Indoor dryer vent pros and cons (must read!)

The idea of venting your dryer inside the house may look enticing to some but to most folks, it’s quite a controversial move.

Below we have summarized indoor dryer vent pros and cons to help shed more light about implementing indoor dryer vent ideas instead of what everyone recommends: directing a dryer vent outside.

Perhaps you’ll be able to make a more informed decision after going through the article.

Let’s get started.

Why vent a dryer

As you likely know, the reason why it’s important to vent a dryer is to be able to remove the exceedingly warm, humid air from indoors.

This is not only beneficial to your property (moist air inside your house can cause structural weaknesses not to mention that lint is combustible) but also you (elevated humidity levels promote the growth of harmful mildew and mold).

And while you can be safe venting an electric dryer inside, we cannot emphasize enough the importance of venting gas dryers to the outside.

You see, these types of clothes dryers emit carbon monoxide along with other toxic compounds and can be deadly to vent indoors.

You better innovate a way if it has no dryer vent but do not risk exhausting it inside.

In sum, you should only be interested in indoor dryer vent pros and cons if you own an electric dryer.

With that out of our way, let’s proceed to the upsides and downsides proper (now you understand that this makes sense for homeowners running electric dryers).

Indoor dryer vent pros and cons

Below are our thoughts on using various indoor dryer venting options including an indoor dryer vent kit, (advantages and the involved dangers).

Advantages of venting indoors

Coming up first are the upsides of installing an indoor dryer vent over connecting a venting pipe that terminates outside.

·       Lower installation costs

The amount you incur to install an indoor vent could be comparatively lower than what people usually pay to have an outdoor vent fixed.

In fact, some of the alternatives are incredibly affordable – think of DIY indoor vents made with locally available materials such as a bucket (to hold water to trap the lint flying all over).

That said, buying a system that requires replacement filters could make indoor venting costlier in the long run.

·       It’s a small win for the environment

Though it may not be a very big win in the eyes of some people, an internally vented dryer cuts down on the amount of pollution you’re dumping outside (harming the ozone layer).

You’ll have helped the unsung green activists achieve their mission of limiting global warming in your own small way.

·       You could spend less on energy costs coming winter

Fixing an indoor dryer vent kit in your laundry room rather than connecting your dryer’s exhaust port to a pipe that sticks somewhere out can help make your interior toasty warm when those chilly winter months are here.

And that means a welcome drop in your winter heating bills.

But how does energy conservation exactly come about?

Glad you asked.

Now, the hot – and now lint-free air thanks to the kit- will fill your laundry room introducing extra heating to your home with this method (no heat is being pumped outside after all).

And so, your central heating system will not be working as hard as it typically does leading to reduced power usage.

Downsides of indoor dryer venting and are indoor dryer vents safe?

A quick look at the likely issues if you adopt an indoor venting strategy.

1. There’s no guarantee that you’ll get rid of high humidity completely and there’s a real danger of converting your drying room into a sauna!
2. In the same vein, you know very well from our previous points that the overwhelming moisture will be the bane of your allergies and asthma since it makes mold (and other microorganisms) thrive.
3. A DIY indoor dryer vent filter may not be 100% and there is a huge chance that lint will still be accumulating on all the wrong places.
4. The maintenance bit for the kits (and other indoor venting innovations) is also a bit concerning- you have to keep changing the water as you dry which is a tall order for most of us.

Bottom-line?

Indoor dryer vents are not perfect and carry some inconveniences and risks!

 

Useful Tips:

Those who reside in dwellings whose plan makes it impossible to build an outdoor dryer vent do not have the luxury of choice and have to vent their dryers inside.

We have already seen that this is not without its dangers because most of the commonly used internal venting strategies are not foolproof.

The good news is that you can live with your indoors vented dryer for years without worrying about fires or foggy surroundings if you keep the following in mind

1. You should install a fan or any other suitable means of circulating the humid air to avoid trouble (recall the issue of possible extreme moisture?). You might also consider opening the windows and as many doors as possible to promote airflow.
2. Clear any general dampness and condensation soonest possible to diminish the danger.
3. Always have some lint filtration method in place.

The last thing is legal and not an operational factor: check if the regulations in your state allow dryers to be vented inside before proceeding- you don’t want to be accused of violating the building code.

What indoor dryer vent products do you have?

If you’re seriously considering this route (maybe its difficult to vent outside your condominium), it’s good to be familiar with the current choices.

Here they are:

• Dundas Jafine’s ProFlex system- works pretty well and uses water to capture lint from the dryer.
• BetterVent’s Indoor Vent kit- uses filters to tackle lint, improving the quality of the air you’re breathing.

The manufacturers, in both cases, recommend that you clean and replace the kits regularly if you don’t want tons of lint sticking everywhere.

Final thoughts

There are other potential solutions if you feel that the cons we have listed in this indoor dryer vent pros and cons article are too much to swallow, yet you have no option but to vent indoors.

The first is going for a ventless dryer (quite popular in Europe and now available locally).

You may also explore whether a condensing type dryer could work better (national codes generally allow these type dryers to be vented interiorly).

 

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Dryer not venting outside? Here is what to do