Can You Vent Your Dryer Into The Attic

Doing so would fill your attic with warm moist air that could rot the framing.

Can you vent your dryer into the attic. And what are the code requirements for an outdoor dryer vent cover. In addition to being against most building codes and a potential fire hazard venting a dryer in an attic can result in moisture problems which could lead to rot or mold in your attic. No it s never a good idea to have any exhaust fan in your home dump all that hot moist air in your attic. A dryer vent should be vented outside.

In these cases it may be necessary to vent your dryer through the attic. You have a serious risk of venting sewer gasses into your home. Your dryer must be able to rid itself of excess hot air or that heat can build up and become a fire hazard. Several different ways you can move that hot air to the outside.

Sewer gas can be explosive not to mention likely to be unpleasant and possibly unhealthy. Venting dryers and bathroom and kitchen fans into an attic is a very poor practice. It can cause you a lot of problems with mold and mildew forming on the underside of your rafters and decking as well as getting into your insulation. The international residential code allows you to run a dryer vent through the attic but you can t terminate it there.

It introduces moisture heat and grease in a space that is not designed to receive them. Sometimes such as in town homes or condos it s not possible to vent a dryer through a wall outside. For more on dryer venting see our blog posts what is the maximum length for a clothes dryer vent. Not all dryers will allow for this so be sure to check the owners manual to ensure it can be vented in this manner.

Venting a dryer into an enclosed space is never a good idea. The photo below shows an accumulation of dryer lint in an attic after years of the vent terminating in it. Second is that a drain vent is typically too small and too moist to properly vent a bathroom fan. Lint and grease are fire hazards moisture promotes molds and heat will cause snowmelt that often results in ice dams.