Gas dryer vent install

I am in thr process of correcting some plumbing issues on a remodel that were flagged for final inspection.

One of them is the flex pipe on the gas dryer. It wasn't a failed thing, but strongly suggested that it be changed. Now that the wif e heard that it's a potential fire hazard , she is all over me on this.

My question is: How do you get the dryer back up against the wall if you do not use flex pipe?

I took the rotating hard pipe that came with the dryer off and clamped the flex directly to the dryer and then have a hole in the sheet rock and pushed the dryer and flex back against the wall with the extra flex going into the wall. The wall is in the basement where the opposite of the sheet rock is accessible.

The flex is ultimately clamped to hard duct and then vented outside.

How do I best do a nice finished install of the vent in this situation?

http://www.dryerbox.com/photo_gallery.htm

I may have just answered my own question with this.

One other thing --- I just have the flexible gas line poking through the sheet rock and the connection the hard pipe and valve on the other side.

What is the "elegant" way to do this correctly?

Thank you

Strictlly speaking, flex is not allowed to be inside a wall, but the set up you have sounds like it would be ok.

Proper hook up of dryer vents is one of the great mysteries of the modern world. I have seen telescopes and other contraptions, never saw anything really great.

I have a stacker, and I use the option to vent out the side. This makes it easy to do solid single wall galvanized all the way to the wall. But most of the times, the closet or other dryer location make hook-up difficult.

I like that "Dryer Box". Haven't seen them before, but it looks like someone finally had a "better idea". I am going to look for these.

Now, the only problem is you need to be limber enough and small enough to jump behind the dryer, hook it up, and jump out!

vent

There is also a telescoping rectangular item called a "periscope" that attaches to the pipe in the wall, then the dryer is slid back. The opening on the "front side" then rotates up or down, and telescopes in or out to mate with the dryer opening and attaches to it. Besides being all metal, it also allows the dryer to slide closer to the wall than the corrugated hose does, with a more direct air flow.

I fabricated my own "dryer box" in a stud cavity, with solid single wall galvanized 4" vent pipe going up and out through the attic (well within manufacturer specs for height, distance, etc.). The dryer connects via a 90 supplied with the dryer, and a short piece of metal flex fastened to the protruding pipe with a s/s clamp. The 90 and flex go into the lower 18" of the box when the dryer is pushed back to the wall. Makes for a neat installation and would allow the dryer to back up flush with the wall, were it not for the power cord and other manufacturer's clearance requirements. Only problem with this is that it was built for this specific dryer -- if I replace the dryer, the new one might not nest into the wall quite so nicely.

One major no-no shown in the dryer box photographs is the use of foil-coated PVC flex. That stuff is not metal ducting--it is shiny plastic. It's not appropriate for any use with any dryer, gas or electric. If you're going to use flexible ducting for dryer vent (perfectly appropriate from the dryer to the wall connection if it is accessible to clean periodically), use flexible metal.

Inside the wall, use smooth wall solid metal round ducting only--no flex whatsoever. Tape all seams and joints with metal foil duct tape (the $11 stuff). Lay out the run so the joints flow without ridges (i.e., each section slides into the downstream section so outgoing lint faces no hinderance). No screws should be used anywhere--they will catch lint. Then the lint they catch will catch more lint.

Not only is lint buildup inside the dryer duct a nasty fire hazard, it dramatically decreases the efficiency of your dryer.

Terminate outside with a flapper to prevent critters and cold air from making their way in, but no screen. Screens catch lint.

One other item--technically the gas shut-off belongs in the same room as the dryer (though having an additional shut-off in an adjacent room may not be a bad idea if accessibility is an issue).

I would bring the pipe through the wall with a short nipple, then a 1/2" IPS chrome escutcheon, a street 90 into your ball-valve shutoff, then the flare adapter for the flex line. The amount of space taken up by this assembly should be no more than that presently occupied by a flex line coming out of the sheetrock and turning 90 degrees. Just make sure you orient the shut-off so it can be turned off without the handle getting stuck against the sheetrock.

If you are uncomfortable doing the gas line work yourself, a licensed plumber could probably do it for a very reasonable fee (trip charge, parts, maybe 1-2 hours labor). Cheap insurance.

Gas Line To Dryer


NOTE;
IT IS AGANST "ALL" PLUMBING, BUILDER, AND FIRE CODES TO HAVE GAS FLEX RUNNING THOUGH DRYWALL,
AND GAS VALVE "MUST" BE IN SAME ROOM PER CODE

hj said:

There is also a telescoping rectangular item called a "periscope" that attaches to the pipe in the wall, then the dryer is slid back. The opening on the "front side" then rotates up or down, and telescopes in or out to mate with the dryer opening and attaches to it. Besides being all metal, it also allows the dryer to slide closer to the wall than the corrugated hose does, with a more direct air flow.

Click to expand...

Who sells this type of periscope? This would allow me to move the dryer closer to the back wall. (I currently have two 90 degree elbows (directly from dryer) going into the 4" pipe which comes out of the wall. Connections are tight. Should I have taped these elbows? I taped only the 2-elbow connection and the elbow-to-wall pipe connection.)

Now that I found out it is called a periscope, I found some online.