Dryer vent.

kcrossley2

My builder installed my dryer vent hookup along a wall to the right of my dryer. Since my LG front load dryer vents from the back, this forces me to set the dryer out an extra 4-5" so the flexible vent pipe can get past the gas hookup on the back of the dryer.

In order to reclaim some much needed laundry room space, I need to reroute the dryer vent hookup so that it comes up from the floor instead of the right wall. Since I have a crawlspace house, that would seem pretty easy, except for one thing—my laundry room floor is ceramic tile.

What should I use to cut a 4" diameter hole in the ceramic tile and through the sub flooring?

Thanks,
Kelly

hammer

Wouldn't it be easier to cut a 4" hole in right side of the dryer? There are a lot of models that actually have a knockout on the side for this reason.

Another option to regain much needed space if you have the room, build a 4" pedistal for the dryer and run the vent through it.

Or you can just remove 1 of the ceramic tiles and then use a 4" hole saw and go through the subfloor.

kcrossley2

There is a knockout in the right side of the dryer, but that knockout can only be used if this were an electric dryer. Unfortunately, since it's gas, the heating elements block that knockout. A pedestal won't work either because we're placing a counter above the dryer and a pedestal would make the counter too high.

Is is a problem to cut a hole in the tile?

Marlin

A dryer vent, especially for a gas dryer is actually supposed to pitch up by code. The gas going through the vent will not travel down well and can end up back in your house. You're also not supposed to use screws on dryer duct.

kcrossley2

What other solutions do I have? Here's are a few photos of where the gas line and dryer vent is. Keep in mind that this is pre-drywall.

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Double A

You would just nip or cut the tile when its laid around the vent if it were coming through the floor.

One big concern I see, your gas line. Its CSST and it is not nail protected where it passes through the blocking and bottom plate.

Also, not using any type of termination fitting is going to make for drywall breaks in the future as folks push and pull appliances around and sweep/clean/retrieve socks, etc. from behind the dryer. Not a pretty gas installation.

Has it been inspected yet?

kcrossley2

Gotcha. As for the nail protection, this was a work in progress so I really don't know if that was ever added. How can I tell?

The gas termination sucks. All they did was run the hose through the wall with no adapter. They said they did this because it was one less fitting to worry about. I don't know if they mean for me or them. I'm in the process of at least putting a trim ring around where the gas line enter the laundry room.

Yes, the house was inspected last April.

Marlin

Is it Sheetrocked yet?
I would demand to have that gas re-done correctly at their expense. CSST in my opinion is junk to begin with, I always try and steer people away from it for two reasons. The first is it is an inferior product to hard pipe. The second is the reason seen here. It takes little skill to install it so you have shmucks just slapping it in any way they can.

If you do use it you should run black pipe through the wall and it shold be secured. If my boss ever saw me run a gas line like that I would get an earful and have to fix it. All they need to do this is an elbow, three nipples, a valve and a piece of 2x4. Do they even have a valve on it? This is completely wrong and they're just being lazy or don't know any better. It passed inspection because the inspector probably assumed it wasn't complete yet.

kcrossley2

Unfortunately, that's how they're building all of the house in this area. There is a valve. You can see it in the first picture towards the top left.

Double A

I don't believe the CSST gas line meets the manufacturers installation standards. Those standards call for nail protection anytime the pipe passes through anything that will restrain its moving away from a nail or a screw being driven in the wall.

This is for a brand called Gastite from their installation documents. I think I would contact the manufacturer of your CSST and have their local factory sales rep or installation trainer come and take a look at what you have, in addition to asking the inspector if this installation is compliant. I'm concerned that you do not have proper strike protection and that your connection to the dryer might not meet your local codes or the manufacturers requirements.

Having said this, direct connection to a fixed appliance is allowed (such as an island cook top), but not a movable appliance like a dryer or a range.

This manufacturer (and all others that I'm aware of) also requires everyone that installs their products to be trained and pass a test to gain certification to install.

The test is not hard, but this installation doesn't meet the standards I was taught when I tested for certification on three different brands of CSST three different times.

I hope I'm not scaring you or upsetting you, but you need to look into this before you close those walls up (or any of the new CSST, for that matter). There is potential for a problem here.

kcrossley2

My understanding is that building codes can not only vary by state, but by county as well. The state and county I use to live in (Maryland) was more strict than the one I presently live in (Virginia). Aside from the nail plate issue, which I think was corrected, this install is to code. Wall are already up and have been since April, 2007.