Friend bought a house where prior owner vented the electric dryer into a "thing" in the house. New owner was going to vent outside, but now sees why prior vented inside - it is going to be very hard to pipe out to exterior. So... she now plans to vent to same "thing". Anyone with _experience_ doing this?
LB
I wouldn't vent a dryer inside. Too much humidity, for one.
You can go in 5 directions. If you're unsure, call a HVAC company to come look at it. They may be able to give you some ideas.
Agreed.
Inside dryer venting is a very bad idea indeed. No matter what type of "thing" you have. The whole principle of how a dryer works relies on the fact of it being vented outside.
The only scenario where it could work, is in an unlikely and silly event of a room where you had both a window A/C unit and an additional large dehumidifier, and even if someone were crazy enough to have all that in their laundry room, their total electricity cost to dry some clothes would better than double by having to run those other two during, and for a while after, the clothes drying session. Not to mention the hassle of all of this.
Call a pro and get a vent installed, you will thank us in the long run.
Not my call, but the prior owner was a single lady and she did it for years. The new owner is also a single lady so the dryer is not going to get much use. The house has central air.
LB
....
It is just not a good idea. Adds a very high load on the A/C, moisture and dust (some of that lint is still going to get through the filter) and if they don't keep the filter clean it can damage the dryer.
It may look impossible to you, but chances are a professional will take a look around and find a way of doing it and you will end up saying, "Why did not not see that." This is why everyone is suggesting the professional. They have experience and know the tricks of how to get around problems that will stump us.
It can take years to the problem to show up. Rotting wood, mold where you don't see it, duct, blower motors overheating fro dust, oil burner running rich from clogged inlets. The central air will work harder removing the humidity, decreased comfort in the summer, etc. Not my house so do as you please.
Our NYC apartment has Meile washer & dryer that vents into water tub. It has worked fine for a few years. TB
If venting is difficult, I'd suggest a condensing dryer rather than an add-on "thing" for a vented dryer. Our LG front-load washer/dryer condenses the moisture from the clothing and runs it down the drain, no need for a vent. That's not the reason we bought it, but it's certainly a handy feature. It's also much more energy efficient.
We had a similar situation in one house we owned. We used one of those "things", a sort of bucket partially filled with water with a top the dryer vent attaches to, for a few months until I got around to running a long and winding duct outside. (I still remember that job - what a PITA!) It works, but as other posters said, adds considerable heat, humidity, and lint. I wouldn't suggest it long term. If it were me, I'd do or pay whatever's necessary to vent outside.
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