Ask the Expert

A.

I think you are making a wise choice to put your laundry room on the second floor near your bedrooms, since clothes come off in the bedrooms and do not have to be carried all over the house.

The venting you will require is available and the dryer vent hood for your roof is one specifically made for this purpose. It is equipped with a down-turned top, insect screening, and louvers that flap open when exhausting dryer vent air. Hardware stores, home centers, and roofing supply houses carry them.

Make sure to get a vent hood with a substantial flange built in around the base to seal under your roofing shingles. This is your best shield against rainwater leakage. Make certain that when the vent hood is installed, the hole cut through the roof is just enough for the vent stack connection and not bigger. If the opening around the stack is too large, the shingles and flange may sag into the space and cause water leaks where the materials form cracks. A carelessly cut hole can be a costly mistake.

Venting your dryer safely requires using no more than 22 feet of straight, smooth, galvanized or aluminum vent piping, usually about 4 inches in diameter. For each 90-degree bend in the vent stack, deduct 5 feet from the 22-foot maximum length. While flexible metal duct is all right for short runs and complicated corners, try not to use it, since the bends and twists trap lint and dust. I do not recommend using flexible plastic pipe at all since it not only traps lint but can melt from the dryer heat and cause fire in combination with trapped clothing fibers.

If you run the duct through your unheated attic space, wrap the vent stack in an insulation blanket made of fiberglass to prevent condensation on the inside of the vent stack. This can help limit the dripping and ceiling stains that lead some to believe there is a roof leak. The condensation also causes the flowing lint to stick to the sides of the vent stacks, eventually blocking the vent.

Have a happy New Year!

Readers are encouraged to send questions to: HERALD Homes, 379 Central Avenue, P.O. Box 220, Lawrence, N.Y. 11559-0220Attn: Monte Leeper, architect.