A guide to install a dryer vent

Whether it's a gas or an electric powered dryer, the processes and steps involved in installing vents remain the same. Installing vents requires you to have the right set of tools and also the ability to measure accurately. This article will provide a guide to install a dryer vent.

Materials and steps involved in installing a dryer vent

Correct installation of a dryer vent is very important since it keeps fibers and potentially toxic gases out of your house, directing them outdoors. Depending on your skills and experience, you may be able to finish the job in 30 to
45 minutes. Materials needed: For these types of projects, you would need a tape measure, power drill, hole saw, wood screws, caulking gun, hose clamps, and level. Steps 1) Decide where you would like to place your dryer machine. Check the inside and outside of your house to make sure that the area is not being obstructed by thick shrubs or fence posts. 2) Bore a tiny pilot hole inside your house where you would like the dryer vent to be placed. To set up the vent in a basement, bore directly through the wood sill plate situated above foundation. If it is on the first or second floor, check to see if there's nothing to be hit in the wall once you start drilling. 3) Proceed outside your house and using a 4-inch hole saw, make a larger hole on the area where you would like the vent to run. The pilot hole that you've cut needs to be right in the middle of the 4-inch hole that you will be making. 4) Using caulk and wood screws, attach the vent hood around the tube or pipe. Make sure that the vent hood has a 1-foot piece of tube that is already attached to it. 5) Affix a 90-degree elbow tube to the vent pipe's end on the inside of your house. Afterward, affix another one on the spot where the exhaust emerges from the dryer. Using large house clamps, join the two elbows together with parts of the straight vent tube. 6) Drive the dryer into place and then align the legs on the bottom to make sure that it is level.

Tips

1) To ensure a good seal, wrap the hose clamps with foil tape. 2) As much as possible, use aluminum pipes and avoid plastic flexible hoses. These types of vent hoses easily sag, causing fibers and lint to be driven back inside the dryer hose.