64
votes
Do Americans in dense city centers vent their dryers directly outdoors?
You're missing the big picture here
While your concern about lint causing pollution is at least reasonably admirable, the reason European dryers have all that filtering instead of a vent isn't for the ...
- 86k
30
votes
Is it ok that my dryer vents into a porch attic?
Yes, that's a problem!
Depending how long it's been set up like that, you may already need to replace the whole porch roof, and hope it hasn't rotted the wall framing too much.
Dryer exhaust needs to ...
- 226k
24
votes
Crushed Aluminum Dryer Vent
Your dryer will need the full diameter to be able to exhaust its air easily, so yes, you should either replace it, or attempt the fix below.
The diameter is a bit hard to see, but if it's large enough ...
- 2,395
23
votes
Do Americans in dense city centers vent their dryers directly outdoors?
TLDR: Often not, due to costs or incentives.
Lint is not a significant pollutant.
The major reasons are:
The high construction cost of building a dryer vent in every apartment.
The enormous energy ...
22
votes
Accepted
Is it Ok to mount a bathroom extractor fan at floor level?
First off, you misunderstand the intention of the extractor fan. It is not to remove hot air. It is to remove moisture from the air, and that's done to help protect against mold and mildew buildup. ...
- 25.9k
22
votes
Accepted
Using old vent pipe as TV antenna
There is a LOT that goes into making an antenna work properly. That's why the old-school TV antenna has so many little rods sticking out the sides - they have to be certain fractions of the wavelength ...
- 48k
21
votes
Accepted
Cleaning a long dryer vent that is completely behind drywall
Perhaps a leafblower (or two?) might clean it out a bit?
Also maybe get advice on how to make the outside vent area fire resistant if the tube does catch fire.
- 1,466
20
votes
Crushed Aluminum Dryer Vent
It is held on by duct tape or metal foil tape (metal foil preferred) and/or a simple clamp with one screw. Temporary fix is to remove from wall, clean out lint, push back into shape and reattach. Do ...
19
votes
Vent kitchen hood vent to roof turbine vent?
TL;DR:
It is explicitly not to code to exhaust into the attic or to use foil pipe
It's a bad idea anyway because it puts smoke, grease and warm humid air into your attic which can cause mold growth
...
- 29.2k
16
votes
Accepted
Trying to replace bathroom vent, but housing is stapled to the rafter
You've already pretty well mangled the housing and you're planning on replacing the whole thing anyway, so just go to town hacking at it. A pry bar, a hammer, a pair of tin snips, and some sturdy ...
- 48k
15
votes
Accepted
Can the exhaust duct of an ERV vent *into* the garage?
I am sure it would be against code.
If it isn't always running and your ERV doesn't have a damper on the exhaust then you've introduced a nice path for CO to enter from your garage into your house. I'...
- 14.4k
15
votes
How can I seal a foundation vent?
I'd suggest that the problem is the flower bed, not the vent. Grade should be reduced and sloped properly to prevent the problem. Consider rain gutters in the area. You could also switch to a flower ...
- 149k
13
votes
Accepted
Drywall surrounding vent no longer supports screws;
My default fix would be just to put in some type of anchor. Given the damage and the fact this is on a ceiling, I'd be inclined to use a screw-in type anchor, because they hold on to a larger area and ...
- 29.2k
13
votes
How do I stop water from getting into floor vent?
A splash guard at the corner of the tub may be enough:
(image from Google)
They're inexpensive, and easy to install.
- 1,679
13
votes
Accepted
How do I attach my vent tube to the dryer securely?
If that exhaust duct hasn't been cleaned in a while - it probably needs it. There are companies that will do it for you or you can purchase a dryer duct cleaning kit that has brush extensions and ...
- 9,235
12
votes
Trying to replace bathroom vent, but housing is stapled to the rafter
A small prybar, cold chisel, or a screwdiver you don't like much (this is screwdriver abuse) can be driven under the staple to get it moving. There appears to already be space there. Even a large nail ...
- 226k
11
votes
Accepted
How can I mitigate the effect of a long dryer vent duct on performance?
Add both a secondary lint trap and a dryer duct booster fan. Fantech and Tjernlund are a couple brands to help you start your search.
Also, replacing any easily accessible flexible duct with rigid ...
- 4,849
11
votes
Accepted
What purpose are these openings on the roof?
What JACK described is how it should be.
It's entirely possible that an opening was left (maybe the roofers put on a 4x8' sheet of OSB and it didn't quite reach all the way up and they didn't "...
- 48k
11
votes
What purpose are these openings on the roof?
I concur with the suggestions to patch from the inside - but I would also suggest filling the holes from the outside with balled up chicken wire (galvanized hexagonal wire fencing for chicken runs etc)...
11
votes
Crushed Aluminum Dryer Vent
Both other answers are good, but there's another solution.
The vent is an accordion. Not a good one, so you can really only lengthen it. Shortening it take a bit of skill, patience, time, and luck.
...
- 1,893
11
votes
Is it ok that my dryer vents into a porch attic?
The whole point of a vent for a dryer is to take away the moisture contained in the air used to dry the wet/damp items in the dryer. That moist air will go to anywhere cooler than itself. So if it can'...
- 5,336
11
votes
Does this roof vent flashing need replacement?
That mesh is not meant to be used on the roof as it has no function there. One would need large amount of roof sealnt to close all the holes.
It needs to be replaced with non porous sheet metal.
- 19.2k
11
votes
Accepted
What is the purpose of this indoor crawlspace grate/vent?
Yes, your neighbor is correct. It's for admitting fresh air into that utility closet where you have two combustion appliances. Without sufficient fresh air, the two gas appliances could deplete the ...
- 7,113
10
votes
Vent kitchen hood vent to roof turbine vent?
I don't know where you live, but something to consider is that you're dumping warm, moist air into a potentially cold zone. So some of that air can/will condense in there in winter. Since attics tend ...
- 26.3k
10
votes
Accepted
How do I stop water from getting into floor vent?
I would first try to prevent that much water from getting out of the tub / shower.
As a back up possibly a 1/8” bead of silicone around the perimeter of the register. Even tile floors can rot out the ...
- 103k
10
votes
Accepted
Does this roof vent flashing need replacement?
Yea, it's a mess. If you interrupt the line of the shingles you need some flashing to divert the water, and that should run under the flight of shingles above, and bridge the gap to the shingles below....
- 236
10
votes
Accepted
What is the best way to add a vent over this door?
Common HVAC grilles are routinely installed directly to framing (or even drywall, with hollow wall anchors). Cold air returns are traditionally just framing voids. This situation is really no ...
- 149k
9
votes
Accepted
Venting Range Hood into Attic Space, Temporarily
The biggest issue you have venting into the attic is warm, moist air being blown into a somewhat closed area (aside from the grease and particles you have a filter for). If the attic space you vent ...
- 28.3k
9
votes
Dryer vent: proximity to electrical wires
In my personal opinion, this type of duct is NEVER a good idea for a dryer vent.
Lint sticks to the inside much more than smooth metal.
It's virtually impossible to clean effectively, without ...
- 226k
9
votes
Accepted
Need Help Identifying Strap Securing Dryer Vent Hose
I've typically just seen that called metal strapping or steel strapping.
Home depot sells a similar thing in their ventilation accessories section, and they call it 'perforated metal hanger straps': ...
- 6,458
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible