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Using dryer exhaust to heat house

classicdoug

classicdoug

Member
I just built a new house and this is the first house I've owned that the dryer exhaust goes up the wall, through the attic, and out through the roof. My house is insulated with spray foam and not ventilated with the normal soffit and ridge vents. The attic is basically the same temp as the house. I wonder if there's any reason I can't T into the 4" dryer exhaust pipe and blow the hot air back into the attic. I would definitely filter the air coming out to catch any extra lint that is in the pipe and need to install a valve or flapper door to be able to close this off during the summer. What do you think?

Doug
 
we used to do that in the basement in the winter. The air is dry and cold so the hot humid air from the dryer was good in winter time.
 
It's such a simple idea.... but there's got to be a reason...... that I can't think of...... why this wouldn't work.
 
Do you really want humid air to get into your attic and corrode your pipes, brace joints, etc.? It's vented to the soffits for a reason, but why...I don't exactly know.
 
They make a fitting for your dryer exhaust to heat and it has a fan in it. Can't be too bad.

I tried using the Mustang exhaust, now things are fuzzy! :lol

Mel
 
As long as you filter it real good. Very few dryers filter all the lint. This collection in the attic would not be good. Look inside the vent tube and see how much lint gets there. I have seen those vented up pose a problem a few years into the use.
 
I'm venting my dryer into the garage, I have lint trap. It is a box that you put water in and it has louvers on top. The lint air is blown downward into the water which cathes the lint and the air travels back up tru the louvers. You have to clean it once in a while but it adds heat to the garage which is alo cold and dry in the winter. I've been doing this since we moved here in 2004.
 
I was thinking about using one of my paint booth intake filters to catch the lint. I'm not sure about the humidity although like Tarafied1 said, the house air is pretty dry in the winter anyway.

Doug
 
Maybe check an Ace hardware, I saw a square unit that is plumbed in yout hose before it exits and it has louvers and a small electric fan like a computer.

No lint and no humidity. We have a tea pot on the wood burning stove and an electric humidifier in the bedroom when we sleep.

Mel
 
I have seen conversions that send it back into the house also, as long as you catch the excess lint it should work, like Dave said -sounds too simple, I often wonder why all the gas stations/convient stores don't have their coolers mounted on a duct work system that could blow the warm air off of the compressors inside for the winters, and have a small fan/blower to blow it outside in the summer to keep down cooling costs?
 
I often wonder why all the gas stations/convient stores don't have their coolers mounted on a duct work system that could blow the warm air off of the compressors inside for the winters, and have a small fan/blower to blow it outside in the summer to keep down cooling costs?
Click to expand...

Wal-Mart does. Surprising enough they are doing a ton of green things. Even the way the buildings face and the roof light, tons of stuff.

I was surprised. SWMBO says they save millions in her store alone.

Mel
 
Our old house had a dryer vent like that. Make sure you have a chimney sweep clean it about about every year to year and a half.

If you don't, they get clogged up and will burn up your element in the dryer. I found that out the hard way after we had been in the old house for a couple of years...the dryer wasn't drying and was getting really hot on the bottom of the front of it. I called Sears because it had a warranty and the Sears tech told me about the need for a chimney sweep periodically.
 
We did that 30 years ago with our first house. Its silly to waste all that heat and needed humidty (in the winter). Like Mel said there are in-line boxes that are basically a cheap directional to put in the exhaust line.
Easier still is to take the exhaust hose, point it indoors, put a old panty hose or stocking over the end for lint collecting. Don't forget to plug the outside hole/vent.
 
My only concern would be Carbon monoxide poisoning. Is it a gas or electric dryer? But I would have to agree that dumping moist warm air into your home in the wintertime could be a good green thing to do. I have a gas dryer located in near the front of the garage and the vent is near the rear with about 15 feet or so of duct. I thought that I was pushing the limits of recommend length of duct according to the dryer instructions. But I do need to check it for lint content.

Our coldest month here in SoCal is in December and we always get some moron and the morons family killed because they thought that they could heat their home with charcoal briquettes. fd
 
"guruatbol" said:
Wal-Mart does. Surprising enough they are doing a ton of green things. Even the way the buildings face and the roof light, tons of stuff.

I was surprised. SWMBO says they save millions in her store alone.

Mel
Click to expand...

Walmart years ago did everything to gain energy efficientcy that had a reasonalbe payback. It's not just cheap overseas goods that allow those prices, they are damned efficient at everything.

Now that customers want to act like they are 'green' other stores are catching up, and Wally World is forging ahead with projects with no financial payback for PR reasons (like solar cells, LOTS of roof area on a Wally World).
 
I would not do it, too much moisture to the air causes mildew, mold, and dry rot.
Too much moisture also ruins the insulation’s effectiveness(like in an attic or crawl space)
Fumes from gas dryers and don't forget Laundry chemicals also are strong and can effect people with allergies especially kids
And of coarse the lint problem.Restricted dryer vent are one of if not the number one cause of home fires.

I am a licensed Home Inspector in NY (even though I can't remember the last one I did) I would red flag any dryer vent not vented correctly outside
 
Okay explain since I never had a gas dryer.

The venting I'm sure we are talking about is that from the clothes drum, the air used to dry the clothes. Why would fumes be in this air? Is the exhaust for the gas fumes mixed in with the vented air from the drum?
Now I can understand some allergies from a condensed push of air with cleaning chemicals in it, but if you wear the clothes and its not a problem then I'm guessing this would be of little consequence. The lint can be taken care of with a filter (again hosery works great with maintenance). Humidity, if vented directly into the home and not the crawl space or attic would be actually good. A heated home in the winter is an excessivley dry and could use the moisture. Use of dryer vented heat/humidity will not rot, decay, rust your house from the inside for the small amount of time it will actually be venting inside (winter only).
 
I do this now.

I bought a dryer vent kit from Home Depot to allow venting inside. For the first few minutes it is vented outside then I switch to vent it inside. Less humidity in the house that way.

In no case should you ever vent into your attic. The moisture will be a huge problem. Attics are vented to prevent moisture problems.
 
Do not vent a gas dryer inside! Gas dryer adds combustion by-products (think carbon monoxide) to the vent downstream of the clothing/drum. A gas dryer is more energy efficient than electric, at least in most areas...

In a newer, energy-efficient house (as the OP mentioned he has), I would NOT add electric dryer vent air directly into any part of the house either, even the attic. Too much uncontrolled humidity being introduced into a (supposedly) air-tight home. Mold or rot WILL result. In an older home, you've already got so much air leakage, that the warm, humid dryer air wouldn't be as much of an issue. However, you will fail a home inspection should you ever sell. It's in the uniform building codes.

There are heat exchangers that will work with a dryer vent. That would be the better way to recapture some of the lost heat.

Of course, hanging clothes to dry is the most energy-efficient method, and will recover some of the humidity, without the higher concentration levels of the dryer vent.

"KBMWRS" said:
Okay explain since I never had a gas dryer.

The venting I'm sure we are talking about is that from the clothes drum, the air used to dry the clothes. Why would fumes be in this air? Is the exhaust for the gas fumes mixed in with the vented air from the drum?
Now I can understand some allergies from a condensed push of air with cleaning chemicals in it, but if you wear the clothes and its not a problem then I'm guessing this would be of little consequence. The lint can be taken care of with a filter (again hosery works great with maintenance). Humidity, if vented directly into the home and not the crawl space or attic would be actually good. A heated home in the winter is an excessivley dry and could use the moisture. Use of dryer vented heat/humidity will not rot, decay, rust your house from the inside for the small amount of time it will actually be venting inside (winter only).
Click to expand...
 
OKay I nderstand about the fumes vented downstream of the drum vent and thus being a bad thing to vent inside, thanks.

As for venting inside of a electric dryer and your conclusion of TOO much humidity, sorry don't agree unless ya got the thing cranking out 8 hours a day every day.
I still think inside venting, of electric dryer, on the occassional wash day ONLY in winter is not going to rot your house out.....opps I dropped a couple pennies. :$$$
 
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