insulating a gas dryer vent

I have moved a gas clothes dryer from the side wall of the laundry room to the end wall (to make more space). Now the dryer vent (flexible aluminum tube) runs along the side of the dryer to the vent hole in the side wall.

There is about 24" of vent exposed along the bottom edge of the side wall in front of the dryer. I would like to insulate this vent to protect against the possibility of a towel or some clothing on the floor coming in contact with the hot dryer vent, possibly starting a fire.

Any ideas on what type of insulation I should use for this? Obviously one that can handle a high temp. (300 deg F?) Or other ideas to protect this vent from contact?

-- Mig

ASCII drawing (viewable with mono space font)

end wall ------------| vent=> /--\ | |----|| | |dry || | side | er || | wall |----|| | | | | | \-| |

Reply to
anthony migliore
Loading thread data ...

According to anthony migliore :

I don't think you'd want to insulate it, for fear of having the heat rise higher, possibly causing the lint in the vent to ignite. May cause the dryer to run at a higher temperature too.

Some sort of mesh/barred/perforated plate/boxed in channel with vents seems like a better idea to me. Prevents contact, _and_ allows air circulation.

Reply to
Chris Lewis

Don't worry about fire. After all it is the air coming from the dryer. if it were hot enough to damage a towel that fell on it, just think what it would do to the towel in the dryer. Also remember that there is lint inside the vent, that is going to be even hotter than the outside. (see next comment)

BTW, dump that flexible vent pipe. Get the hard stuff. Much less of a problem.

Reply to
Joseph Meehan

Hi,

The vent pipe temp is the same as inside the dryer, as long as the clothes don't catch fire in there they shouldn't on the vent pipe either. Average on and off temps are approx 120-160ºF. If you still want to insulate the pipe, an fiberglass pipe wrap should work fine. Or build a "L" shaped box cover to go over the exposed area.

jeff. Appliance Repair Aid

formatting link

Reply to
jeff

Hi,

The vent pipe temp is the same as inside the dryer, as long as the clothes don't catch fire in there they shouldn't on the vent pipe either. Average on and off temps are approx 120-160ºF. If you still want to insulate the pipe, an fiberglass pipe wrap should work fine. Or build a "L" shaped box cover to go over the exposed area.

jeff. Appliance Repair Aid

formatting link

Reply to
jeff

First thing you do, is dump the flex line. Run hard 4 inch all the way out. Second thing you do is forget about insulation on the line.

Reply to
*CBHVAC*

I would suggest you reconsider the use of corrugated (even metal) ducting. You can read some dryer venting tips at the following link:

How long can my dryer vent be?

formatting link

It isn't necessary for safety like other have said, the air traveling through that vent shouldn't exceed ~160°F under normal operating conditions. If your basement is unheated and you want to prevent condensation from forming on or in the ducting, regular household fiberglass insulation should suffice. Don't install anything around the duct that will make full access for cleaning more difficult.

JMO

Dan O.

- Appliance411.com

formatting link
=Ð~~~~~~

Reply to
Dan O.

Thanks for all the replys..

I'm going to replace the flex line with rigid vent pipe and build a L shaped box around the exposed part.

-- Mig

*CBHVAC* wrote:
Reply to
anthony migliore

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.