A dryer is an essential appliance to dry your wet clothes in a short time. But dryers require venting to extract hot, damped air to be extracted outside of the dryer.
Many of you may ask if you can vent a dryer into the garage. Let us discuss if you really can vent it into your garage and know some necessary information regarding the matter as well.
Can you vent a dryer into the garage?
Technically, yes, you can vent a dryer into the garage, but it is never recommended by anyone to do. The reason behind that is various complications may arise after you do that and besides it is not safe to do. Moreover, it may cause various health-related issues.
It is possible to vent a dryer into the garage. Though it may seem to be harmless and easy to do, it is not preferred to be done in any home. There are various reasons behind not doing that. Let us help you understand if you can vent some famous dryer types into your garage or not:
Gas Dryer:
A gas dryer is the most popular dryer type in the whole US. It is easy to use and famous in the region.
Many people as a result want to vent it into their garage. But is dangerous to do that. Gas dryer ejects small amounts of carbon monoxide which is lethal to humans and animals. Therefore, you should not vent your gas dryer into the garage.
Tumble dryer:
A tumble dryer is known for the loud noise that it makes to dry up the clothes you put in. Though there are multiple types of tumble dryers available in the market, it is never advised to vent them into the garage.
But you can set it in the garage if you want to and if you do not have the space to set one in your house.
Electric dryer:
The electric dryer is now the most modern dryer available in the market. It is also a cheap and consumer-friendly dryer out there. Though it doesn’t use gas or motorized method to dry your clothes, it uses electricity to create heat for drying.
Even it creates hot air, it creates moist air which may not cause an issue if your environment temperature is low. But during hot seasons, it causes a lot of issues. Moreover, it can create molds and lint-related dust issues.
Is it legal to vent your dryer into a garage? Is it safe for a dryer to be vented into the house?
No, it is not legal to vent your dryer into a garage. It is strictly prohibited in the building code law of the US. IRC indicates that all dryer exhaust shall terminate outside the building. It is recommended by dryer manufacturers too in their user’s manual guide that they provide.
No, it is not safe for a dryer to be vented into the house. The dryer may create carbon monoxide depending on what type of dryer you use. This is lethal for humans.
Dryers create moist warm air which doesn’t affect during the cold seasons but heavily affects during warm seasons. It may cause problems from molds to various diseases.
Your dryer can catch lint from the clothes in the dryer which is common when drying clothes in the dryer. Lint can use dust-related issues like accumulating dust where the dryer is vented. It may use various dust-related molds and even respiratory diseases.
Therefore, it is not safe for a dryer to be vented into the house.
Does a dryer vent have to be vented outside?
Yes, a dryer vent must be vented outside. It is strictly said in the building code of various areas. Moreover, IRC indicated vent dryers outside of the building in their law. According to the law, it is variously looked like a life risk.
There are more reasons why a dryer has to be vented outside. Another reason is that it helps to release the lint outside of the house. Lint creates a lot of mess in the house. It is one of the reasons for dust accumulation in the house.
Venting your dryer outside may reduce dust in the house.
Venting your dryer outside can help release the wet air outside the house as well. Wet air is bad for appliances and products. It causes them to build trust over time. It can also create molds. These can cause diseases to humans and animals.
Therefore, you should vent your dryer outside of the house.
4 reasons why you should not vent a gas dryer in the garage
Experts provide several reasons why you should not vent a gas dryer in the garage. Let us help you know the 4 reasons why you should not vent a gas dryer in the garage:
Creating molds:
The dryer creates a lot of warm wet air. Wet air is the main element to create molds. Molds are bad for humans and animals. It causes various diseases and can make you or your loved one sick.
Causes structural damage:
As dryers create wet air, they can also cause various structural damages to your house. Wet air causes various stuff in your house to get moist. Where there is moisture, it can cause rusting and many more problems.
Increases house temperature rapidly:
A Dryer usually releases a lot of warm air as it requires heat to dry the clothes. All of this dissipates through the vents that are connected with the dryer. If you vent your dryer in the garage, it causes excessive heating in the house.
As a result, you may have to spend more in keeping your house cooler when using the dryer.
Accumulates excessive dust:
As dryers carry a lot of lint created from the clothes in the dryer, it is common that the vents will release a lot of fine lint. As a result, all of this fine lint accumulates in your house if you vent into your garage.
Therefore, not only your house will be filled with dust that you will have to clean now and then, but you may go through various respiratory-related diseases as well.
How do you vent a dryer into the garage safely?
Though there are no proper methods to vent a dryer into the garage safely, there are a few solutions you can use if you badly want to vent your dryer into the garage safely. Here are steps you need to follow to safely accomplish that if you are not using a gas dryer:
Get the necessary parts for venting:
It is essential that you buy the proper tools and accessories to vent your dryer.
For doing this, mostly you would require an extender joint which usually comes with the dryer, scissors, Phillips’s head screwdriver, duct, foil tape, duct increaser, and indoor venting kit.
Connect the extender joint:
Connect the extender joint that comes with the dryer package using a Phillips head screwdriver using some Phillips head screws. Connect it properly so that so warm air leaks inside the house.
Join the extender joint with the duct:
Join the extender joint and duct together using scissors and foil tape properly. Leave no joint loose.
Attach the duct with the venting kit hose:
After that, attach the duct with the venting kit hose. If the size of duct and venting hose varies, use a duct increaser to connect them.
Add water to the indoor venting kit:
When you use the dryer, add water in the indoor venting kit so that all the lint can be captured in the venting kit and only the warm air can get out.
How to reroute the dryer vent from the garage to the outside?
There are many ways you can follow to reroute the dryer vent from the garage to the outside of your house. From all those methods, let us discuss the easiest way for you of how to do it:
Identify the existing dryer hole:
Finding out where the dryer hole is in the garage is crucial before you reroute it outside. So, find the existing dryer hose so that you can start working.
Attach a 90-degree angle on the wall:
After you identify the dryer hose in your garage it is best to attach a 90-degree angle in the wall so that you can attach a hose or vent with it to get the exhaust out of the house.
Connect and mount the vent:
Mount the vent just beside the hose and connect the hose to the vent and attach it properly. The vent must be opened outside the house.
Final Thoughts
You can not vent a dryer into the garage. It is harmful. Although using an electric and tumble dryer solves the issue of carbon monoxide and using an indoor venting kit solves most of the problems, it is better not to vent your dryer inside the garage.