Can You Vent A Dryer Into A Garage?

Brigid Levi
by Brigid Levi
When planning a laundry room remodel, there’s quite a lot to think about. One aspect that needs some serious thought is where to vent your dryer. The garage might seem

When planning a laundry room remodel, there’s quite a lot to think about. One aspect that needs some serious thought is where to vent your dryer.

The garage might seem like an ideal location for this. It’s attached to the house, but it’s not a main living space. And if your laundry room is right off of the garage, the installation will take less time and fewer materials. However…

It’s not recommended to vent a dryer into a garage. Dryers send hot, damp air through their vents which could lead to mold. The vents also collect a good amount of lint which would then blow all over your garage. Gas dryers specifically should never be vented into a garage or another enclosed area.

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The Function of a Dryer Vent

Heated air is forced through the inside of a dryer to eliminate moisture from your laundry. This air needs to stay hot and dry rather than hot and damp, or your clothes would never dry.

For this to happen, the dryer pushes the humid air through the dryer vent. The vent’s job is to send the humid air outside of the dryer—either outdoors or back into your laundry room. How the air is vented determines if you have an indoor or outdoor dryer vent.

Indoor vs. Outdoor Dryer Vent

An outdoor dryer vent is pretty self-explanatory. It runs through an opening to an external wall and vents the humid air outside of your house. These vents have a cap on the end and need to be accessed outside for cleaning.

Indoor dryer vents are typically seen in apartments or spaces without easy access to an outside wall. These vent back into the laundry room, using a filtration system to capture lint from blowing all over the room. Some models use a disposable cloth filter to trap lint while others use water.

They’re Not Interchangeable

Both types of vents keep the dryer from overheating. But you typically can’t replace one with the other.

A gas dryer should never be vented indoors. While any gas-fired appliance is in use, it emits exhaust that includes harmful substances like carbon monoxide. In a dryer, the carbon monoxide travels through the vent. Venting carbon monoxide into an enclosed space, such as a garage, is not only dangerous, but it’s potentially deadly. For this reason, indoor dryer vents must only be used with electric dryers.

Outdoor dryer vents can be used with either electric or gas dryers. The downfall with this type of venting is that it tends to be the entryway for mice and other critters. So, it’s important to use a pest-preventing vent cap.

Why You Shouldn’t Vent a Dryer into a Garage

We know you can’t vent a gas dryer into a garage, but an electric dryer doesn’t release carbon monoxide. So, it should be safe to vent into a garage, right? Not quite.

Mold

Remember how the dryer vent removes humid air? If you vent into your garage, all that humidity releases into the space. When humid air sits, mold tends to grow.

It’s rather difficult to detect mold in a garage, presumably because you’re not in it often enough to notice. The longer the mold sits the bigger the issue becomes. You could end up with very expensive and extensive remediation.

Lint

Dryers have lint collectors, sure. But it’s not uncommon for lint to pass through the dryer vent, too. Over time, you could end up with lint spewed all over your garage, which then may be tracked back into your house. It’s a mess waiting to happen.

Building Codes

Dryers come with a long list of very specific building codes. If not followed, you could run into some issues when you’re ready to sell your home.

Generally, a dryer that’s vented into a garage or another enclosed space comes up as a repair on a home inspection. To avoid having to reroute the dryer vent, install it properly from the get-go.

The Best Dryer Vent for Your Needs

Who knew dryer vent placement could be such a headache? You might be tempted to forgo the vent altogether, but please don’t. A dryer vent is necessary. Instead, ask yourself a few simple questions to determine which kind of vent is best for your laundry room needs.

Do you have a gas dryer? Boom. An outdoor vent is your only option.

Remember, you have venting options for electric dryers. If there’s no access to an exterior wall or you want to go with an indoor vent, your next thought should be the lint trap.

Do you have easy access to a sink? If so, a water filtration system can work. Refer to the manufacturer’s instructions on how often to empty the reservoir.

No sink nearby? Boom. Your only indoor venting option is one with a disposable cloth lint trap.


Related Questions

How do you vent a dryer that’s in the middle of a house?

If your laundry room is nowhere near an exterior wall, install a periscope dryer vent through the floor at a 90-degree angle. Then, go into your crawl space or basement and attach another periscope vent to the one coming through the floor. Seal with spray foam sealant and extend the subfloor venting to an exterior wall. Unfortunately, this option only works if you have a basement or crawl space beneath the laundry area.Related Guide: How To Vent A Dryer In The Middle Of The House


How far can a dryer vent run?

One of those strict building codes I mentioned is the length of the dryer vent. The maximum length of a dryer vent should be 35 feet from the dryer exhaust to the exterior wall or roof.

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Summing It Up

It’s not recommended to vent a dryer into a garage. Venting an electric dryer into a garage may cause mold or an excessive build-up of lint. Not to mention, venting a dryer into an enclosed area is usually a red flag for building inspectors.

If you have a gas dryer, it should only be vented outside. Its carbon monoxide emissions are dangerous and deadly when trapped in an enclosed space.

Related Guide

Brigid Levi
Brigid Levi

Brigid Levi is a wife, mother, and freelance writer who enjoys a good DIY project and creating beautiful spaces within her home. From cleaning and organization hacks to home decor ideas, she loves helping people in their quest to turn a house into a home. Her hobbies include pretending to be Joanna Gaines while updating her home with her husband and performing in local theater productions.

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