Dryer vent valve?

[Dubb]

new apartment, so far everything sucks.

the biggest problem is that one of my neighbors smokes, and it seems to come out of my dryer. All my stuff smells like stale ashtray now, and it's physically irritating (headache/nausea) just being in my apartment.

is there anything like a one way valve for dryer vents? it seems like that would help alot.

ideas?

 

[olds]

Sort of. There are one way doors. How does his vent attach to yours?

 

[Rubycon]

Dryer vent pressure is quite low so a hermetic sealing check valve is going to be too restrictive and an electronic one expensive.

Being a renter makes it tough - if you could install a make up air fan to keep positive pressure in your living quarters the bad air would not leak in.

 

[Dubb]

Originally posted by: oldsmoboat
Sort of. There are one way doors. How does his vent attach to yours?

no idea. All I know is that it's always the strongest stench inside the dryer.

I think the most likely scenario is getting them to move me to a different apt. there's a clause in the lease about inhabitability, and if it's making me feel ill, I'd say that counts.

 

[SagaLore]

Originally posted by: MS Dawn
if you could install a make up air fan to keep positive pressure in your living quarters the bad air would not leak in.

Yep that would work - I was looking for a normal dryer vent that you could hook another hose on after... but they usually terminate was squares.

How about this? Inside Dryer Vent

 

[SagaLore]

Originally posted by: Dubb

Originally posted by: oldsmoboat
Sort of. There are one way doors. How does his vent attach to yours?

no idea. All I know is that it's always the strongest stench inside the dryer.

I think the most likely scenario is getting them to move me to a different apt. there's a clause in the lease about inhabitability, and if it's making me feel ill, I'd say that counts.

Has it always been like that, since you moved in? Maybe its the dryer itself - the previous tenant could have been a smoker. You need to do a thorough cleaning of the lint trap duct. Spray a towel crazy with febreeze or an enyzmatic and run it in the dryer by itself for awhile.

 

[doze]

I doubt much smoke would come through a dryer vent, that is probably the area where the wall is thinnest between the 2 apartments. There may even be some bad sheetrock work or a gap at the top/bottom/side that the smoke is coming through.

 

[Rubycon]

Interior venting can be beneficial in the winter months. In the summer, significant (additional) enthalpic loads will be imposed on your cooling system when the dryer is in use.

Originally posted by: doze
I doubt much smoke would come through a dryer vent, that is probably the area where the wall is thinnest between the 2 apartments. There may even be some bad sheetrock work or a gap at the top/bottom/side that the smoke is coming through.

If the interior (drum) smells very smokey it's a good bet most is coming through the dryer.

 

[bunker]

Originally posted by: SagaLore

Originally posted by: MS Dawn
if you could install a make up air fan to keep positive pressure in your living quarters the bad air would not leak in.

Yep that would work - I was looking for a normal dryer vent that you could hook another hose on after... but they usually terminate was squares.

How about this? Inside Dryer Vent

Those "vent buckets" are pretty much against every building code known to man. I looked iinto to using one a while back. I figured I could kill two birds with one stone during the winter and humidify and help heat the house at the same time 🙂.

 

[NoShangriLa]

IMHO, the tobacco smell comes from some where else other than the dryer vent (could be from burning dryer wirings, motor, gasket, or lint)

I would seriously be thinking about moving or call for an inspector (building inspector/fire inspector) if the smell is from the dryer vent, because the vent is not built to code, failed air handler, incorrectly installed, or blockage.

Air handler turn on and ventilate all things/rooms in the building simultaneously, unless motorize baffles are use, therefore it is highly unlikely that smokes from neighboring dwellings enter your dryer.

Passive ventilation application tends to be use only in a single dwelling where air handler is not a requirement, and the ventilations are independent from each others in this application.

 

[db]

Doubt that it is coming thru the dryer vent even if the vent sealing surfaces need to be cleaned (do it by hand--a few second's work) and so therefore not sealing. Apartments just suck.

 

[Dubb]

the dryer is brand new...i suppose it is possible something is fried in the dryer - it did start the night after it was installed, but it smells like stale tobacco smoke, and would have to be something that fried without my ever turning it on - the smell was strong before I ever used it.

it is definitely coming from the dryer... when I was first smelling around looking for the source, it was much stronger in the laundry room, and much, much stronger than that inside the dryer.

the dryer appears to function properly, though I haven't actually dried anything yet for fear of everything permenently smelling like ashtray. (more than it already does)

it has tapered off since that first night, but it's still quite rank.

I guess I will start by getting them to repair/replace the dryer

 

[0roo0roo]

clean the lint trap