# Do Nat. Gas Dryers need to be vented outside?



## phreaq (Feb 14, 2008)

Today is an exciting day for me as I look out my window and see a crew of guys hooking up Natural Gas to my house. I can now finally hook up my gas stove, fireplace and dryer 

and on that note, has anything improved in the area of not having to vent the gas dryer directly outdoors?

I know there's those pails filled with water (I think) that you can hook electric dryers into to vent indoors, but they say not to use them on gas dryers (the ones I've seen at least).

I'm sure the issue is the 'gas' the gas gives off, but when I look at my stove, it's not vented, so it got me thinking.

I'm trying to avoid having to drill thru my wall to make a vent (I'm moving the dryer location), and wanna know what my options are.

thanks


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## Hack (Feb 14, 2008)

phreaq said:


> I'm sure the issue is the 'gas' the gas gives off, but when I look at my stove, it's not vented, so it got me thinking.



I've always wondered about this myself...a gas stove isn't vented outside, but a dryer and water heater are  

Sorry, that's probably not much help...


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## travelover (Feb 14, 2008)

I've never heard of venting a gas dryer inside, so I'd be safe and vent it outside. Sometimes you can vent through a window by replacing a pane of glass with plastic.


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## BLZBUB (Feb 14, 2008)

The chemical reaction that takes place when one burns methane (NH4) has three products:  Water, Nitrogen, and Carbon Monoxide.  Water and Nitrogen are both quite harmless.  Carbon Monoxide, in high concentrations, is bad for you.  A tank of water will not filter the gas.  There are air scrubbers made for industrial applications capable of filtering the exhaust, but it's a safe assumption that these are more trouble to install (not to mention WAY more expensive) than running the proper 4" exhaust vent someplace out the side of your house.


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## BLZBUB (Feb 14, 2008)

The reaction I summed up earlier is what's called by chemists "incomplete combustion".  This occurs when the primary fuel for any combustion reaction (oxygen) is in short supply, such as in a closed environment such as a furnace or a dryer in an enclosed space (laundry or mechanical room).  Complete combustion of methane produces Nitrogen, Water, and Carbon Dioxide (not monoxide) which is also not toxic.  So the answer to why stoves need not be vented is twofold:  Oxygen for a more complete combustion is in better supply in a kitchen as opposed to a laundry room, and any Carbon Monoxide that is produced is in lower concentration than it is in a smaller room with less ventilation.  By the way, modern building codes require CO detectors in kitchens and mechanical areas to let residents know if the concentrations get to toxic levels.


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## phreaq (Feb 14, 2008)

thanks for all the replies folks!

pretty much what I thought, just wanted to know for sure.

I'll be shelving this project for a little while then. I don't have a drill for the 4" hole so I need to rent one, but I also need to do 2 other holes (for a bathroom and the kitchen), so I'll be waiting for the better weather so I can do them all at once (the drill was $90/4hr last time I rented it)


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## BLZBUB (Feb 14, 2008)

Do you need to drill through concrete?  Why the need to rent?  Can you route the vent higher to get above the foundation?  If so, all you need is a four inch hole saw and a moderately powerful electric or battery powered drill with an adjustable clutch.


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## phreaq (Feb 14, 2008)

my house is actually a brick structure (not wood with brick facade), and there a 3 layers of brick, with a small gap in between them.

I redid my shower (well, I made a shower) last summer and had to drill thru the brick and boy was it tough, mind you I was on the top rung of a 15' ladder, with the drill above my head. lol, my shins were so bruised from leaning so hard


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