Is it safe to use the same outside vent outlet for a gas dryer and gas hot water heater? The 3" diameter, 18" long, water heater duct joins the 4" diameter, dryer duct in a Y right at the wall with 2" shared duct to the outside.
The alternative is 15' of 3" duct to the outside for a stand-alone water heater vent and the dryer to a separate 4" diameter, 10' long duct to the outside.
Water – Gas dryer water heater vent
dryergasventwater-heater
Related Topic
- Terminate the dryer vent next to the gas meter
- Water Heater Gas B-Vent Install
- How to hang a dryer vent in a basement ceiling
- Dryer vent near water pipe
- Reduce dryer vent through basement wall
- Position of dryer vent relative to gas meter and furnace intake
- Water – have an electric dryer, a washer, furnace, and gas water heater all in one laundry room
Best Answer
NO
Dryers need separate ventilation because lint gets into their ventilation system and builds up there -- in a shared vent, this'd cause excess backpressure that the water heater can't tolerate, leading to backdrafting, CO, and an unexpected visit to the ER. Furthermore, a gas dryer is a forced draft appliance, which aggravates the backdrafting issue and will send you to the hospital with the CO detector ringing in your ears well before lint buildup will.
Atop that, Section M1502.2 of the International Residential Code prohibits what you are asking about: