What Is A Vented Clothes Dryer? (Plus, What You Can & Can’t Do)


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Vented Clothes Dryers

A vented dryer is a clothing dryer that has a vent, or flue, which allows the moisture from the drying clothes to be vented to the outside air.

A vented dryer is considered safer than other types of dryers because it helps prevent fire, and doesn’t put excess moisture into the indoor air.

The vented tumble dryer is the next generation of dryers. While maintaining the use of a standard tumble dryer, it utilizes new vented features to trap moisture in the drum and increase drying efficiency through cross ventilation.


Vented Vs Ventless Clothes Dryers

The main difference between condenser and vented tumble dryers is in how they operate.

Condenser dryers use a technology called “condensation” which means that rather than the hot air rising into the vents with the hot water, it is sucked into a tube and down into the unit.

Whereas, as mentioned earlier a vented clothes dryer removes the moisture outside of your home completely through a hose or pipe that you have fitted to the machine.

Of course, you will need to place your vented dryer near an external wall or window for this to work.


What Is A Front Vented Tumble Dryer?

Front vented tumble dryers are ideal for small to medium families and are an excellent way of saving money, energy, and time.

Unlike a condenser dryer, where the moisture is removed from the clothes during the drying process by means of a condenser coil and a fan, vented dryers have an opening in the front of the machine called a vent.

This allows air to circulate inside the machine which assists with the drying process and draws out moisture away from your clothes as they tumble around in their heated environment.

An example of a bestselling clothes dryer:

COSTWAY Compact Laundry Dryer

COSTWAY Compact Laundry Dryer, 110V Electric Portable Clothes Dryer with Stainless Steel Tub, Control Panel Downside Easy Control for 4 Automatic Drying Mode, White


Can I Use A Venting Clothes Dryer In My Basement?

A venting clothes dryer must be vented to the outside. If you can not run a hose or pipe outside from your basement then you will fill your basement with an incredible amount of moisture.

Basements have moisture problems, to begin with, so if you can not vent to the outside you will only increase all of the problems, such as mold, that are associated with moisture issues.

What About Venting Clothes Dryer Into My Garage?

You might think it’s a great idea to use the heat from the dryer to warm up your garage however you are faced with the same problem as the basement issue above.

While the air being discharged from the dryer is warm it is absolutely full of moisture and would ruin your garage.

Plus, if you have a gas dryer exhaust then it could even be deadly from the carbon monoxide. So once again, NO!

To be abundantly clear you need to vent your clothes dryer outside.

Of course, you could actually use a vented clothes dryer in your garage if you left the garage door open while doing so. Might get a bit chilly in winter.


What Is A Clothes Dryer Vent Pipe?

A clothes dryer vent pipe or venting hose transports dryer air outside your home to keep the moisture from entering back into your living areas.

Simply put, a clothes dryer vent pipe is designed to blow moisture out of your home and cast-iron clothes dryer vents do a great job of removing moisture from your laundry room.

Not all dryers need a vent pipe installed. If you have a condenser dryer that condenses the water in the dryer, then you don’t need a clothes dryer vent pipe.

If you have a vented dryer, which is the most common type, then you do need a vent pipe. In most cases, the clothes dryer vent pipe is made of heavy-duty galvanized steel pipe that is about four inches in diameter.

There should also be a filter present at the end of the pipe. The vent pipe is designed to allow the moisture to escape from the dryer to the outside


What Pipe To Use For Dryer Vent?

Dryer vent hoses made of plastic, vinyl, or rubber can be restrictive and in worse case scenarios they can also trap particles, which interfere with airflow and lead to a dangerous increase in backpressure inside the dryer.

Builder's Best 084718 SAF-T Metal Single Elbow Dryer Vent Duct Kit, UL Listed, 4" Diameter x 8' Length

Metal vent pipes solve both of these problems. They resist corrosion and are smooth on the inside to prevent lint from sticking

So… if you are looking to make your dryer more efficient, installing a rigid metal pipe may be the solution.

Doing so will create very little air resistance, which makes the dryer more efficient. It will also discourage lint buildup in your dryer’s exhaust line.


Can You Vent A Clothes Dryer Through The Roof?

While most people agree the vent pipe should run through an exterior wall (and even the lower the better), however, you can run the pipe vertically through the roof and it is fairly common in many suburbs.

Of course, if you get it wrong you have the potential to fill your roof with moisture, and when you consider all of the moisture your roof already has to contend with such as your bathroom exhaust, it could lead to complications.

However, if you’re building a new home or thinking about installing a ventless clothes dryer, you should know that you can vent a clothes dryer through the roof.

It’s a fairly simple process (for those who know what they are doing) that involves installing a roof cap to hold the venting pipe and ventilation fins.


In summary, with vented clothes dryers the drying times are cut in half while the clothes dryer is 50% more energy-efficient than a conventional clothes dryer.

The Vented Clothes Dryer is perfect for the laundry room, outdoors on a back porch, or in an open garage.

Venting your clothes dryer outside it helps eliminate the build-up of moisture in your home lowering the humidity and preventing the problems associated with it such as mold.

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