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I live in an old apartment which does not have laundry, or even laundry hookups. Since I despise laundromats, I took it upon myself to get a portable washer which connects to a sink, and a portable dryer. Now that summer is here, the dryer really needs to be vented outdoors. I found a bracket that lets me vent it through a window opening, which seems to work well.

This is the vent I'm using: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LUCRS9I/ref=sr_ph?ie=UTF8&qid=1462392707&sr=1&keywords=dryer+window+vent

The only issue is that there is some more cold air coming though the gap because there is only a single pane of glass insulating me from the elements now. I decided to get some R-30 fiberglass insulation and stuff it in the gap where the bracket is, between the two window panes. It seems to be doing a decent job. My only question is, is this a safety hazard? I know venting a dryer through a window is not to code, but that is besides the point. I understand that fiberglass insulation is not flammable, correct? Do I have anything to worry about?

Picture

isherwood
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Karmapolice
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  • As a side note, you shouldn't use that cruddy flexible duct. Instead you should use "*semi-rigid aluminum duct*", which comes in different sizes, and various lengths as short as 2'. – Tester101 May 04 '16 at 21:52
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    @Tester101 Agreed. The flexible duct may be more of a fire hazard than the insulation. – Daniel Griscom May 04 '16 at 23:48
  • If that is a gas dryer, you should _never_ vent it indoors. It gives off too much carbon dioxide: http://diy.stackexchange.com/a/56262 –  May 05 '16 at 04:58

3 Answers3

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Do I have anything to worry about?

No. The air coming out of the dryer vent is not hot enough to ignite anything.

Otherwise they would require a double walled vent pipe.

Try putting your hand on the pipe while it is running. You will see it doesn't really get very hot.

Good luck!

ArchonOSX
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  • Also fiberglass (without paper backing) is VERY hard to ignite ... even if you try. At best I've just been able to melt it – BrownRedHawk May 04 '16 at 20:19
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Actually if you look closely, I think that I can see one potential issue. The hose might be crimped; you should check that and maybe pull the dryer away from the wall.

enter image description here

Ben Welborn
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  • Agreed- you want the run to be as short and straight as possible to prevent link buildup. You could easily have a 1 foot run from connection to outside. – user20127 May 04 '16 at 20:33
  • You might look for a close elbow like this : http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001AAEG5O/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1MQL97V4CK2E5&coliid=I3MWIM2M8VQEIF – ArchonOSX May 05 '16 at 10:12
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Not answering the question directly, but I had a similar problem which was solved by making up a double glazed unit using perspex instead of glass, which fitted the original frame. It was quite easy to cut a hole (two) in the acrylic, and fit the hose snugly through. The two panes of acrylic I kept apart using an internal hardwood frame which meant the whole lot fitted the frame well.

Answering the question - fibreglass doesn't burn, especially at the temperature the exhaust gases (simply quite hot humid air), come through at, but doesn't the job look amateur? Fair dos, though, it's cheap and cheerful. As also mentioned, an elbow would be a great improvement off the drier. And for the record, I used a plastic covered trunking supplied, which hasn't caught fire or melted yet. (It's an electric drier). Now I'm trying to find some way in which to harness that heat, rather than trying to keep the neighbourhood warm!

Tim
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