combining fan and dryer vent?

pipewoe · Sep 21, 2007

I'm remodeling a bath and it will have my w/d in it. I'm installing a nutone exhaust fan w/light that requires a 6" vent. The dryer requires a 4". To me it seems these should be kept separate and I should run two vents to the outside (its a fairly long run), but my contractor posed the question of connecting them in the attic and just doing one run of 6" to the outside. Is this feasible/safe/to code?

Thanks

ps. a quick answer would be great if anyone has one because he's coming tomorrow to do the work.

Jimbo · Sep 21, 2007

absolutely not allowed

Sponsor · 2022-01-29T12:20:58-0800

Frenchie · Sep 21, 2007

Totally illegal. Is this guy licensed?

Leejosepho · Sep 21, 2007

If both were running at once, some of the dryer output would possibly still overcome the exhaust fan and force hot, moist, linty air back down into the bathroom.

Code issues aside, I cannot think of any reasonable way to mechanically combine those two exhausts so they might properly work individually-together. But if the dryer was already there, you could run it on "air only" for a few minutes in place of an exhaust fan!

pipewoe · Sep 21, 2007

combining dryer and fan vent

Well that's what I thought but I just wanted to check for sure. And, he didn't say that's what he was going to do, he just posed the question and said he didn't know.

On the same subject--these will both be in the attic terminating to the outside. I've gotten differing opinions from people as to whether I should wrap the ducting in some sort of insulating material. I live in Seattle, so its not terribly cold in the winters.

Thanks again!

Jadnashua · Sep 21, 2007

Suggest you do insulate the vent fan duct, but probably not the dryer vent.

pipewoe · Sep 21, 2007

Thanks--I would have thought it the other way around just because the dryer will be hotter--or because the dryer is hotter you don't worry about condensation as much?

Furd · Sep 21, 2007

I live in Bothell. I would insulate both of them.

Patrick88 · Sep 21, 2007

I once gave a customer an estimate to repipe the vent for a basement bathroom. The last home owner built the bathroom and tied the sewage ejector pit vent into the exhaust fan. That place smelled so bad.

pipewoe · Sep 22, 2007

Furd said:
I live in Bothell. I would insulate both of them.

What do you think of those insulation "sleeves?" Are they worth the money and easy enough to use?

Thanks again.

combining fan and dryer vent?

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