Outside Dryer Vent Location

May 29, 2019 17 Replies

I need some help understanding the reason why the builder had the outside dryer vent (with screen) installed up so high on the side of my ranch home that a ladder is needed to access the dryer vent. A neighbor saw trapped lint clogged and built up against the screen in the dryer vent. The builder said to remove the screen and use a wet/dry vac to vacuum out all the lint that is "clogged". I live alone and my home is only 3 yrs. old. **


Not enough information. Is it a raised ranch? If so I would think vent is just above dryer for space reasons. Vents should be checked yearly for lint build-up. I had birds access vent flaps not closing and trying to build a nest there. Years ago we rented a ranch house with a dryer in the basement and vent was at ground level and a rabbit got in and was killed in the drier. Serious mess with maggots essentially ruined the dryer.

+1

If the dryer is against an outside wall, then you can put the vent near it and near floor level. If the dryer is in a laundry room that's not by an outside wall, then you have to route it to where you get outside and the easiest way could be through the ceiling joists, in which case it winds up at that height. You only have to clean it occasionally, and it's still not very high, so the height is no big deal. Bigger issue is that if it has to run 15 feet instead of 3 feet, there is more pipe to accumulate lint, clog, etc. Another reason it might be up high would be if there is a deck/patio in that location and they figured it would be less of an issue up there if you were using the deck while the dryer is running.

I am not sure what you mean. Is it in the gable and? Is that above a masonry wall? He may have just wanted to avoid cutting through the concrete block. What is straight behind the dryer? Is it the external wall or does the dryer vent have to go through the attic to get to an external wall.

I was inspecting a 4 plex condo at the beach a while ago where the 1st floor was 18 feet above grade and the dryer vents were 9' above that for the 1st floor and more like 18' for the 2d floor. (36' above grade). I asked the same question. How the hell do they clean that vent?

From the inside? My vent is vertical through the roof with a galv. cap on top. The lint escapes. There is no screen. The OP has lint collection at the screen. I think she needs a ladder :)

Barbara Tritelli <caedfaa9ed1216d60ef78a6f660f5f85 snipped-for-privacy@example.com wrote

Normally because its easier to do it like that instead of having the vent where you can walk up to it and don’t need a ladder.

Do you wash stuff a lot ? Some do silly stuff like wash towels after every shower or bath.

[snip]

For many people, cleaning is really excessive.

Sam E snipped-for-privacy@be.email.invalid> wrote

Yeah, some only ever put on clean clothes after a shower or every day. never wear them more than once without washing them. Hard to say how common that is tho, never seen any reliable survey of how common that is.

That is pretty normal in the US. We don't like putting on dirty clothes. (As Kris kristofferson says "your cleanest dirty shirt") Towels tend to get a little funky too when the humidity is high and you hang them up wet. We bought a towel dryer that reduces that problem quite lot for about $10 a year in electricity. It costs about 60 cents per load just to run the dryer.

Dunno, doesn't explain dirty hippys.

Don't believe that its that universal there.

That's not the same thing as always putting on all freshly washed clothes after every shower to bath, particularly with the outer clothes in winter and with what you sleep in if anything.

I doubt most do that even in the USA

I doubt you have a f****ng clue then.

They won't be washing their coats every time if that is what you mean by "outer clothes" but they will put on clean pants and shirts.

We'll see...

That and whatever they wear over their shirt/tshirt.

I don't believe that either with dress pants or even just jeans.

In spades with what they wear when sleeping if it isnt nothing.

Americans wear clean clothes unless they live under a bridge or something. It is just true. We also tend to bathe every day.

BULLSHIT with the hippys and the dregs of society.

Plenty don't.

Hippies? Do you think it's still 1969?

Cindy Hamilton

You're old but still with us.

There are still plenty of them around, like fools who are actually stupid enough to 'think' that the sun shines out of Raygun's arse.

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