Venting clothes dryer inside house
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,413
Likes: 14
From: cape may county NJ
Well all of the homes that don't have Nat gas are all electric,heat,stove,water heater everything.
My best friend lives in one of the areas that don't have gas and he had two kids living at home and his wife is a clean freak so she is always doing wash and when that dryer is running the meter is a spinning.
He does use propane for cooking and has two wall mount heaters and his electric bill is still $400-$500 a month in the winter and he has had some as high $900, not all the houses in this area use propane as a sorce to knock the electric bill down.
Hotshot
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 11,697
Likes: 3
From: Marengo, Iowa
Guess I misread your statement a bit, thought you were blaming the dryers as the reason for the bill... I had a house out in the open country of South Dakota one winter, all electric heat, and still hit around $200-$250 a month for a bill there...
Fleet Owner
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 24,724
Likes: 74
From: Blue Hill Township
Gas is much more efficient to heat with over electric, so a gas dryer will be more efficient.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,570
Likes: 20
If you do this use one of the water traps to catch the lint, also do not use the dryer sheets, use softener added to the wash. The dryer sheets will put a film on your ceilings and upper walls and they will be impossible to paint.
Postmaster
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 4,151
Likes: 0
From: Moonlight Moose Enclosure
my motel is all electric and my bill runs 600-1100.00 average
water 564.00 average
I wanna go solar! that would be kewl.
being cinderblock helps in summer as building stays pretty cool.
i might do the dryer vents into laundry room so I dont have to use heater in there. Even tho I have laundry service for linens etc I still have to wash comforters, washcloths, and I will either do the workers laundry or let them do it. (I keep one washer for non motel use) Guests often need laundry service and local launry mat is skeezy so I help them out.
will get a couple indoor vent attachments like mentioned above.
water 564.00 average
I wanna go solar! that would be kewl.
being cinderblock helps in summer as building stays pretty cool.
i might do the dryer vents into laundry room so I dont have to use heater in there. Even tho I have laundry service for linens etc I still have to wash comforters, washcloths, and I will either do the workers laundry or let them do it. (I keep one washer for non motel use) Guests often need laundry service and local launry mat is skeezy so I help them out.
will get a couple indoor vent attachments like mentioned above.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,413
Likes: 14
From: cape may county NJ
[quote=hoosierbaby64;6802374]my motel is all electric and my bill runs 600-1100.00 average
water 564.00 average
That is pretty cheap maybe our electric rates are much higher after all it is NJ lol,when we moved in this house 21 years ago our winter electric bill was $25 a month and gas was $50-$60 a month and in the summer $125 electric(2 window A/C running full blast) and $20-$30 in gas.
Now fast forward 20+ yrs house all redone new windows,insulation and a high efficiency heater with central Air and our summer electric bill runs close to $300 a month and our gas is $50,winter is $125 electric and $180+ for gas and this is for a home just under a 1000sqft.
water 564.00 average
That is pretty cheap maybe our electric rates are much higher after all it is NJ lol,when we moved in this house 21 years ago our winter electric bill was $25 a month and gas was $50-$60 a month and in the summer $125 electric(2 window A/C running full blast) and $20-$30 in gas.Now fast forward 20+ yrs house all redone new windows,insulation and a high efficiency heater with central Air and our summer electric bill runs close to $300 a month and our gas is $50,winter is $125 electric and $180+ for gas and this is for a home just under a 1000sqft.
Fleet Owner
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 24,724
Likes: 74
From: Blue Hill Township
[QUOTE=GlennFordx4;6804795]
Don't forget all the electronic gadgets and toys that have been added since 21 years ago. You'd be surprised how much electricity is used by things that are "off"
water 564.00 average
That is pretty cheap maybe our electric rates are much higher after all it is NJ lol,when we moved in this house 21 years ago our winter electric bill was $25 a month and gas was $50-$60 a month and in the summer $125 electric(2 window A/C running full blast) and $20-$30 in gas.
Now fast forward 20+ yrs house all redone new windows,insulation and a high efficiency heater with central Air and our summer electric bill runs close to $300 a month and our gas is $50,winter is $125 electric and $180+ for gas and this is for a home just under a 1000sqft.
That is pretty cheap maybe our electric rates are much higher after all it is NJ lol,when we moved in this house 21 years ago our winter electric bill was $25 a month and gas was $50-$60 a month and in the summer $125 electric(2 window A/C running full blast) and $20-$30 in gas.Now fast forward 20+ yrs house all redone new windows,insulation and a high efficiency heater with central Air and our summer electric bill runs close to $300 a month and our gas is $50,winter is $125 electric and $180+ for gas and this is for a home just under a 1000sqft.
Don't forget all the electronic gadgets and toys that have been added since 21 years ago. You'd be surprised how much electricity is used by things that are "off"
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New User
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 20
Likes: 0
Since you're doing this at a place of business (especially a motel) you may want to check your local codes and make sure you can legally do this. Yes I know everyone sells the kits to vent dryers inside, but that doesn't mean it can be done. If you were to get an inspection something like that could get you in to a lot of trouble if the dryer is required to be vented outdoors.
Now if you want to do it, the best system is the water trap type, but make one out of a 5 gallon bucket instead of the small ones you can get from the store. get abucket with a lid, cut a 4" hole in the middle of the lid and around that drill smaller holes that will eqal the surface area of a 4" hole. Like 16 one inch holes, 64 half inch holes, 256 quarter inch holes...
Fill the bucket half way with water and drop the flexible vent a few inches in to the bucket being sure its always 4" above water level. The water will trap 95% of the lint, so every few months or so you will have to dump the lint soup out. Also monitor the water level as some times of year it will rise and sometimes it will lower. It all depends on if its eveporating water away or condensing moisture from the dryer in there.
Now if you want to do it, the best system is the water trap type, but make one out of a 5 gallon bucket instead of the small ones you can get from the store. get abucket with a lid, cut a 4" hole in the middle of the lid and around that drill smaller holes that will eqal the surface area of a 4" hole. Like 16 one inch holes, 64 half inch holes, 256 quarter inch holes...
Fill the bucket half way with water and drop the flexible vent a few inches in to the bucket being sure its always 4" above water level. The water will trap 95% of the lint, so every few months or so you will have to dump the lint soup out. Also monitor the water level as some times of year it will rise and sometimes it will lower. It all depends on if its eveporating water away or condensing moisture from the dryer in there.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 3,550
Likes: 5
From: Lancaster County PA
I have one of those switchable vents and use it every winter. The panty hose filter does a fine job of catching lint.
Makes a big difference in the house. Our dryer is in the unfinished basement, so I can't comment on the dryer sheet thing and its effects, but we do use dryer sheets.
Makes a big difference in the house. Our dryer is in the unfinished basement, so I can't comment on the dryer sheet thing and its effects, but we do use dryer sheets.
pedant
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 23,576
Likes: 39
From: EXTREME southwest CT
It's really dry. Your skin starts to flake, your nose and throat get raw.
You zap yourself every time you touch something metal. (static)
Exhausting air out of the house creates negative pressure and sucks more cold in through cracks and such, only making it worse.
Plus, the dryer heat -you're already paying for- goes right out the vent.
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 387
Likes: 0
From: Cambridge, Ontario
I live in an older home, and the humidifier on the furnace is broken and not repairable. I don't want to spend the cash to fix it this year, since I'm probably going to replace the furnace next year. I've heard of some people venting their dryer indoors to pump some moisture into the air. Are there any real dangers or drawbacks to this? I figure since it's an electric dryer, it doesn't cause any risk of fire.
Obviously, this doesn't have the same effect as a humidifier on the furnace, but it'll help a little, I think.
Obviously, this doesn't have the same effect as a humidifier on the furnace, but it'll help a little, I think.
By venting into the same space as where the dryer is, you will be adding moisture to the supply air by way of the exhaust air that is coming out of the dryer @ 100% RH already, thus adding to the Relative Humidity being put into your dryer, making for longer dry times and affecting efficiency, and potentially destroying your house with an abundance of moisture.
IMHO, any gains of heat recovery from venting inside are offset by the potential damages and the decrease in dryer efficiency, that can be created as a result of indoor venting. If there was a real benefit from venting indoors, I'd assume everybody would be doing it. What is needed to make this feasible is the use of a heat exchanger, to recovery the heat before it goes outside and get rid of the moisture during the exchange, by way of a Condensate drain.
There is a unit designed just for this situation, it is called an HRV (heat recovery ventilator) system...
So, would I vent a dryer without an HRV sytem, into a house I owned ?..... No I wouldn't, but that's me.
Not a liberal...
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 6,635
Likes: 4
From: Cut & Shoot, Texas
Up north in the winter when you bring say, 30* air up to 65* the relative humidity goes way down.
It's really dry. Your skin starts to flake, your nose and throat get raw.
You zap yourself every time you touch something metal. (static)
Exhausting air out of the house creates negative pressure and sucks more cold in through cracks and such, only making it worse.
Plus, the dryer heat -you're already paying for- goes right out the vent.
It's really dry. Your skin starts to flake, your nose and throat get raw.
You zap yourself every time you touch something metal. (static)
Exhausting air out of the house creates negative pressure and sucks more cold in through cracks and such, only making it worse.
Plus, the dryer heat -you're already paying for- goes right out the vent.
pedant
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 23,576
Likes: 39
From: EXTREME southwest CT
Mold and other fungus need moisture near the saturation level -and- a conducive temperature to multiply.
Poorly executed waterproofing in combination with today's mandated tighter building envelopes are the common real factors, along with a lack of effective climate control.
As has been said a air to air heat exchanger is the real solution, but the cost of retrofitting is prohibitive to most households.
Back when houses were drafty mold was never an issue. ..