As part of renovations to our house (built in the early 70s) we are reconfiguring the laundry room and moving appliances to the opposite wall. The laundry appliances will now be to the left of the side entrance door instead of to the right side.
We have a few questions about where to create the new opening for the dryer vent. On the outside of wall where the dryer will be placed, the gas meter and furnace intake are also located. See attached pictures (showing current location of dryer vent; location of gas meter and furnace intake; likely location shown as red rectangle of where the vent could run inside the inner wall).
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Is there any concern with having the dryer vent located close to the gas meter and furnace intake? Are there minimum clearances required that we should be aware of Any other concerns with the furnace intake and vent being located close to each other? What would be the best location on this wall for the vent, if any.
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Another possibility could be to run the vent over the door and down to the existing vent opening on right side of the door. Can that work and is it a viable option? We are ok with having a small bulkhead in the laundry room above the door.
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For #2 above if we reuse existing vent, is the vent located too close to the floor? Would this pass current code? We are located in Toronto, Canada.
Would highly appreciate any thoughts from forum members. Thanks!
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Best Answer
Good questions. There are a few requirements for a Dryer Vent, but none that impact your situation. See the International Mechanical Code's pertinent section here in the 2nd answer - https://dryerbox.com/building-code.htm
I'd suggest the new Dryer Vent hole approach and position it at about 1-ft. above either the top gas pipe or top furnace elbow. As, this location appears to be accessible with just a step stool and provides enough separation so heavy lint won't be introduced into your furnace filter.
This location seems to also keep the inside pipe below the top of the dryer and not crud-up the look of the laundry area and, quite importantly, keeps the vent pipe run as short as possible and therefore virtually self-cleaning. Please also use rigid duct pipe and zero flexible stuff for the best longevity and durability.
Concerning the old vent hole, which was horribly done and I completely disagree with a dryer vent that's less than 2-ft. above a horizontal surface. Maybe the doggy door could go there. Or, maybe there's a rear address number requirement that a plaque could remedy. Otherwise, pick up a couple of thin veneer brick tiles and get it looking right after some chiseling.
Don't forget to insulate the old vent hole before patching the inside. Also, to avoid lint getting to the furnace, consider a Louvered Dryer Vent Cap on the outside instead of a Hooded Dryer Vent Cap. The Louvered Cap blows straight out rather than downward.