Neglected and improperly installed dryer vents are a leading cause of house fires. In addition, they are a primary cause of dryer failure and reduced performance. More so, they can cause mold in your walls, crawl space, or attic. Our air duct cleaning technicians are knowledgeable of these rules and can identify issues when cleaning your dryer vent. The following is a basic outline of dryer vent building codes:
- Dryer exhaust systems cannot be tied into another exhaust system. This means you cannot tie your dryer vent ducting to a bathroom fan duct or gas exhaust duct.
- The duct must vent directly to the outdoors. This means it can’t blow into your crawl space and needs a dedicated exterior vent.
- Dryer vent ducting should not terminate within 3 feet in any direction from openings into buildings.
Terminations should be equipped with a backdraft damper. This is a flap/flap at your exterior vent. In addition to preventing backdrafts, these prevent rodents from entering the duct.
