I'm looking to replace my dryer exhaust pipe since the current one is too long and runs under the bed in my master bedroom, making it noisy during nighttime cycles. The dryer is on the first floor, and I'm considering rerouting the pipe down into the basement and out through the wall instead of up. My concern is that there's a very tight space where the pipe would enter the basement, and it will come into contact with two water pipes and a drain pipe. Is it a problem for the exhaust pipe to touch these pipes? Is there any code I should be worried about? Can I use some insulating material to separate them? Also, are there any potential issues I should keep in mind while doing this? Thanks!
3 Answers
Remember that whether you go up or down, the dryer noise may still be noticeable. But reducing the pipe length is a good move for better drying efficiency. If you're planning to add a booster fan in the basement, that should help a lot!
Generally, there's no specific code against the exhaust pipe touching water pipes, but it's better to use some insulation to prevent any vibrations from causing issues. When metal touches metal, it can lead to wear and even lint becoming an issue in the crawl space, which could pose a fire hazard or lead to moisture issues. So yeah, definitely use some kind of material to keep them apart!
That makes sense. Is just glueing in a piece of rubber enough?
According to code, your exhaust pipe (minimum 28ga) can contact PVC pipes, but it shouldn’t touch any copper pipes due to potential galvanic corrosion. It's wise to have a buffer regardless to avoid any potential damage down the line.
Thanks, this is very useful.
The reduced noise is just a bonus. The main goal is to get rid of the super long pipe that's affecting drying performance!