I have a dryer vent that exits the house wall through two wooden beams. The vent is built using two corner rigid pieces and one long rigid aluminum piece. The long rigid piece is the one that passes through the two wooden beams. Both beams are touching the rigid duct. Beyond that there is exterior brick wall.
Is it safe if the aluminum touches the wooden beams? I know that rigid is the safest in terms of not gathering lint and containing a fire in it.
Best Answer
Yes, that's considered safe. The operating temperature of a dryer vent is not a problem for direct wood contact. Keep the vent clear and you'll have no fire.
Ensure all joints are foil taped, so lint does not escape from the pipe. Should lint escape the pipe, it can build up in the wall.
Use a "long sweep" elbow to make the vent easier to clean out. Modern code in some states requires posting the effective pipe length at the dryer end (and it's a good idea regardless). Dryers have specific length maximums mentioned in their user manuals.
Depending on your climate, a high quality vent hood can save energy by reducing both drafts coming in, and reduce back-pressure on the dryer going out.