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Do Dryers Have Side Vents? (Quick Answers)

Among all of the customers’ favorite modern home appliances, the dryer has been the prominent one. The dryer can make your life easier by drying your clothes fully as well as removing the wrinkles that the clothes get after washing. 

Also, the heat produced in the dryer eliminates all harmful microorganisms in your clothes and removes the bad smell that comes from your clothes. Therefore, the dryer has been the most popular home appliance in households.

In this article, we are going to discuss one of the most important topics which is – whether dryers have side vents or not. Stick to the last word of this article to get your answer.

Do dryers have side vents?

All vented dryers have side vents because the heat, moisture, and lint that the dryer produces goes outside through these side vents. The side vent is also known as an outside vent as it expels the heat and moisture outside. Also, there are also ventless dryers available that have no side vents.

Most vented dryers have a setup of side vents on their backside despite having the name of side vents. Although, regardless of the name, the task of all the side vents is similar. 

The vent actually indicates a hose whose one part of its mouth is mounted on the dryer and the end part is connected outside of the house. However, there is a reason behind why the hose is mounted on a vented dryer.

Most vented dryers produce heat in order to eliminate all the bacteria and remove all the wrinkles from your clothes. Also, whenever the heat goes through your clothes, it produces moisture from the fabrics of your clothes. 

The moisture and the heat that the dryer produces need a way to go out. Therefore, the side vents are attached with the dryer in order to let the moisture and the heat out from the dryer. 

Usually, the side vents are attached to the back of the dryer. The other part of the vent is connected to the outside part of the house. After drying, the heat and moisture as well as lint will be out through the hose or the vent.

However, there are ventless dryer models available in the market. Most of these ventless dryers reuse the heat and moisture that the dryer produced. Therefore, there is no necessity for the vent for these dryers. 

If you are looking for dryers that don’t have vents, then you can certainly go for condensers and heat pumps.

Do whirlpool dryers have a side vent? 

Whirlpool dryers do have a side vent and they come separately which is why you might need to mount the vent. Most whirlpool dryers produce a huge amount of heat, therefore, they come with a big hose which is known as side vents. 

The heat that the whirlpool dryers produce removes all the wrinkles from the clothes and also the heat eliminates all the harmful microorganisms from the clothes. The heat and moisture that the dryer produces also removes the bad odor from the clothes. 

In addition, the whirlpool dryers are popular for being effective dryers for their cleaning capabilities as well as for heat production.

Therefore, the whirlpool dryers come with big hoses in order to let that heat and moisture out from the dryer. The big hoses come separately from the dryer, therefore, you might need to set up the hoses with the help of manual instructions.

Are there dryers with side vents?

Yes, there are dryers with side vents available in the stores. Well, most dryers come with side vents as they produce heat and steam which needs a way to be out. Therefore, almost all the dryers come with side vents.

However, there are other ventless dryer models available in the market which don’t have any vents. Usually, these dryers produce heat and moisture and then after drying they store that used heat and moisture in a box for the next drying cycle. 

They reuse the used steam and heat again in order to dry the clothes. For this reason, ventless dryers don’t need any vents.

While the vented dryers do have side vents because the used steam and heat need a way out as the dryers cannot reuse the steam and heat like the ventless dryers. Most old models of dryers have vent systems while the modern dryers are manufactured without a vent mechanism.

What does side venting really mean?

Side venting means mounting a large hose on the back side of a dryer. Mostly, the hose is connected to the backside of the dryer but you can mount the hose on the side of some dryers. 

Side venting is really important for vented dryers. As the vented dryers produce heat and steam for the drying process, therefore, the used heat and steam after the drying cycle need a way out. Otherwise, the used heat and steam will stay on the dryer and can cause malfunction. 

The only way through which the steam and heat can be out is by using the side vents. The side vents are connected in such a way that the used heat and steam will be pushed out through the vents as early as possible after the drying cycle is over. 

In addition, the other side of the vent is connected to the outside of the house, therefore, the heat and steam will quickly pass out to the environment. So, the above whole process is called side venting.

Where is the outer vent on a dryer?

Most dryers have a metal vent on the backside of them. This metal vent expels all the used heat and moisture after the drying cycle is completed. On top of this metal vent, a large hose is connected which is known as side vents or outer vents. 

The reason it is called an outer vent is that the other side of the outer vent is connected to the outside part of the house. The used heat and steam that the dryer produces after the drying cycle goes through the outside vent and reaches the exterior part of the house.

The outer vent is mostly connected to the backside of the dryer. Because the metal vent is mounted on the backside so that the large hose can be mounted on the wall. 

However, some outer vent is also connected to the side of the dryer if the metal vent is set up on the side of the dryer.

Can you change the dryer vent from the back to the side?

Changing the dryer vent completely depends on the mounting location of the metal vent. However, you can certainly change the dryer vent from the back to the side but you will need to go through some steps.

Most dryers have a metal vent that is connected to the back side of the dryer. Usually, the vent is connected to that metal vent as the metal vent expels all the used heat and moisture. 

As the metal vent expels all the heat and steam from the dryer, therefore, you will need to connect the outer vent with the metal vent.

How to change the dryer vent from the back to the side?

Changing the dryer vent from the back to the side is not a very complicated task. Just you have to gather some instruments and then you have to follow our below steps:

Turn off the power:

First things first, you have to turn off the power of the dryer. Make sure you have turned off the main switch of the dryer.

Mark the new location of the exhaust hose:

Choose a location for your dryer’s vent hose. Put a point on the interior wall where you want the vent hose to connect to the exhaust vent. Fit your drill with a drill. 

Make a hole across the marking to the other side of the wall.

Cut through the edges of the new vent:

Now go to the exterior wall and then place the new vent on top of the drill hole. Mark the edges of the new vent on the wall. Then with the help of a keyhole saw cut through the markings. Make sure the edges are smooth. 

Then with the help of screws insert the exhaust vent into that hole.

Secure the vent:

Disconnect the exhaust pipe from the back vent by loosening the hose clip. Remove the exhaust hose and the old vent with a clamp. Place the exhaust hose over the rear of the new side vent. The clamp will hold it in place. 

You can turn the power on.

Final Thoughts:

Well, most dryers come with side vents as the used heat and steam needs a way out. The heat and steam go to the exterior part of these houses through these vents. However, there are ventless models available if you don’t want an outer vent with your dryer.