Can You Vent Your Dryer Into The Attic

Lint and grease are fire hazards moisture promotes molds and heat will cause snowmelt that often results in ice dams.

Can you vent your dryer into the attic.

The photo below shows an accumulation of dryer lint in an attic after years of the vent terminating in it. If you plan to hook your ac unit into an existing dryer vent you need to be willing to constantly monitor the dryer and the air conditioner to ensure that both of those units continue to operate safely and efficiently. And what are the code requirements for an outdoor dryer vent cover. Your dryer must be able to rid itself of excess hot air or that heat can build up and become a fire hazard.

Second is that a drain vent is typically too small and too moist to properly vent a bathroom fan. In these cases it may be necessary to vent your dryer through the attic. The international residential code allows you to run a dryer vent through the attic but you can t terminate it there. For more on dryer venting see our blog posts what is the maximum length for a clothes dryer vent.

In addition to being against most building codes and a potential fire hazard venting a dryer in an attic can result in moisture problems which could lead to rot or mold in your attic. Sometimes such as in town homes or condos it s not possible to vent a dryer through a wall outside. Check out our video on dryer vent safety for more information. Doing so would fill your attic with warm moist air that could rot the framing.

Several different ways you can move that hot air to the outside. A dryer vent should be vented outside. No it s never a good idea to have any exhaust fan in your home dump all that hot moist air in your attic. Not all dryers will allow for this so be sure to check the owners manual to ensure it can be vented in this manner.

Sewer gas can be explosive not to mention likely to be unpleasant and possibly unhealthy. Venting a dryer into an enclosed space is never a good idea. You have a serious risk of venting sewer gasses into your home. Venting dryers and bathroom and kitchen fans into an attic is a very poor practice.