Upgrading Your Dryer Ducting

Most of us spend little time thinking how important a dryer vent is to venting air from our clothes dryer.  In some cases when the dryer has a heavy load of clothes drying, there can be as much as a gallon of water which will exit the dryer and home through an exhaust duct. Think of the clothes dryer as the underrated player on the baseball team. Even a top of the line dryer needs a safe and effective duct and vent to make sure that the clothes dry correctly.

When it comes to ducting, we have many different materials to choose from. White plastic, aluminum foil or a rigid metal pipe vent are the most popular materials used in dryer ducting. Typically the ducting comes in a ribbed or rigid shape. The problem with the ribbed shape ducting is that while it is more flexible than the rigid shape ducting, it slows down the venting process which ends up increasing energy costs in the long run. Rigid pipe does the exact opposite and does not inhibit airflow, therefore increasing the overall efficiency of the clothes dryer.

In fact Section M1502 of the International Residential Code (IRC) guidelines prohibits using ribbed ducting altogether. “Exhaust ducts shall be constructed of minimum 0.016-inch-thick (0.4 mm) rigid metal ducts, having smooth interior surfaces, with joints running in the direction of air flow. Exhaust ducts shall not be connected with sheet-metal screws or fastening means which extend into the duct.”

So if you have ribbed ducting and would like to replace it with rigid pipe ducting, here are some quick tips.

Before you start to do anything you should disconnect the dryer from the main power source. If you have a breaker, you should remove it too just in case. Now pull the dryer away from the wall. And separate the vent from the exhaust outlet by loosening the clamp that holds them together with a screwdriver.  Clean excess lint in the exhaust outlet. Next separate the vent from the outside duct and vacuum off any excess lint accumulation.

You’ll have to attach a metal band clamp to the periscope box vent. If you don’t have one you might want to consider installing one. A periscope box vent lets the dryer sit closer to the wall. Because of its metal design it collects less lint than a flexible dryer hose. If you install a periscope box vent, you will need a new dryer vent exhaust opening through the wall to the outside. The older connections that used a, flexible hose exhausts usually connected directly behind the dryer exhaust and won’t be vent the air properly. Push the periscope box vent into the exhaust outlet and tighten the clamp using the screwdriver.

Now take the upper end of the periscope and lift it over the dryer. At this point, insert the plug for the dryer into the socket without turning on the power. Push back the dryer against the wall. Then join the lower ducting to the periscope box. Attach a band clamp to secure the elbow firmly and give it a 90 degree bend. Then join the upper part of the periscope box to the overhead duct. Slip a band clamp over the duct and attach the elbow to the duct tightening it with a screwdriver.

The last step is to join both vents. By pulling the upper one down and lifting the lower one and making them they will snap together.  There’s nothing like doing a quick test to see if the all connections are tight and that the air vents correctly. Connect the circuit breaker that you removed earlier. Then turn on the electric power at the main power supply. Take a quick look outside to see that the dryer is venting properly.