Hot answers tagged exhaust-vent
12
You can probably do it yourself cheaper than hiring it out. You could try something like this vent cleaning system. It seems to have fairly good reviews on Amazon, and for $25 it's worth a shot. It claims to have a 12' reach and the ability to navigate turns in the vent, so you may have to go at the last 3' from the other end.
Note: You'll need a drill to ...
10
Before you do anything, you must figure out where it goes. It really has to vent outside. If it vents into the attic, you are going to have serious issues, including the potential of mold and rot as the hot, moist air is vented into an unconditioned space. It is (usually) against building codes to vent into the attic for this reason.
If it is venting ...
8
What you show in the picture is known as a One-way Breather Vent (there are also two-way). Its intended purpose is to provide pressure equalization throughout the roof system and also provides ventilation for the insulation system.
In some buildings that do not have a vapor barrier (even some that do), pressure changes inside the building can be forced ...
6
You're supposed to clean your dryer duct once a year or so to prevent a fire hazard.
The standard thing to clean a dryer duct is a brush with a long flexible handle. They make ones specifically sized for dryer ducts. Here is a typical one:
Disconnect your dryer and push the vent into the duct. Run it back and forth a few times. Keep a vacuum handy. ...
6
There are a few things I can find in the NEC that may apply here. NEC Article 300.8 states that no raceway or cable tray can have elements of any other system besides electrical in it; no plumbing, no fuel gas, no ductwork. This implies that using the vent line itself, or any of its mounting hardware, to support the cable is a no-no; if the wire and the duct ...
6
I would completely disagree with your builder. Since it is a new garage, I do see merit in the "build it in" approach. There are two important considerations:
how many CFM do you need and what kind of noise level is tolerable? Are you using anything flammable? Water based paints should not be a problem but solvent based paints require special attention. ...
6
A vent at the soffit can be done, but so could venting directly into the attic, and both are poor choices. This is because soffits are used for air intake into your attic (and out a ridge or gable vent). If you vent too close to the soffit, the warm moist air that you're trying to get out of your home will get sucked back up the soffit and into the attic, ...
5
Well first, the outlet being at-grade is a no-no for those pest reasons. They don't have to get up the vertical pipe to cause problems; a mouse or bird can nest in there and cause problems. They did it anyway because it was easier to run it down through the crawl space then up to the ceiling (where, if this is your garage, they'd then have to build a sealed ...
5
There should be a vent cover on the outside of the house, at the end of the exhaust with a damper or louvers. Something like this
The damper or louvers will be shut when the hood fan is off, preventing air from coming in or going out.
If you don't have a vent cover like this, you should install one. If you already have one, you'll want to inspect it to ...
5
I think Chris is right, warm moist air from outside is coming into the vent and condensing on the cooler inside surfaces.
Fixing this could be as easy as fixing or replacing the outside vent damper so it closes properly. You could also go for a vent damper that installs within the vent itself. And finally, you can insulate the pipe so that the vent pipe ...
5
It is entirely possible to construct a 6 inch hole in brickwork. The problem with a round hole rather than a square hole is where the hole cuts across joints in the masonry leaving small triangular pieces of masonry over the hole. These tend to be fairly week so are best avoided. You would therefore have to position the circular hole carefully so that is ...
4
I know you already have this problem and are asking about clearing it up. However, to prevent this from happening in the future, consider installing one of these lint traps near the exit of your dryer:
I have one and it seems to work very well. You'll need to pop open the top and clean out the lint every few weeks depending on how much drying you do.
4
I'd recommend venting out the gable. Run a rigid vent from the gable wall to a point near your install, and use a 2' piece of flex duct to connect the fan to the rigid vent. The flex duct makes the bends easy (don't kink it) and allows the fan to be repaired from below in the future. For that length, I don't think you need to worry.
4
The "best" approach is to take the shortest straight path to get the exhaust air out of your house. Generally that's via a roof vent. Check out this answer for a little more info.
Your plan A, two bends and out the gable end is fine as an alternative. 10 feet is not a very long way for a bathroom exhaust vent. If possible, use a rigid vent to avoid ...
4
Duct Tape is good for a lot of things, except duct work! It will eventually dry up and pull away from the heat in the vent.
I would bend/dent one of the ends slightly so that it will fit easily inside of the other. Then I'd secure it with proper HVAC foil tape, followed by a clamp around it.
Foil Tape
Metal Gear Clamp
4
It is possible that the previous dryer was a stacked unit with the dryer mounted above the washer.The general rule for dryer vents is not any longer than necessary.Two concerns I have are the flex hose if you can replace it with an elbow do that if not use metallic flex not the plastic type.The second concern is if you live in an area that sees snowfall ...
3
On your length, per your description you should be OK.
504.6.1 Maximum length. The maximum length of a clothes dryer exhaust duct shall not exceed 45 feet (13 716 mm) from the dryer location to the outlet terminal. The maximum length of the duct shall be reduced 5 feet (1524 mm)
for each 45 degree (0.79 rad) bend and 10 feet (3048 mm) for each 90 degree ...
3
In general, yes an exhaust vent (or any vent) can turn corners. But there are many other factors to consider.
Different vent materials or dimensions resist air differently. Different ways of turning corners resist air differently. The best place to start looking for info on this is the vent installation manual. It will talk about different ways to ...
3
The first thing I would check, is to make sure there are no blockages in the vent. If there is debris restricting the flow of air, it could produce noise.
Another cause of this could be that the wind is blowing just rught across the top of the pipe causing it to vibrate, similar to blowing across the top of a bottle to produce sound. To prevent this, you ...
3
Well, you could put a whole house fan in the wall if you will be painting so often. At the same time, be VERY careful about fans and potentially combustible vapors. If these fumes have ANY explosion potential, then running them through a fan motor is a bit insane.
Personally, I agree with ratchet freak - I'd open the garage door, and not paint on days when ...
3
@Peter: I think you answered your own question in your comment to ChrisF. What you want is an "inline draft blocker." And you'll want two, one for each dryer. Here are a few on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Lambro-Industries-Blocker-1775L-Accessories/dp/B000H5PTJA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1304804320&sr=1-1
...
3
I think you just need to find a better built vent hood. The first one I found searching on HD specifically calls out this problem in the description:
Unlike other versions that tend to rattle in the wind, the back draft damper on the ProMax cap has been designed for noise and wind resistance and its stylish wide mouth appearance helps to optimize the ...
3
This is an acceptable solution for multi-tenant buildings where the exhaust fans from multiple units vent in to a common duct. The booster fan in the floor vent makes sure that the air pressure in the room being vented is higher than the common duct. The booster fan can pull air through the central AC/hear air handler even if it's not running. This lightens ...
2
The whole idea is that air is forced out by the fans. The level of the exit does not need to be above the fan unit. As far as connecting two fans to one exterior vent opening, it will work fine if you install a one way baffle or back flow preventing spring loaded flapper. Some fan units come with this one way baffle factory installed to prevent outdoor air ...
2
Attempt No.1
Acquire small plastic container.
Drill small holes around base to allow water to flow out.
Fill with salt.
Place under exhaust vent.
Wait and see what happens.
I'm hoping the moisture in the exhaust will drip into the container of salt, and then run out carrying salt with it. This might have the added benefit of dispersing salt to the ...
2
I think the bigger issue here, is that DIYers see these types of products and think "Hey, I can use this to make my job easier!". The trouble is, just because they make the product does not mean it's applicable in all situations.
There may be situations where soffits are not used as vents, in which case these exhaust vents are perfectly acceptable. However, ...
2
This is one of those questions that is very difficult to answer properly with the info given. Although it sounds like you may be able to downsize the vent/flue because to the change over to a high efficiency furnace, there are lots of considerations depending on the exact equipment you have. The water heater is a different application as well.
In your ...
2
Yes, and not only do you need a fan but it must exhaust outside and not just recirculate the air through a carbon filter. You are burning fossil fuels which produces carbon monoxide (among other things). This can kill you if not properly vented.
Rather than repeat what is already on this site, per the comments, see this answer for the exact code ...
2
I don't know about code compliance. But, this might work for you:
1 Y-Connector at the outside vent.
2 Backdraft Dampers (one on each leg) at the Y to stop the backflow of noxious gases from one fan(on) to the other (off).
Note that the backdraft dampers will add to the resistance of the duct work. You may wish to move up to the next size of duct.
...
1
While looking at the cap, it's probably worthwhile taking a look at the caulking between the crown and your flue, and or flue-cap, which may have eroded. This needs to be looked at about every year or two (more or less frequently depending on your local habitat, but both extremes in hot and cold weather will help age caulk, rot brick, etc.)
Only top voted, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible
