[NA] Dryer vent halp

ircphoenix

ircphoenix

En-Route
Joined
Feb 29, 2016
Messages
2,531
Location
Redondo Beach, CA
Display Name
Display name:
ircphoenix
Alright party people. I have a dryer vent that goes from the laundry room UNDER the kitchen and out through the base of the building and basically at yard level. Problem being that a) I broke part of it and need to replace it and b) I want to replace it with something better. Better would be in terms of the stupid thing is at ground level and doesn't stop water intrusion from the rain or the sprinklers. Now that presents a different set of issues, as I have no idea what I'm doing AND the thing is at an angle. I saw a fancy canister style thing which would work well as far as venting, but the exit is at an angle to the side of the wall, so it wouldn't work.

I know there are a lot of people here with a skillset far superior to mine... what say you?
 

Attachments

  • 20170429_154728 (Medium).jpg
    20170429_154728 (Medium).jpg
    243.6 KB · Views: 86
Intrusion by water is probably the least of the problem intruders...

Are you wanting to raise it up from the ground to stop the water?
 
It's an apartment building. The dryer is in an internal space about 10 feet from the exterior wall. So I can't do anything as far as moving the duct up. The existing duct is what it is, basically. The only thing I can work with is the exit... and TBH I haven't unscrewed and cut away the existing vent to see how it's plumbed.
 
Matthew said:
I have that same thing on my house, but it's about 3' off the ground.

You can pop on one of these:

http://www.deflecto.com/products/pc/Universal-Bird-Guard-br-White-4p551.htm#.WQUb11KZMdU

Or one of these:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Speedi-Products-6-in-Heavy-Duty-Gray-Plastic-Wall-Cap-EX-WCHD-06/202907384?cm_mmc=Shopping|THD|G|0|G-BASE-PLA-D26P-AirCirculation|&gclid=CjwKEAjw85DIBRCy2aT0hPmS1jkSJAC1m9Uvx6wHQTDaw3FwPwD_K65YZG-3IOaUvAZDn-zWQOPjzBoCMOHw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

That guard might help in your case. But, you might have to think of a way to reroute the whole thing to be closer to the dryer and higher off the ground.
Click to expand...

These won't work so much... the vent would just aim directly at the dirt and restrict airflow. This one at least has the dubious distinction of being angled upward away from the dirt.
 
Is there a grade away from that wall? You might be better off digging away around that exhaust vent, maybe putting some brick or pavers on top of landscape fabric to keep grass/weeds away. That would give some room for airflow.
 
Matthew said:
Is there a grade away from that wall? You might be better off digging away around that exhaust vent, maybe putting some brick or pavers on top of landscape fabric to keep grass/weeds away. That would give some room for airflow.
Click to expand...

True... but I'm left with the problem that it's on the ground and there are sprinklers.
 
GlennAB1 said:
Can you add a PVC pipe to it to extend it up off the ground?
Click to expand...

..... That's not a bad idea... I don't know. I'll have to take the existing flapper thing off and see if there's a pipe coming out of the ground to give me something to work with.
 
ircphoenix said:
Yeah. That's what I was thinking. Nifty as all get out... but again since the existing mounting is angled, the top of that won't fit against the building. This contraption is designed for a flush mount to the side of the building.
Click to expand...
Oh, the duct inside angles upward, so anything you insert into it will tip backward?
 
ircphoenix said:
Yep. It's basically like this

\__________________________________/
Click to expand...
That last upward angle is inside the wall and comes out at that angle? From the picture, I couldn't see that very well.

Now I have to think harder.
 
I think I'd try that taller option:

https://www.menards.com/main/heatin...437354057-c-9502.htm?tid=-1859952843332129679

Here's the install directions:

https://www.lambro.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/289W.pdf

There is generally not much that a utility knife and a lot of caulk can't fix.

I thought that outer cover would flap up, but it doesn't. It stays in place and hides a float valve underneath it. Exhaust air pushes that float up, then blows out the bottom of that cover. The top opens easily enough for cleaning.
 
Matthew said:
I think I'd try that taller option:

https://www.menards.com/main/heatin...437354057-c-9502.htm?tid=-1859952843332129679

Here's the install directions:

https://www.lambro.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/289W.pdf

There is generally not much that a utility knife and a lot of caulk can't fix.

I thought that outer cover would flap up, but it doesn't. It stays in place and hides a float valve underneath it. Exhaust air pushes that float up, then blows out the bottom of that cover. The top opens easily enough for cleaning.
Click to expand...

Then what I'd have to do is dig out around the vent itself below the line of the bottom of the building, cut off the pipe (or whatever) that comes up in order to make it flush with the wall, and then install it.
 
ircphoenix said:
Then what I'd have to do is dig out around the vent itself below the line of the bottom of the building, cut off the pipe (or whatever) that comes up in order to make it flush with the wall, and then install it.
Click to expand...

I'm having trouble visualizing how it's installed either inside the wall or inside the building. From the picture, it doesn't look like you have much choice other than digging around it for access to replace it anyway.
 
Any chance to simply cut another hole in the laundry room wall, add a new exhaust, and then seal this one up?
 
Yeah... tough to describe. But it comes UP from below ground level at the exterior boundary limit of the wall.

So basically I have a hole in the floor in the laundry room next to the interior wall. It goes DOWN into the hole like a drain. It goes under the floor level and exits 10 feet away at the exterior wall. When it exits the exterior wall (below floor level) it then comes up at an angle. Kind of like the hole at the curb line that allows rainwater drains to drain into the street. The hole itself is flush with the bottom of the building, but it has to come UP from under the slab.

And no. The other side of the wall from the laundry room is the kitchen, so I won't be cutting holes in walls.
 
The vent in that photo doesn't come through the wall at that point, it's coming up alongside the exterior or foundation wall, then terminates at that vent. There should be some way to extend it a little bit. This is a crawl space or something?
 
Matthew said:
The vent in that photo doesn't come through the wall at that point, it's coming up alongside the exterior or foundation wall, then terminates at that vent. There should be some way to extend it a little bit. This is a crawl space or something?
Click to expand...

Slab. The vent in the photo is actually away from the wall a bit, and comes up from below. Stand by one and I'll try to get better photos. Gardener took the year off apparently, so grass is encroaching from all directions.
 
dig a hole. fill it with gravel, it will be a sump for the sprinkler water, replace the louvered outlet.
 
It's so hard to take a good camera angle. This is head on right next to the door. Gives an idea how low it is and that it's right in the middle of the damn yard.

And since it's angled up, that's how the water sneaks in. It'll settle on the lip and leak in. Since it's a straight shot down from there, it gets into the pipe and will mildew.

And that was before I broke one of the louvers. LoL
 

Attachments

  • 20170429_180147 (Medium).jpg
    20170429_180147 (Medium).jpg
    248.1 KB · Views: 22
How do you feel about stucco?

Think that's going to be a little surgery to move it and fix it properly.

Then get a nice exit vent.

http://www.luxurymetals.com/dryervent.html

copper_wall_vent__2_.JPG


But if yuh really don't want to mess with the wall, it's going to be some pipe glue and McGyver style Home Depot elbow and mesh job.
 
James331 said:
How do you feel about stucco?

Think that's going to be a little surgery to move it and fix it properly.

Then get a nice exit vent.

http://www.luxurymetals.com/dryervent.html

But if yuh really don't want to mess with the wall, it's going to be some pipe glue and McGyver style Home Depot elbow and mesh job.
Click to expand...

You know... our politics are completely different, but I'm glad we share taste in exterior dryer vents. That is BLINGY. Daddy like. LoL
 
ircphoenix said:
It's so hard to take a good camera angle. This is head on right next to the door. Gives an idea how low it is and that it's right in the middle of the damn yard.

And since it's angled up, that's how the water sneaks in. It'll settle on the lip and leak in. Since it's a straight shot down from there, it gets into the pipe and will mildew.

And that was before I broke one of the louvers. LoL
Click to expand...

Egad. How old is the apartment? I'm guessing this thing was built in an era where expansion was more important than building code.

I think digging is probably the best solution so far, but not a fan of a pit since water can pool into it. There's gotta be lower ground away from the building so maybe dig a ditch so that water can drain.
 
asicer said:
Egad. How old is the apartment? I'm guessing this thing was built in an era where expansion was more important than building code.

I think digging is probably the best solution so far, but not a fan of a pit since water can pool into it. There's gotta be lower ground away from the building so maybe dig a ditch so that water can drain.
Click to expand...

1948 according to the interwebs. But I don't know if that's when the building went up or if that's when the house on the front area of the property went up. There might have been an 'improvement' along the way that added the other apartments to the lot.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top