My dryer vent is in the slab, under my garage, and exits the house about 2" below grade after about a
30' run. I have installed a commercially available appratus that turns the pipe up, and has a baffle to prevent water and/or rodents from entering the pipe. The heat and air flow generated by the running dryer raise the baffle to allow the heated air to exit.Everything seemed to be workng fine, until one day I was walking by the vent when the dryer was running, and heard a gurgling sound, like air trying to pass through water. I removed the cover and the baffle, and sure enough there was water in the pipe. I used the wet vac, and was able to remove a significant amount of water, probably at least 2 gallons. I have checked the baffle, and it is working perfectly, with no leaks, and it doesn't come to rest out of proper alignment when the dryer stops, thus allowing rain water to enter the pipe.
I believe that the collected water must be coming from the dryer and returning to a liquid state before it reaches the baffle and exits as steam. I am looking for a resolution, other than weekly water removal with the wet vac. Relocating the vent is not much of an option from the standpoint of access, though in a worst case scenario, I guess it could be vented through the roof. The potential problem with this is that, of course hole in the roof is a potential leaking source, and in this case, would the gaseous steam resume it's liquid state as water prior to reaching the top of the vent?
I would appreciate any help on this problem.
Robert Cibiras