Best practice for dryer vent in 4″ rigid
davidmeiland
| Posted in Construction Techniques on
I need to run a dryer vent about 8 feet thru semi-concealed space. The dryer is against an interior wall, and I’m going to construct a 6″ high pedestal for some shelving units and run the duct thru it, to an exterior wall. In theory a person could service the duct by removing the shelving units and taking the lid off the pedestal, but it’ll never happen. I’m going to use 4″ 28-gauge galv ductwork with a Dryerbox and a couple of adjustable elbows. I know screws aren’t the right connector, but can this really just go together with aluminum tape?
Replies
Dave, minimize the tape by running an 8' (or as needed)single length under the pedastal so as to minimize the number of connections. I think that aluminum tape works real well, and stands up better over time than "duct tape" as evidenced by all the fittings I see with dried out tape hanging from them! go for it!!
Geoff
Instead of sheathing the deck with one solid piece how about leaving a 12 inch strip that can be easily removed to servce the ductwork. Go to the local hvac warehouse and get the longer lengths as well as the elbows-they are much better quality than the typ hdw store. Sometimes with longer runs the dryer takes forever to dry a load and if that happens you will be the one loving the built-in access panel. good luck Barmo
i get my 4" from the sheet metal supply store and i get 4" downspout it's thicker and comes in 10ft... all the same fitting elbows ect... i don't think i'd worry about access to it... no one will ever "service" your duct... even if you're the 1 in 100,000 that has their ductwork cleaned they won't need to see the pipe...
the silver tape really is all you need... no screws ever in dryer duct.... i have at times put a bead of poly caulk about an inch back from the tapered (male) end before putting the ductwork together... not sure i will again since i had to take one apart a week later for a change.... i had to trash the pipe & fittings... limit your elbows the best you can...
p
I use regular stainless steel hose clamps they lock you together great then Tape over the joint. Screws are forbidden by code because they collect lint and become a fire hazard.
I have seen other local builders use PVC drain pipe and fittings to run their dryer duct seems like a nice smooth easy to assemble system but I have never tried it. I have wondered about the code issue/fire hazard issue and occasionally start searching my code books for a ruling one way or another, but I always give up.
Jason
they outlawed pvc here ... they said... static build up... and condensation... that the cold pipe would condensate on the inside.... cause'n lint to stick inside... that or they just wanted to outlaw it and make up a reason later...
p
on duct that is coverd forever i take a little solder and dab it in three places and use a little flux to make it flow. larry
hand me the chainsaw, i need to trim the casing just a hair.