they find mud bring it to a device like this and build a nest and it gets hard like concrete. Great device for the right enviroment. Thanks Gordon Dallas Texas.
I have used this type of vent for many years. It seals well, has very good airflow for the dryer exhaust, and eliminates the issues with the old “flapper” vent. It does need to be cleaned occasionally — I usually do it once a year or so. Simply lift the cover remove the floating cap, and vacuum stray lint. I did have to replace mine once over the years due to deterioration of the plastic making it brittle and subject to cracking. Not sure if a quick coat of paint would resolve that or not. Anyway — highly recommended!
The attempts with the burried duct and later with the side directed vent were to avoid lint from the dryer exhaust getting sucked into the AC unit and clogging the fins. It’s a real problem. Ask me how I know. When the AC compressor is running, it is sucking all available air in, with the lint. That’s the larger problem. Nice improvement with the vent, itself. You’re going to be pulling the case off that AC once or twice a season to clean out the fins unless you redirect that dryer vent.
The entire purpose of running the extended flex hose to the side of the planter was to keep dryer lint out of the A/C condenser. You’ve just made things far worse for your air conditioner. What you should have done is move the dryer duct inside the house so it exits in a different location. You’ve simply traded one problem for another.
I have my cover sideways because the vent comes out of the concrete slab. I installed the included plastic screen to keep unwanted rodents out. Looks like a neat product, but my dryer vent run is over 20 feet in the concrete slab so I would be worried about the distance and that floating gizmo not being able to stay open.
I cleaned up a lot of dryer vent from side walls and all the way to the roof and a lot of them has flapper and screen which they always stock with lint but this modification will clogged it more don’t get me wrong my friend that lid cover or flapper should open as soon you turn it on the dryer and that float inside that will catch up more lint instead of coming out freely and i hope that cup will not catch up water because the way it’s standing up instead of down pipe.
I installed this type dryer vent in the mid 1990’s and it still works great. I periodically remove the top and remove the floating seal cap and clean the lint off the inside parts to ensure the floating cap does not bind against the plastic guides and get stuck. Takes about 5 minutes.and good way to ensure trouble free vent operation. Will definitely buy another if this one ever gives up the ghost.
I’ve had that style dryer vent installed for many years now. You have to clean it out a couple extra times during the winter due to it getting clogged easier because of the condensation trapping the lint and sticking inside. If find your dryer isn’t drying as fast as it used to then that vent is clogged up and needs cleaning out. My vent line is very short so it blows my floating cap right out if I open it while the dryer is running.
Bought a ventless dryer (LG) off Facebook last year, $200. Great dryer, no hole in the wall needed, no added negative pressure sucking in air from outside. I empty the water into a nearby sink, but it can be easily plumbed instead. And it still has a traditional lint filter. There is one more thing, about every 6 months to slide out the exchanger and knock any lint off. Wouldn’t trade any of that for the hassles of dealing with an external vent exhaust again.
We installed one of these vents last summer. It’s made a huge difference in the amount of heat/humidity getting trapped in our laundry room in the summer and blocking tons of the cold in the winter. They’re also paintable, so if you don’t want this white thing hanging off your house, it can blend in super well. So much easier to clean, too! Definitely recommended on our end.
I did the math on my dryer’s airflow now I’m thinking of building a separate unconditioned addition to put it on. It blows 150cfm. That means that every hour it pumps 9000 cf of air that I’ve spent money conditioning straight out of the house. I have a 2000 sq/ft house with 9’ ceilings. That means in an hour half the air in my house is blown out and gets replaced with cold air 🤬
You get what you pay for. The guy that you had install the vent may be a “handyman” but it is easy to tell he had no clue how to install it correctly or he would have told you there was a problem. Speaking of problems, the siding was cut for the raised bed cap board to fit into it. This will allow moisture to get in behind the wall causing a moisture/mold problem in between the siding, sheathing and even into the framing and insulation of your house. Even with treated lumber it will eventually rot way sooner that it should not to mention the mold that can cause serious health issue to your family.
I’ll give you that it looks much better, but depending on where you live you likely just caused yourself problems. First the tube that you stuck inside, that is going to cause lint to build up and plug the vent MUCH faster. If you live someplace wet you likely just caused a water intrusion problem, that lip that you cut out and the structure behind it were all there to prevent water from getting in. No amount of caulking will seal that up long-term. (your PO box address appears to be WA, so I would suspect this to be your first problem). Second, the gaps you left on the sides will allow critters to get inside. Bugs, rodents, and then snakes… Again, it’s very unlikely you’ll be able to seal that up with calk or anything similar. I don’t know what your situation inside is, but your best bet is to try to move the vent to a more appropriate place and to rebuild the sill plate (the support structure inside), the sill at the bottom of the siding and any other structure. The second best way is to again rebuild most of that and only leave/make a hole big enough for the duct to run through and build up a mount that will allow you to install the vent cover flat.
I installed one of these a few months ago and it was a lot more complicated than this. I had a lot more overhang of the siding than this so I had to build up a wood frame around the vent hole to get it to line up. Then, the siding had a lot of angle to it so I had to make a wedge to hold the upper section. Also, my dryer blows with much more force which pushed the cap up against the lid. Problem is that the “latch” that’s supposed to hold the lid in place doesn’t work. I had to glue a weight to the lid to keep the air flow from blowing it open and pushing the cap out and onto the ground. This product needs 2 things: 1: a better latch and 2: an adjustable bracket on the top.
You didn’t fix the house. In fact, you created three more problems. One. You cut into the perimeter of the home, creating an opening. Two. You installed a rolled up sheet of aluminum inside of the exhaust pipe allowing lint to accumulate and cause a blockage which can burn up the dryer or worse, cause a fire. Three. You never exhaust dryer vents near an air conditioning condenser. It WILL clog the fins of the condenser and create high head pressure which will cost the home owner higher electric bills, loss of efficiency and damage the unit. Learn what you’re doing before you wreck more homes.
I’m not sure the new vent is all it is cracked up to be. I se a bunch of nooks and crannies that will fill up with lint and clog due to excess moisture when it is cold out. The moisture from the dryer will condense inside the housing causing lint to get stuck. The simplicity of the flapper makes this not an issue.
The location of the new vent is far from optimal; the previous underground install was likely done to prevent lint from clogging up the cooling fins on your AC unit. As far as the new vent cover goes, it’s inevitable that water will get in through the top and possibly leak into your ducting. Also, the combination of lint, moisture, and residue from any fabric softeners & dryer sheets will collect on the pop-up mechanism and eventually bind it shut. Unless you’re cleaning it every few months, this is a recipe for a completely closed duct. I do this for a living, btw.
Thanks for the article. Got tired of cold air coming in at the dryer and also at bathroom exhaust fan vents from the other types during windy days. This product solved the problem. As per instructions, you have a limit on how many 90 degree turns in your dryer vent system are allowed as too much back pressure will limit performance.
WORX is junk. Been there never again! Won’t hold up to daily use. Never use tapered screws. Use Self tapping Truss screws with a built in flat washer. Terrible choice of fastener. I would not of cut out the sill plate trim. Now you have exposed wood that is going to rot. Always extend the vent out past the sill plate and then mount your vent.
Wondering if anyone can comment on dryer flow. My dryer is giving me an 80% blocked error. I’ve redone the ducting and it’s perfectly clean. My exhaust vent is a floating ball style and I suspect it doesn’t allow enough airflow. This article shows a floating baffle system that relies on the force of air to lift it, hence reduced airflow. Wondering if this would solve or duplicate my airflow error issue.
And this is licensed contractor? Or no? Totally agree with several post here chiefly the one where the fitted piping for the exhaust was shoved INSIDE the existing dryer vent piping. WTH? Lint builds up enough on smooth surfaces as it is. Dude, don’t add to the problem by introducing yet another lint collection point. Unreal. This is why I do as much as I can myself. I know it’s done correctly and shove the extra money I would have shelled out in labor costs back into my wallet.
Maybe I am missing something. Instead of cutting the foundation wood/drip edge, why not extend the pipe another 6 inches and just have it out further. Add some wood if needed to screw it to, not subtract, which I bet will cause a problem to the wall or foundation. Then OMG, near the HVAC, seriously? Lint is going to get in the coil and that is going to be a job to clean all the time. Sorry, but this is a disaster waiting to happen. Product looks good though
There might be more going on there than meet the eye. Is that a RIM JOIST in contact with the GROUND? I hope it is treated wood, but who ever did the landscaping has probably screwed up the grading for your house. That is if you have a simple problem. If you have a buddy who is a general contractor, you might want to get some advice.
It sucks that your vent is so close to the ground. At 4:57 when you removed the old extention and started cutting your wood frame, we can see the smoothe, non-crimped end of the pipe. That end should’ve been the crimped end so it could fit inside your new vent. Seeing that the former owners did a complete fire hazard hack job, the best way in my opinion to do this is to go in the basement or crawl space to inspect and possibly re-do everything they’ve done. Hopefully your dryer is close to that wall or at least have less than 25 ft of exhaust from dryer elbow to vent. I’ve learned each 90 elbow adds 5 ft and 45 elbow adds 2.5 ft., so more than 25 ft will require and inline vent booster. Go to HD or Lowes and get the galvanized or aluminium ducts or sheets to form yourself if you prefer. Just make sure the crimped end is always following the air flow AND is inside the pipe after it, including the vent. You will probably need to modify the last pipe by cutting it shorter in the back with the crimped end fitting into your new vent cover. I had a 40 ft run to my house and did it all this way.
Might be nice if my dryer exhaust wasn’t on the very tippy top of my two story house with an extremely steep roof… No way I’m going up there. I’d have to buy an extra long ladder (i have a good sized ladder, but not that long) and risk my life on our roof. What an absolutely moronic idea to put the exhaust at the peak a two story roof… Vent it to the eaves or, at the very least, the lower part of the roof. A&$h0le builders…
Well, it looks pretty cool, but it’s gonna have the same problem of lint building up and then leaving a gap for bugs and whatever to get in you’ll have to check it every once in a while to clean it out but it definitely looks like something I would use to replace my old one right now I have awire mesh screen over the whole thing to keep rodents out but like I said, the lint will build up on most everything you’re gonna have that problem no matter what
I have tried a lot of dryer vents in my 69 years on this planet and none of them lasted very long and all had similar flaws…mainly just being cheaply made from thin, usually galvanized, tin material. I ended up paying $30 for one on Amazon made from stainless steel and it was well worth it. Bear in mind I just have a basic setup with a hole thru a piece of 1/2″ plywood where a basement window was removed. I think that is one of the most common so just thought I would mention it. Stop buying the cheap ones from Home Depot and spend the extra money. It’s worth it in the long haul. The one you showed would not fit my application but it does look like a great option too. Oh and good point on the multi-tool. I have one on my list to get next !!
1) Homeowners: All dryer vents need regular cleaning to prevent loss of efficiency or possible fire damage, no matter what design. 2) Contractors: When designing / installing dryer vent or air conditioning, avoid AC unit and vent being near each other. This is commonly done by builders ot contractors who are either clueless or cutting corners, and should infuriate any homeowner. The lint clogs up the condenser fins on the air intake of the outdoor unit, increasing the ongoing maintenance burden for the homeowner.
As everyone is saying, now the dryer is venting into the A/C that will suck up the lint. The original installation was better because it located the dryer exhaust many feet away from the A/C unit. The corrugated tubing should have been replaced with a 90 degree fitting (eliminating the first flapper vent altogether). Then continue the run with large PVC to bury under the soil. You could then place your new vent at the original location. There would be no need to hack away the overhang too, which is now a rainwater runoff issue. Sorry, but as a homeowner, I would not accept this hack job as shown.
What is with the insert into the existing vent pipe flow? Wouldn’t your lint become trapped? Shouldn’t it be a continuous pipe? I like the work but as a fireman I am hesitant on the piping. That is where the dryer fires usually occur. As a homeowner I would prefer aluminum though the design seems nice. Plastic does not weather the elements long term.
Interesting design. However, rodents might not get into your home, but the vent slits underneath are big enough to allow rodents to build a nest. On my traditional vent, I simply cut a square big enough, of 1/4 inch wire mesh, to cover the opening and screwed it down with galvanized self tapping screws. It seems to work fine. Haven’t seen any clogging, but I try to vacuum out the vent yearly from the outside and behind the dryer which is even more important sometimes. Thanks
The duct was routed under the ground to its termination point because the condenser is sitting right next to where you installed the new termination. Anytime that you dry your clothes and the condenser is operating it’ll suck lent onto the condenser coil. That’s a problem. As an HVAC service technician, I can tell you that I’ve seen ACs destroyed and many operate with poor efficiency due to a dirty condenser coil.
It looks similar to what came with the house, sort of but not quite. That one got destroyed somehow (it’s ND so stuff happens) and I have not been happy with what I put in to replace it. As with all older homes, mine came with a number of DIY projects gone wrong. The next owner will probably feel the same way, though I’ve probably done more right than wrong. Will give this a try when the weather improves.
What this article is about to do at the 5:36 mark is ABSOLUTELY NOT the proper thing to do. If he cut that piece of exhaust duct too short, he should first go inside and check if he can lengthen it from inside; sometimes there is enough “play” to do that. If not, go get some new duct that will be long enough, and replace whatever section is too short. This type of duct can be pieced together, and the seams should be sealed with metallic tape, no screws and no fabric or plastic duct tape. When piecing together, the direction of flow is from inner to outer, and that means you insert the outermost end of an inner duct into the innermost end of an outer duct. The outermost end of the inner duct would get crimped around the circumference so that it fits into the outer duct. Watch this article to learn how to not do this …
As you can see, the vent is too close to the A/C condensing unit. That’s probably why they ran the drier duct away from the A/C unit to avoid lint getting caught in the condenser fins, this is a common problem that causes the A/C unit to run high head pressure and not cool to capacity, never vent your drier near your A/C unit, it will blanket the coils with lint, seen it many times
Interesting design. It actually makes sense if used properly. I agree with a few comments about the installation. The previous install with the tube running under the dirt is away from the AC unit. Lint from the vent can mess up the AC. Another problem you might run into will be a clogged vent pipe. You put a raw edge of the extender inside the pipe. It give lint to collect and clog that defeats the exhaust flow. Also, a huge fire Hazzard.
I have the old style vent that you replaced, but there’s actually no need to replace the old vent, and here’s why: The flap that you say sometimes doesn’t close and allows vermin, dirt, debris to enter the vent can be easily weighted with two small magnets. They are heavy enough to ensure the flap always closes but not so heavy that the flap won’t open. Put one on each side of the flap so that they attract each other through the aluminum flap, ensuring a secure connection. Bingo! Just saved you a few bucks by not having to buy your interesting though needless contraption. Next!
If the cap inside was made of a lighter material it might be more desirable. The weight of cap would create more backpressure on vent and restrict flow and any lint buildup would increase it even more. I do see advantages, unwanted critter entry, outside temperature blocking, floating cap could be easily cleaned but vent tube more difficult. Also, if the bottom is open why have a flapper on top?
About 4 years ago, I installed this at my parents house. My dad had passed and I was taking care of the house for my mom. Mice, couldn’t figure out how they were getting in. Then, there it was. The dryer vent was very low to the ground. Installed this, got rid of the mice inside the house. No more mice!
I’ve watched your website for quite some time. I really enjoy the different projects and things that you’ve done. I also would like to say how very sorry I am for your loss. I lost my mother to kidney failure, so I know what you went through with that. The old saying time heals all wounds is very true. Both my mother and father have been gone for sometime now. But I think of them often and I miss him very much, but you carry on. As you said, we will see each other someday again. He’s a piece of our Lord be with you and your family. Sincerely, Ken
Dryer vent tubing needs to be cleaned periodically. With the flapper getting a brush inside the tubing is doable. It looks like the whole assembly has to be removed on this system. I was told that ‘flex’ gas tubing can only be installed in short sections outside especially. Maybe different area’s codes.
I like the vent. Any idea as to how much that will reduce your overall max vent piping length? Highly obvious what somebody was trying to do with the foil hose — they were trying to get the dryer to vent further away from the air conditioner. That fancy new vent – will put all the lint right into the AC fins. Only a matter of time before the home owners will be cussing out the installation and calling somebody else to fix it. Not easy but the proper fix would be to move the dryer vent far away from the AC.
You just made a semi good install to a real bad install. Best would have been to replace the flex pipe with a 90 and 4inch vent pipe. Ran vent downhill to end of box. ..now you have made an easy access for water to get in by cutting drip rail …you have also created an piece of pipe to catch lint to pile up…. the old vent cover is the best….most diys make more work for me thx.
originally, they were trying to stop filling the AC condenser coils with lint and adding heat where its not supposed to be. Why do builders put the AC condenser right next to the drier vent or visa-versa? this is one of the most annoying things that cause WAY more maintenance and energy use than necessary because of all of the lint but also because of all of the hot air that is pumped out right next to the condenser.
I dunno what’s going on there if someone built in top of an old deck or something but that little step on the bottom has no flashing and will rot out sooner than later. Critters can get right through there in no time. Never seen a dryer vent that close to the grout even when the dryer is in the basement. Personally as a carpenter I love DIYers cause it has created so much work for me in the past and future I’m sure. If you wouldn’t fix your vehicle by yourself and bring it to a mechanic why change it with your home that costs 10x as much?
you would have been better off NOT using that metal sleeve going into the other dryer vent exit all it will do is catch lint and clog up real quick,you had a flat surface you should have just sealed it real good with some silicone caulk and scared it tight, also that plastic vent will deteriorate in a few yrs from the sun unless you paint it
I read the negative comments on the dryer vent cover and there were quite a few that mentioned that the cap did not stay closed and the disk would pop out of the assembly. Even without the cap coming open, some said the disk would flip over, thus eliminating any protection from backdrafts. Some additionally said the disk would get jammed in the website and not open up fully, which could constitute a fire hazard from an overheating dryer. It seems like a neat idea, and perhaps has potential, but improvements are apparently needed before it is ready for prime time, especially at its price point.
Would this also catch any excess lint that may come out? My dryer vents to the garage that used to be a carport. I put a mesh bag over then vent to catch the excess lint from going all over the garage. This would be great for my situation. I did not convert the garage from a carport. It was like that when we purchased our home.
Great product and article but I clean out the dryer vents and inside the motor of my dryer every six month to prevent dryer fires. When I do that, I go outside where the vent is and unscrew the vent so when I blow out the lint, it has a wide exposed opening and you should see how much lint gets blown out. I may not be able to do that with that new vent system. Am I correct? Or am I missing something. My vent is about 2 1/2 feet off the ground.
These are not new, I’ve used them many years ago, and while they work great they don’t last very long. The plastic becomes brittle over time and the lid tends to snap at the hinge. I replaced the first one and it happened again after a couple years. So I switched to a flat wall vent with shutters that open when the air flows and closes when it stops. I was left with an non-standard hole pattern in my masonry wall that needed to be filled when I removed that system.
I recently replaced my old Heartland dryer vent with one of these, the Heartland is a far superior product but I was unable to find one on short notice. The lid will fly open with dryer running and the floating shuttle cup will flip around and will not seat properly when dryer shuts off. I found the only way to fix the problem is to put a small rock on the lid, seems to be working properly so far. As I was saying this dryer vent is substandard to the Heartland dryer Vent.
I hate to give you a thumbs down but I can’t deny the other guy was right. That inside edge of the inside tube is going to catch lint and it’s going to plug up fast then they’ll be little airflow little drying of clothes and a good potential for fire. In general the install of the actual dryer vent still allows for water intrusion.
I’m not sure why.You did not just put an extension out of that pipe coming out of the wall instead And then add a piece of wood on the front, underneath that it’s still plate instead of cutting out that whole soul played in the wall.That was a bad idea. Now the sill plate in the bottom edge of your wood and wall looks completely unfinished period this is a bad decision
I installed this vent but had a problem. The vent pipe run from my gas dryer to outside is less than 1 foot. Therefore, the pressure of the air exiting through the vent is high enough to blow open the top cover allowing the floating cap to escape. I put a piece of a terracotta pot on top to hold it shut for the winter. In spring I’ll glue some washers to the inside of the cap to give it some extra weight to hold it closed but I’ll still be able to open it to clean any lint buildup.
There are still the open vents at the bottom. They need to be big enough to let the right amount of air out without jostling the outer top lid. That will likely be enough to allow small insects such as spiders to get into the vent housing. Will be interesting to take a look at its operation about 1 year later. Does it require periodic cleaning? Does it matter at all if spiders and whatnot set up house within that outer shell? Nonetheless, I do like the design.
I thought of installing a 1/4 mesh hardware cloth over those bottom vents, with a hole cut for the tube, to keep the vermin from climbing from the ground into the bottom of the unit. You could still have access to clean out lint. If that dryer is in the house and not venting from a basement, I would have patched over that old vent, and cut a new one a bit higher.
The only thing that I do not like about that particular design is that there is no clean out port in line with the dryer vent pipe. With the old louver design, one could remove the louvers and run a stick up the pipe (my pipe ran under a porch pad) to scrape out dryer lint while the dryer was running. With this device, one has to remove it entirely for access.
I install these all the time in Scotland. If you use an SDS drill and SDS bit (i prefer to use Bosche bits, they rank highest for quality with me anyway) there isn’t any issue getting through brick, cement or even solid rock when screwing these vents to the side of buildings. Screw and seal best way to go. Very good chance someone could knock the couple of inches of pipe on the inside, maybe by moving or replacing the dryer and burst the vent off the wall if not enough caulk or silicon is applied solely by itself. Best part is you don’t burn out your cordless drill doing something designed for an SDS. However I do agree those bits are horrific and if you don’t have an SDS drill and are put in the situation of not being able to screw it whilst being eaten by bugs which we get a lot over here. Then I think any reasonable minded individual would proceed to pump and go 🙂. Loving the website by the way. Never miss a thing very detailed 😀👍
Thank you, this article was really helpful! As someone who isn’t handy but would like to be and is willing to learn, this article have me confidence to replace my duct and cover. My space was also full of mortar and random sheets of metal in the way. Took me 4 hours but got it all done. I’ll be perusal more of your articles for sure!
I installed this exact same one on my house a few months ago. I also broke a bit. I quit after two holes and just buttered that bad boy with silicon and filled the area around it. I have never had bricks so difficult to drill into. My old house was easy. I thought I did good until I walked by the next day and noticed it was slightly crooked 🤪. Mine didn’t come with that pest guard though. Anyway nice articles, I always enjoy them and learn something useful!
i’m a quarter in the article and SO happy you ran into hurdles – because I am in the same boat with the replacement I am about to do with my own dryer vent- and I finally found a article walking me through such speedbumps. Most vids I found were new construction vids and not helpful at all like the way this one is. THANKS !
Great that you left the glitches in the article. Using screws can be a disadvantage anyway as they cause stresses in PVCs and hasten the ravages of UV degradation over just a couple of years. It is possible to tidy quick-stick caulking later or another way is to use silicone which stays semi-soft. This moves with the house and doesn’t flake. It is also impregnated with pest-repellent chemicals but is a bit expensive. Super article. Many thanks.
I had same problem as you did with the brick! Mine had mortar and hole not level inside. I had to enlarge hole from inside. How should I finish off inside hole to make sure it looks nice? Insulation? My problem was also temp outside was just below 40 degrees. How will this effect my calking job? Thank you. 👍
I appreciate the fact that other DIY-type shows would have completely scrapped this article because the install didn’t go as expected (wasn’t easy what with the drill bit breaking, the mortar, and the hole being right on the edge of the brick). An SDS hammer drill would have plowed through that brick, however the hole on the edge of the brick would have probably blown out a bit (literally just happened to me).
I replaced my old vent with one of these several months back. Mine goes through brick into a crawlspace, so I can access the inside end fairly easily. The vent I replaced was held in with a square flange that had a four inch circular hole in the middle and a squeeze-type hose clamp. So once I shoved my new vent into the crawlspace stem wall, I slid the flange back on from the inside and then the clamp. Obviously, that’s not possible in every situation, but mine holds pretty tight without anything else. Question though: I didn’t caulk around the outside of mine… when caulking a dryer vent, is there a reason to caulk the bottom edge too? (My guess is that you did the bottom here because you’re using the caulk to glue the vent in?) I thought in exterior caulking it was recommended to leave the bottom open to drain out. Nice job though, thanks!
Hi Jeff! Gal from Kentucky, USA, here. First, I adore you and your articles. I have learned so much in the many days worth of articles that I have watched! Second, thanks to your guidance, I am ambitiously planning our basement renovation. One item that I will have to tackle is relocating our washer/dryer. The vent currently exits through a hole cut in a window. I plan to cut through the foundation in their final location to vent the dryer. I have not seen any articles on this sort of task. What advice could you offer for this to be done? I have the option of either going high through the brick, or lower through the concrete block foundation. I, naturally, want to make sure I do it properly, and I trust your expertise. Thank you so much for your help! Sincerely, Avid Watcher 🙂
Was so enthusiastic & excited to see a new vid posted, cuz still laying in bed recovering from the surgery I had 18 days ago; but alas…..gotta wait few more days till the new vid. Hoping it’s a long one(1 hr or more….love those long articles!) & guess will just “set that reminder” button now🙂 See ya in 4 days Cheers, A
Do you have any articles for installing a drop in tub and the best way to tile around it? We obtained a very nice second hand tub and a bunch of lovely donated wavy white tile . I ask because I’ve never tiled around a drop in tub. Btw I found the red guard @ home depot in Alaska, what a wonderful suggestion. My bathroom will be watertight as a ducks butt 😉
This might be different from most of the articles you put out, but with the holiday season coming up, it would be great if you could put out a article on gifts for contractors. My husband and I rehab homes, and we have several contractors that really go the extra mile for us. We would like to show them how much we appreciate them and get them some gifts for Christmas that they would like. We love some ideas from you. Thanks!
Jeff, I’m using the exact same vent for two upstairs bathroom fans. I’m venting out through each gable end (vinyl siding) close to the fans instead of going through the roof. I’m using insulated flex pipe (R6) from another article of yours. Question: is the process the same? Should I caulk the bottom portion of the vent or leave that open for condensation to drip? I’ll be using OSI Quad caulk for all season window/door/siding. Would you recommend something else?
@Home RenoVision DIY I’m a 63 year old woman and I don’t know what I’m doing. My cover is cracked and is falling apart. Can’t I just replace the cover without that extra long neck part? Do I have to take it apart to see what vent I actually need? Then the hole would be left to the elements of weather until my vent comes in the mail? Also, when a vent is advertised as 4″, is that the size of the dryer hole?
I wonder if you could provide an answer for another issue related to dryer vents. I had about a 12 ft. dryer exhaust pipe installed in my basement that runs from the center of my house to the back and out. It comes down from a laundry closet in the middle of my house. I believe that the pipe needs to have a pitch. Common sense tells me that it could pitch downward so that they place where it exits is lowest. Did the guy do that who installed it? Noooo. It is pitched the opposite way so that it travels upward.
I have a dryer vent that goes from the dryer, up the wall, through the upper floor joists and terminates out the wall. It is a finished ground floor and upper floor. Can I just take out the existing dryer vent cover, and slide in a new vent cover and attach it to the vinyl siding? Or do I need access to the duct within?
Do you mind if I ask how you would solve an issue of condensation running down the outside wall which we have coming from one of these? The vent is for a tumble dryer and the cold weather evidently causes the hot air to condense within the tube which then obviously turns to water leading to it dripping down the wall from the 3 vent flaps creating an unsightly water stain on our brickwork. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
Never got why in US they don’t have dryers like in Europe? In europe no one vents the dryers because they are heat pumps. We have had them for as long as I can remember – Im 32 – and only now some of those type of dryers are making an entrance in US… however they cost 1500+ dollars. Not to mention they are super efficient – about 25-30% of energy consumption of a vented dryer.
Was wondering if able to do some vids about gutters/downspouts & adding flexible to existing 2×3 rectangle etc…along with correct way to attach to house & other gutters. This is one area that I’ve never done & really know nothing about(have done everything else when comes to building homes & businesses, but have never done gutters & redirecting rain etc…). If able to do some articles about this topic & the different products out there(flexible, corrugated, etc…would be AWESOME). Thanks, A
I find corded drills are better at drilling bricks however it still requires you to give it some pressure from behind and take it slow and steady.We dont really have these in my country for some reason, anyways love your articles Jeff, keep it up. Dewalt tools are generally awesome they’re just to expensive in my country because we have to import (duties are ridiculous)
Your drill bit was too big for that tiny hole on the vent cover and you torqued the hell out of it causing it to break. Also it really sucks my house is made out of brick and MORTAR because all the damn animals are pouring in through the mortar joints and it’s cold as hell with the weather blowing through them. Smaller drill bit and drilling in straight helps. Ive done this same thing with a little m12 hammer drill. It’s possible folks don’t let this guy fool you people drill into brick and block all the time.