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Laundry room.
Check your dryer vents for safety and energy-savings.

Replacing a Dryer Vent
Skill Level: Intermediate
 
 

Is your dryer vent working properly? Is it safe? A partially-clogged dryer vent can cause your dryer to work harder and use more energy, costing you more money. A vent system that leaks or does not vent outside the home adds between one and two gallons of moisture to the air inside your home for each load of clothes. Excess moisture promotes rot, mildew and the growth of other unhealthy bacteria in the home.

You should also be aware that vinyl vent tubing is no longer allowed by most codes. And, vinyl tubing is considered a fire hazard in many locations. It is easy to protect your home and family by following these simple steps to update you dryer vent system. Lowe's is happy to provide this information as a service to you.

These instructions are written assuming the dryer venting runs through a crawl space and out an exterior wall. You can apply the principles stated here for venting through an attic and out a roof or gable hood vent.

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Article Content
Tools & Materials
Remove the Old Vent System
Install the New Vent System
Tools & Materials

Tools

  • Hammer
  • Screwdriver
  • Flexible foil
  • Foil tape

Materials

  • Rigid vent tubing
  • Pipe strapping
  • 1" roofing nails
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Remove the Old Vent System

SAFETY NOTE
Most areas of the country have codes pertaining to the length, size and shape of dryer vent runs. For more information on what is allowed, contact your local building authorities.

Removing tubing.
Loosen the clamp and remove the old vent tubing from the exhaust outlet.
  1. Slide the dryer out from the wall and turn off the gas or disconnect the power cord. Vacuum behind the dryer.


  2. Loosen the clamp securing the vent tubing to the dryer's exhaust outlet. Remove the vent tubing from the exhaust outlet. Vacuum out the inside of the dryer's exhaust outlet.


  3. Loosen the clamp securing the vent tubing to the exhaust hood. Remove the vent tubing from the exhaust hood. Vacuum the inside of the exhaust hood.


  4. Remove the old vent tubing and discard it.
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Install the New Vent System

  1. SAFETY NOTE
    Never use rivets or screws to connect dryer vent tubing. These fasteners will protrude into the vent tubing and catch lint, creating a fire hazard.
     
    Rigid aluminum tubing.
    Aluminum vent tubing slides together like stove pipe.
    Attach the new vent tubing to the exhaust hood. Depending on the layout of your vent hood and vent tubing, it may be necessary to use flexible foil to attach the exhaust hood to the new vent tubing. If so, slide the flexible foil over the vent hood and the corrugated end of the vent tubing and clamp it in place.

  2. Run 4" rigid aluminum vent tubing, from the vent hood to the dryer, along the same path the old tubing ran.

    • Use adjustable aluminum elbows where necessary to accommodate directional changes in the vent.


    • Seal the joints in the tubing with foil tape.
      Secured tubing.
      Use pipe strapping to secure the vent tubing.

    • Secure the vent tubing in place with pipe strapping and 1" roofing nails.


  3. Use flexible foil to attach the vent tubing to the dryer's exhaust outlet, as you did at the vent hood.


  4. Turn the dryer on and check for leaks in the vent system. Seal any leaks with foil tape or by tightening the clamps.


  5. Once you are satisfied the vent is working properly, move the dryer back in place. Take special care not to restrict or crush the flexible foil connecting the dryer exhaust to the vent tubing.
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These How-To's are provided as a service from Lowe's, the Original Home Improvement Warehouse of How-To information for the World Wide Web. The information in Lowe's "How-To" clinics is intended to simplify jobs around the house. Tools, products, materials, techniques, building codes and local regulations change; therefore, Lowe's assumes no liability for omissions, errors or the outcome of any project. The reader must always exercise reasonable caution, follow current codes and regulations that may apply, and is urged to consult with a licensed professional if in doubt about any procedures. Please read our terms of use.