Dryer venting problem...4 inch to 3 inch?

13 years ago

Second floor condo. Purchased the unit with a small one piece washer/dryer (1.5 cu feet). I have just purchased full size Samsung stackable units with a 4 inch vent without even considering the difference! OUCH! We removed the old 3 inch accordion venting which is in the wall and then goes straight up to attic and then thru roof and replaced part of it with new 3 inch duct. The first problem we encountered is the dryer vent and wall vent are offset making the "fix" from the dryer to the wall vent look like an unsafe jumbled up mess of flexible duct and a reducer. This mess not only looks unsafe, it places the machines very far out from the wall! We found a periscope vent to possibly help with that issue. HOWEVER...after reading forums, I'm wondering if its even safe to run a full size dryer on 3 inch ductwork? It's only a weekend lake home, so I'm not using it daily, but need it to be safe. My other question is...is it possible that the walls will not accommodate a new 4 inch pipe? My husband says no. ----
A desperate wife wanting full size washer/dryer

Featured Answer

dadoes

13 years ago

That sharp S-curve caused by the offset is putting a considerable restriction on airflow. A periscope setup would be an improvement on that point.

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Comments (6)

Cavimum
13 years ago
" I'm wondering if its even safe to run a full size dryer on 3 inch ductwork?"

I have never seen 3" venting for a dryer, but that doesn't mean anything. Seems like it would restrict the air flow, thus taking longer to dry the laundry, just like a 4" one full of lint would. Since it is a vacation home, it might not make much difference.

I agree with @dadoes about that S-curve, too.

This post was edited by Cavimum on Mon, Jul 8, 13 at 14:54
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snewsie
Original Author
13 years ago
Thank you! We ordered the periscope as we refused to use it with that crazy S curve. I'm still working on the other issues but I appreciate your feedback!
nerdyshopper
13 years ago
I had a long 25 ft. 4 inch duct on our dryer and had a lot of problems with it plugging up with lint. I took it out and used 6 inch furnace duct for most of the span with adapters from 4 inch to 6 inch at both ends.
jakvis
13 years ago
By area of a 3 inch vent is 44% smaller than a 4 inch vent.

This means that using a 3 inch vent allows only slightly more than half the amount of recommended airflow required by your dryer.

This will damage your dryer and void your warranty.
Tan L
3 years ago
The whole set up with duct going vertically up is insane. Suggestion. MOVE the dryer so that the vent faces a window or anything that goes outside and just lay out the hose so it goes out the window or door, it goes outside. Pull the hose back when you are done, get super flexible hose, proper size. Super flexible so you can do that. Amazon has it

Universal Dryer Vent Hose 10 ft 4 inch with 2 Stainless Steel Clamp, Flexible Aluminum Dryer Duct Hose for Tight Space （Silver）

That is what I got. I set mine up so that the hose goes out the door, got SICK of lint build up no matter how careful I was, sick of temp fuses blowing and well, I am happy with it. Maybe you should have stuck with the dryer that came with the condo. 4 inches of exhaust into 3 inch duct, no no. Not good. Plus it's going vertically up, which imo is INSANE.