Dryer Venting Into Garage

[Mike Morgan]

I do a lot of woodwork in my unheated garage and have always been concerned about using a space heater around stain and solvent because of the fumes. Someone mentioned to me that since my dryer vent runs through the garage I could tap into it and direct the heat into the garage when needed and shut it off during the summer. My concern is humidity buildup and that I would be breathing in whatever the dryer puts out.

Has anyone tried this or see any hazards to this method.

Thanks [e-mail]

[CAStinneford]

I'm sure there are other hazards but I would think as a woodworker, the last thing you'd want is something blowing lint onto your work.

[C G]

I think you know the answer and are looking for confirmation. In addition to what you have already thought of, imagine all that warm moist air hitting all your cold steel and iron tools. Huge rust exposure.

[Seaquest]

That would depend on weather you had a gas dryer or a electric one. If it's electric there should be no problem. They make kits just for that purpose you can pic one up at home depot or lowes.

[CBhvac]

In short, its a stupid idea if you have a gas unit. If you have an electric one, its still not real bright. If you could see what we seen in a day with some of the broken dryer vents...I am sure that you would not want that lint all over the place, and, it would not be to code at all in some areas.

[Jeff Wisnia]

I installed one in my last house, where the dryer was in the basement. The location of the dryer in our present home doesen't lend itself to using one because it vents in a straight shot low down on the outside wall right behind it.

The "Heat Saver" in the previous home was one of this kind of cheapies:

If you want to "do it up brown" you could use the two gadgets accessed through this page, a diverter valve plus a "second stage filter" to trap the lint the dryer's own filter misses:

Unless your garage door(s) are super sealed, or SWMBO's "takin' in laundry", I wouldn't worry too much about the humidity in the wintertime.

I'd think it would be a prudent to avoid using one of these when you are varnishing something , to minimize the chances of stray lint landing on the wet finish, huh?

HYH, and Happy New Year,

Jeff

[Frogleg]

As explored in a recent threat I participated in, the basic safety concerns with an electric dryer appear to be minimal. As I mentioned, my dryer has been venting into a small furnace room space with no sign of lint flying all over the place. Nor even visible dust on surfaces. You might be concerned with humidity. As a heater? How much laundry do you process? Can you coordinate this with shop time? Of course one wants to make use of "waste" heat, but this isn't a very reliable source. I will let others suggest safe and adequate heaters for shop space.

[PJx]

I've been venting from dryer inside house laundry room to garage for

15 years. First 5 years it went to vent to roof until that stopped up with lint. Then 5 years ago, I got a gas dryer and contiued to vent to garage where lint was collecting on all my equipmnet and some rust. So this year its back to the roof.

[Jane]

HAHAHHAHAHHAHHA

Jane

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Forget it. Just think of all that nice lint on your newly finished wood working projects. Not to mention the radical changes in humidity.

I heat the garage up to a comfortable temperature. They I shut the heater off and do the finishing. I may bring the piece inside after a short time also to complete the cure of a finish. Ed [e-mail]

[Rex B]

|I do a lot of woodwork in my unheated garage and have always been concerned |about using a space heater around stain and solvent because of the fumes. |Someone mentioned to me that since my dryer vent runs through the garage I |could tap into it and direct the heat into the garage when needed and shut it |off during the summer. |My concern is humidity buildup and that I would be breathing in whatever the |dryer puts out.

We pull the hose out of the wall and direct the dryer exhaust into the house every winter. Humidity is low anyway so the moisture makes the house much cozier. For the lint, We just use a nylon stocking leg pulled over the end. Toss it when it gets restrictive. Rex in Fort Worth

[Dave Harnish]

Hey Guys,

Just a 'heads-up' on putting *anything* over the end of your dryer vent: it *will* 'get' you! A nylon stocking can plug with lint in one load, especially if there are towels or other high-linting fabrics in there. And the heating element or thermal fuse *will* burn out. Problem with the nylon is, it'll look OK on the outside, but the inside'll be 100% plugged.

I get a lot of dryer work out of the nylon stocking 'trick', and thought maybe I could save you a headache here, as well as a few bucks.

Unbelievably, I'm even seeing 3/8" 'birdguard' screens on the newer outside vent hoods clogging with thin mats of lint and causing these problems.

'A word to the wise...'

God bless,

Dave Harnish Dave's Repair Service New Albany, PA [e-mail]

570-363-2404

I'm a 30-year pro appliance technician, and love sharing what I've learned - in a FREE Monthly Appliance Tips Newsletter:

Acts 4:12

[wayne]

Weird I used a sock for yesrs and had minimal lint it it do some peope forget to use their lint screen?

Wayne

[Frogleg]

I was thinking the same thing. I have a very old dryer, and a load of fluffies deposits quite a handfull of lint in the convenient, easy-to-clean filter, which I scoop out every time I retrieve the laundry. I sometimes post it outside as birdnest material (the lint, not the filter). The utility room the dryer vents into has virtually no sign of lint deposits anywhere. Over *decades*. In fact, I see I need to clean out some spider webs on one window, which would *surely* catch lint if there were any. But there isn't.