Do people in the US really have a vent for the hot air coming out of the clothes dryer?

r/

It’s the first time I’m hearing about something like this, everyone I know just has the clothes dryer and nothing else.

Comments

  1. DMmeNiceTitties Avatar

    Yes, where else would the air escape from?

  2. Gabyfest234 Avatar

    Of course. That air isn’t just hot. It is filled with moisture. Do you really want that moisture soaking into your basement walls and causing mold?

  3. pineboxwaiting Avatar

    We really do if we live in a place where the dryer is near an exterior wall. Otherwise, there are ventless dryers that are far less efficient.

  4. Impervial22 Avatar

    So do Canadians

  5. jimfosters Avatar

    Hello OP. Does your dryer have a water drain? Is it a heat pump dryer? We have those too but they are not common. Most of our clothes dryers do in fact vent the warm and moist air outside of the building, whether gas or electric.

  6. kelsigurado Avatar

    Have lived in the uk but grew up in usa so am familiar with both vented and unvented dryers and I can confirm that the vented ones are far superior.

  7. readanon44 Avatar

    I used a clothes dryer at my hotel in Portugal last year, and it took an incredible amount of time to dry. Hours, whereas I’m used to 30-45 mins. TIL there are ventless clothes dryers + now I know why that dryer was so GD slow.

  8. NinjaGrimlock Avatar

    UK here. We have a vent, and could find one (1) vented dryer in our price range when we needed a new one. I guess most of us have the condenser type, but I’ve always had vented. Usually vented out of a window Via a pipe.

  9. umlguru Avatar

    You really dont want to breathe dryer lint dust.

  10. PartsJAX328i Avatar

    Do people outside the u.s. really NOT have a vent for their dryer? Every dryer I’ve ever used did. The alternative is to vent all that heat and humidity in the house. Uh, no thx.

  11. grandinosour Avatar

    US dryers will dry a load in about the same amount of time it takes the washing machine to complete the next load.

    Some dryers even use gas to dry the clothes.

  12. Aware_Beautiful1994 Avatar

    Yes. I am in Canada and my dryer is in the basement and has a duct in the ceiling that vents to the outside.

  13. TantorDaDestructor Avatar

    Gas powered dryers must be vented

  14. Knot_a_human Avatar

    Yes, because in the US, most laundry rooms were installed in basements where they would drain in a laundry sink and vent out an exterior window. Ventless ones are becoming more popular due to efficiency, but historically, they have not been as reliable and are more difficult to service. However, today’s newer technology has increased the popularity significantly. My current is a ventless all in one, albeit slower, not having to switch over laundry has been a game changer.

  15. manicpixidreamgirl04 Avatar

    Yes. The steam is vented outdoors.

  16. Can_Not_Double_Dutch Avatar

    Yes, very common in the US.

    Have to remember to clean the ducts every few years to remove trapped lint.

  17. dcdttu Avatar

    If all that hot, moist air spilled into my central Texas house, my air conditioning bill would be a billion dollars a month.

    But to answer your question, newer homes that were built to incorporate a vent for your dryer have one. In other places like Europe, I assume places were just never built for that purpose.

  18. whitephos420 Avatar

    Do you just vent a bunch of hot air into your house when it’s 100 degrees out? That seems a bit crazier than having a duct

  19. Fun_Cardiologist_373 Avatar

    Yes.  American clothes dryers also are about three times as big and work about ten times faster.  Anytime someone claims that hanging up clothes to dry is easier than using a clothes dryer, the reason is that the dryer they’re using is tiny and weak.

  20. Adventurous-Brain-36 Avatar

    I don’t live in the US. Where do dryers not have vents?

  21. User013579 Avatar

    Yes and it makes outside smell like laundry b

  22. jolygoestoschool Avatar

    I didnt even know dryers without this existed lol. Though now that i think about it it makes sense.

    Either way, the feeling of walking by one of these vents on a cold night, feeling the hot steam is a nice one.

  23. prairiepanda Avatar

    I live in Canada and everywhere I’ve lived with insuite laundry has had dryer vents going outside. They have to be cleaned out once in a while because they build up lint.

    I’d much rather have all that heat pumped outside than let it heat up the house, especially in the summer.

  24. Ken-Popcorn Avatar

    Does anyone not vent outdoors? That amount of humidity would have black mold on every wall

  25. DismissDaniel Avatar

    In California and I honestly didn’t know there was such a thing as a ventless dryer until now.

  26. HappyIdiot123 Avatar

    Canadian here, and I wasn’t even aware that vent-less dryers were a thing.

  27. wbishopfbi Avatar

    Yeah! I’d flip the question – there exists clothes dryers without an external vent?? Where does the heat go?

  28. erus-ton Avatar

    Many people have answered this question, i came to say I Love my ventless dryer!! Wanted to put my washer/dryer in the center of my house in an un used closet. Problem was venting it. There was no good solution for my situation, but then I found ventless dryer. They are way more efficient then they used to be, and it’s very cool how it works. Simplified install a ton, and is way quieter then the front load gas dryer i used to use. Also doesn’t use a ton of electricity because its recirculating the hot air instead of blowing it outside. I don’t know why things like this are hidden from us/less popular in the states.

    That is all.

  29. CompanyOther2608 Avatar

    Yes, it vents to the outside.

  30. xensiz Avatar

    Uh yeah. I’ve never seen one that’s not like that! One time a family members caught fire. I was also surprised when I went overseas that like some houses didn’t have a large freezer in the garage for meat, or a larger dishwasher. Appliances were tiny!

  31. onlycodeposts Avatar

    The US isn’t the only country with this technology.

  32. modsaretoddlers Avatar

    Um…yeah. Dryers aren’t much good if they can’t get rid of all of that moisture.

  33. EamusAndy Avatar

    Yes? Do other countries not?

  34. Imaginary_Curve4170 Avatar

    Yes. It’s a requirement here for CO2, moisture control, and fire safety.

    We have both electric and gas dryers.

  35. AttitudeMiserable828 Avatar

    Yes. US homeowner in the Midwest, my dryer vents outside of the house. It was also lined to natural gas in the past which does make sense to exhaust outdoors.

  36. GussieK Avatar

    Yes we have a vent. It’s a must.

  37. Couscousfan07 Avatar

    There’s people that DON’T ???

    tf does the hot moist air go, then ?

  38. HostileCakeover Avatar

    You don’t have a vent? Won’t all that humidity totally mess up your house though? It’s humid here, it’ll fuck up the carpet and drapes. 

  39. Maxpower2727 Avatar

    I’m slightly horrified to learn that there are apparently people in the world just venting their dryers straight into their homes.

  40. BigBrainBrad- Avatar

    Wait you don’t?

  41. bubblegumpaperclip Avatar

    Is this why dryers in non us countries take half a day and only hold 10 pieces of clothing?

  42. imperfectchicken Avatar

    Yes.

    For people who are just learning this, there is also a lint trap at the end of that vent. If you’re cleaning out your lint trap and your clothes still aren’t dry, go outside and check that.

  43. gaymersky Avatar

    Trying racks leave your clothes crusty and disgusting no thank you. Give me a hot dryer any day.

  44. Tongue4aBidet Avatar

    Depends on the situation but usually yes. Gas dryers must vent outside. Electric can sometimes just vent inside but the lint is a fire hazard. Some just hang clothes to try inside or outside.

  45. Highly_Regarded_1 Avatar

    How else would you vent the hot, humid air?

  46. VoidJuiceConcentrate Avatar

    If there’s no vent, how is the moisture-laden air supposed to leave?

  47. Amos_Burton666 Avatar

    Real question is how do you not have a vent for the hot air coming out of the dryer?

  48. Orvan-Rabbit Avatar

    Yes and they should be cleaned every so often to prevent fires.

  49. Constellation-88 Avatar

    How else would the dryer work? 

  50. T-Prime3797 Avatar

    It’s less about pumping the warm air out, it’s about pumping the moisture in that warm air out.

  51. ConfidentHighlight18 Avatar

    Yes, we have a hose that runs from the dryer & attaches to a vent, built specifically for this, in the wall of the house. The hose is usually aluminum. This allows the heated air & moisture to not be trapped in the home. Because of the moisture, if it stays indoors, mold would start to grow. Plus it also allows some of the lint to go outside as well & this helps to prevent buildup & potential fires.

  52. NortonBurns Avatar

    I’m in the UK. I have both types, a vented & a condensing.
    The vented one is an ancient thing, made in 1974. We use it when speed is of the essence. It takes about 30 minutes for a half load. The condenser can take 4 hours. It’s more energy efficient, but takes forever.

    The vented one has a pipe that attaches to the front & you throw the other end out of a window. Primitive, but effective. The condenser, of course, uses a heat exchanger to condense the dryer steam back into the drain.

    What I am most surprised to read in the comments here is how many people have no clue how a dryer works 😉

  53. Gingersoulbox Avatar

    In Europe we also used to have this. We just transferred to condensation dryers because of their eco friendliness.

    They will take longer but are a lot less power consuming.

  54. Maximum_Pound_5633 Avatar

    Yes, it would make your house moldy is you didn’t exhaust all that moisture

  55. Feeling_Benefit8203 Avatar

    This is how we do it in Canada too… I thought they all had vents. That much humidity in the house would be very bad.

  56. joemammmmaaaaaa Avatar

    I have a dryer that runs on natural gas. If it wasn’t vented to the outside it wouldn’t be safe