Replies

1. 
   Guest_ | Feb 21, 2000 04:43am | #1

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   Not considering the legalities:

   Do you want the moist dryer air finding its' way into your furnace?

   Do you want to risk back-drafting the furnace exhaust with its' carbon monoxide back into your house?

   Do you want to pump all the extra moisture from the dryer into an old, presumably brick, chimney to cause extra maintenance?

   A check of your dryer's manual will probably tell you that the distance from the dryer to the top of the chimney exceeds specs. So, the dryer exhaust will tend just to hang in the chimney, along with the lint, moisture, etc.

   Guess what my recommendation is?

2. 
   nancy_sindelar | Feb 21, 2000 05:06am | #2

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   Ever see lint burn? You won't, because, like dust, it can explode. You are inviting a chimney fire. Electric dryers can be vented into the house, there are special lint filters designed for this. You may not be able to use fabric softener in the dryer, this stuff often irritates breathing, and makes eyes water. Try using one of the high tech solar clothes dryers: A line with pins; outside in the summer, in the basement during winter. The drying cycle is just a little longer. Clothes smell great!

3. 
   Guest_ | Feb 21, 2000 06:55am | #3

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   garyrubin,

   "ANY THOUGHTS"? Please don't do it. FredB gave some reasons and I'm sure there are a lot more, but that was enough for me.

   Red dog

1. 
   Guest_ | Feb 22, 2000 08:17am | #4

   *To do so would flat-out violate Code requirements (CABO). MAJOR fire hazard. Vent to the outside with the shortest possible run (must be 25' or less) of smooth-interior pipe, and clean it periodically. Just replaced a client's 35-foot run that had almost completely closed off by accumulated lint ... and as the lint accumulates, the temp. rises. Plus, don't cobine a "power vent" with that oil burner!

1. 
   Guest_ | Feb 23, 2000 02:56am | #5

   *On a similar, but not quite the same line of thought...We have no combustion appliances in the house (hot water heating occurs in a separate building).I've been toying with the idea of constructing a false chimney structure on the roof and running separate exhaust pipes through to vent the dryer, kitchen and bathroom exhausts (laundry room and kitchen share a common wall). Mostly for athestic reasons, I don't want to paste a vent outlet on the side of the building.Now other than the dryer maximum vent length issues (and occasional cleaning), I don't think I'm facing the same moisture/backdraft problems mentioned above. Or is this still a bad idea?

1. 
   Guest_ | Feb 23, 2000 01:10pm | #6

   *As for the bathroom vents: In the areas I'm familiar with it is common for them to go either through the walls or through the roof. In fact my house has both. The only problem with the roof is that in periods of heavy snowfall the exhaust creates a snow cave that interferes with airflow until the heat finally breaks it through. Depending on your snow this may be a minimal problem, or it may be really nasty.For the dryer I think you answered your own question.

1. 
   Guest_ | Feb 23, 2000 09:30pm | #8

   *Assuming you still want to do it, I would: (1) Line the chimney with a flu liner, probably just 4" galvinized vent pipe snaked down the chimney from the roof, cauked and screwed together as you go; (2) If the run is over 30', I would consider using a booster fan. You can get these at Grainger. The deal with the fans is that you need to turn them on, and turn them off when the dryer is running, and that can be an issue with the homeowner.I recently had a call back on one where we had to install a solenoid to operate off the dryer itself, 'cuz the homeowner couldn't remember to turn the darn thing on.

4. 
   garyrubin | Feb 23, 2000 09:30pm | #7

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   I am building a laundry room in a basement that has poor venting access to the exterior of the house. The best option for dryer venting seems to be a near by chimney that also vents the oil burner. The house is 70+ years old, and has two access holes to the chimney. The two holes are offset from one another by about 45 degrees, and one sits about 10 inches above the other. Currently, the oil burner is vented through the upper hole, and the lower hole is empty. It is this lower hole that I would like to vent the dryer. With a mirror, I could see that there is a separate chamber in this opening that connects to the larger chimney that the burner is connected to. I believe that this venting application -- although not traditional, will be OK. ANY THOUGHTS?