Does An Electric Dryer Need To Be Vented?

An electric dryer is an integral part of many households today. There is no better way to quickly and easily wash your dirty clothes in a short period of time. That’s why this device is so popular, but few know the answer to the question does an electric dryer need to be vented. 

However, the heat generated in these dryers needs to be released somewhere, so the question arises whether an electric dryer needs a vent? In this article, we will talk about the importance of venting an electric dryer. So, let’s go! 

Does An Electric Dryer Need To Be Vented? The electric dryer must have a vent so that the lint and moisture from the laundry can be expelled from the appliance. Otherwise, mold will form, which in the long run can damage the device itself and harm human health. However, condensation dryers are special types that don’t require a vent.

If the device does not have a vent, warm air can’t expel from the room, and moisture and lint deposits can quickly accumulate in it. The dryer vent is installed so that it drains the by-products of drying vertically through the roof, with a note that the vent opening should be protected with a gird so that lint from the dryer does not fly all over the place. We will talk about this topic in more detail below, so stay tuned.

Why Do Electric Dryers Need To Have A Vent?

In order for the laundry to dry in the electric dryer, the device must extract all the water from it. It does this by drawing in air from the immediate surroundings of the dryer, heating it, and passing it into the rotating drum so that every piece of clothes gets dry. Water steam created in this process must find its way out, or the fabric will absorb it again. This is where the dryer vent comes in. It pulls the steam out of the device through the drain hose outside the house.

Related article: Air Conditioner For A Room Without Windows.

What Happens If Electric Dryer Has No Vent?

Building codes state that it is mandatory to have a vent for an electric dryer that drains warm and moist air outside the house because a dryer without a vent can seriously harm your health and the integrity of your home.

Accumulations of lint that have nowhere to go can cause a device to malfunction but also, in certain circumstances, start a fire since it is an easily flammable material. Keep in mind that every dryer has a lint grid inside the device, a certain amount always remains in the drum.

Moisture, on the other hand, causes the accumulation of mold. If the water vapor created in the drum does not leave the dryer, it remains in the device and promotes the formation of extensive mold that can harm your health and also damage the dryer. You can conclude that there is a problem with the dryer vent if you see condensation dripping on the dryer door. Condensation dripping, in this case, can also appear on the windows of the room where the dryer is located.

Can Electric Dryer Exhaust Harm Your Health?

Since the electric dryer uses electricity for operation, even if you do not have a vent on this device, there is no danger of carbon monoxide poisoning. However, using a dryer without vents can be very harmful in other ways. Certainly, the greatest danger is the possibility of the dryer catching fire when excessive lint deposits accumulate in it.

Lint is an extremely flammable material. The door can catch fire when too much lint accumulates in the dryer and is exposed to heating. If such a thing happens while you are not at home, the consequence of the lack of an adequate dryer vent can be that your house burns to the ground!

Also, when it comes to lint, it is dangerous that small particles of lint, in the form of fine dust, spread through the air in the house, which can cause breathing problems and asthma attacks.

A respiratory problem can also be caused by mold that accumulates in the dryer due to the lack of an adequate vent. Mold is very dangerous for the respiratory tract, and if a person is exposed to the vapors of mold for a long period of time, serious health problems can develop.

How to Vent an Electric Dryer

Now that you are aware of the dangers that can threaten your family’s health and your home’s integrity if the electric dryer does not have a vent let’s look at how to install the vent properly.

Things You Will Need

• Measure tape
• Chalk or pencil
• Vent cap
• 1” roofing nails
• 4” galvanized duct pipe with fittings
• 1-1/4” wood screws
• Reciprocating saw
• Working gloves
• 2x pipe clamps
• Screwdriver
• Duct tape with foil back
• Duct hangers
• Metal shears

How To Do It Step-by-step

1. It is not recommended that the vent from the dryer to the exit point be longer than 25 feet. Also, if the vent cannot be laid so that it is in line, you should know that each 90-degree angle at which the vent bends should be counted as a length of 5 feet and each 45-degree angle as a length of 2.5 feet. Measure carefully. If you cannot find an adequate place for the vent within 25 feet, you should change the dryer’s location.
2. The first step in the installation of the off-vent is making an opening for a vent cap. It is necessary to make a cap opening. You will do this most precisely if you map the extent of the cap opening on the wall with chalk or a pencil. When the cap opening is on the wall, it is necessary first to push back the shingles and then do the cutting. After opening must be trimmed and adjusted.
3. Now you need to pass the system pipe through the opening, fasten the cap on top and then attach the cap to the base. If the cap is on the wall, it is better to use galvanized nails for roofing of 1″, and if the cap is installed on the roof, you should use wood screws of 1-1/4-inch. Note you should place the vent pipe so that it is easily accessible from the inside of the house, and it is best if it extends its entire length in one direction. 
4. The galvanized 4″ duct pipe must be connected to the vent cap using a quality pipe clamp, which must be secured with a screwdriver and duct tape. Although you may be tempted to finish the job with the screws at this point, don’t do it because small particles of lint easily accumulate on them.
5. Next, connect the pipes with the cap towards the dryer’s opening. Put on protective gloves and, with the help of metal cutting shears, cut the pipes into pieces of appropriate dimensions. The ideal situation is if you have just one vertical pipe and one joint to make. However, if the pipe position is so that there are more joints, be sure to position and secure each one well. Duct hangers can help you with this.
6. When the whole structure is finished, connect the vent to the opening on the dryer. You have to do this again with a pipe clamp, screwdriver, and duct tape to avoid the accumulation of lint.

Can an Electric Dryer Work Without A Vent?

If you are in a situation where there is simply no possibility of installing a vent for an electric dryer, do not worry, this does not mean that you can’t use an electric dryer in your home. Using the spin-dryer function that every washer usually has can help you a lot.

Here we are not talking about classic machine-drying laundry but about squeezing out water from the fabric to the point where only a small amount of moisture remains. This means that it will dry relatively quickly on the rack.

However, a far more efficient alternative is the ventless dryer, a real hit in Europe. Most households use this type of dryer precisely because this device does not need a vent!

The condensation dryer works so that all the water from the laundry turns into condensation steam, which then goes into the container built into the dryer. After the drying cycle ends, the container is manually emptied. This type of dryer also has a special filter in addition to the grid for lint.

How To Maintain Electric Dryer?

The most important thing for an electric dryer to last as long as possible s to use it correctly. You can do this if you carefully follow the rules from the owner manual that came with the device. Each dryer comes with warnings about the adequate selection of the space in which the device will be located and how to use all the functions to avoid mechanical failure.

Once the dryer is in operation, you should maintain it regularly. After each drying cycle, inspect the filter and lint grid is good. At least twice a year, the vent should be inspected and cleaned.

For those who want to learn more, be sure to read this article: Does A Window Air Conditioner Have To Be In A Window?

FAQ: People Also Ask

Is it safe to run an electric dryer without a vent?

The electric dryer should not be run if it is not connected to the vent. A dryer that works without a vent can seriously harm your health and the integrity of your home. An excess of lint with nowhere to go can cause a fire, and the accumulation of moisture can cause dangerous mold buildup.

Is there a dryer that doesn’t need to be vented?

Electric dryers that don’t require a vent are called condensation dryers. They work so that all the water from the laundry turns into condensation steam, which goes into a tank built into the dryer.

Can an electric dryer produce carbon monoxide?

Considering that the electric dryer uses electricity to run, even if you do not have a vent on this device, there is no possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning. On the other hand, a gas dryer produces carbon monoxide, which you should keep in mind if you have purchased such a device.

Final Thoughts

Electric dryers must have vents to let hot air from the room out. If your dryer does not have a vent, in the long run, it can be harmful both to human health and to the room itself. Accumulations of lint in the device can catch fire, and mold accumulations can cause respiratory diseases.

However, there are models of electric dryers that can work without a vent. These condensation dryers have water tanks and an additional lint collection system. If you cannot install a standard electric dryer with an outside vent and a condensation dryer is too expensive for you, a good alternative is to use the spin-dry function in the washer.