Heat+Moisture from Washer/Dryer Closet
We’re working to solve a problem for a client with their W/D closet. We’re reworking the kitchen and adjacent W/D closet in their apartment. It’s all on the interior space away from any windows unfortunately. There is also no direct vent via a chase for the W/D space. Not an ideal situation. So we’re trying…
We’re working to solve a problem for a client with their W/D closet. We’re reworking the kitchen and adjacent W/D closet in their apartment. It’s all on the interior space away from any windows unfortunately. There is also no direct vent via a chase for the W/D space. Not an ideal situation.
So we’re trying to find a way to keep the excess heat from the dryer “leaking” into the immediate kitchen area as it tends to get quite warm. The washer dryer closet id approx. 42″W x 30″Dx 110″H. The stacking W/D (electric) is 27″Wx 30
“Dx 75″H. One thought was to add a recirculating fan at the the top back of the closet to move the air around the unit within the closet and at least create some draw to keep the ward air form spilling out of the closet. Admittedly, it’s just a recirc. and not a ducted fan, but might help?
Other potential issue with with that is if the interior of the W/D closet needs to be treated with moisture resistant materials, almost treating it like bathroom walls (moisture resistant gypboard, paint, etc.?). Thoughts? Anyone dealt with this kind of situation. We usually have the luxury of a true vented dryer, but not in this case.
Any advice appreciated!
Heather, don’t those units take forever to dry a big load?? Honest question.. thanks.
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=s&hl=en&q=LG+washer/dryer&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=16542839643274860160&ei=sIgXTOXgBMO88gaisNiBCQ&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CD8Q8wIwBA#
that one: LG: WM3988HWA 27” Steam Washer/Dryer Combo with 4.2 cu. Ft. Capacity
I guess it’s 120 volts. Bah, it is whatever normal voltage is, anyways. But it does wash full-size loads.
JimHill + Arkady,
we had a similar zany idea. We “might” be able to get a clear route to a bathroom, put a vent as close to a window there as possible, and let the warm damp air vent to the outside. It’s about 16′ away or so. Wild card is I just don’t know if there are obstructions in the ceiling chase. Worth a look I suppose. Let you know hoe it works out.
Heather, thanks for the product rec., do you have a model LG number or series we can check out?
thanks again gang!
LG combo unit is a full-sized non-venting machine and it works amazingly well. This is what we use, it is also 110 Volts. (Much to the annoyance of my landlord, who had just put in 220 for us.)
I would push this one on them. Ours is going on its third year of service and it works great.
I was thinking along JimHill’s lines. Can you duct to a bathroom & tie into that vent? Might need a soffit to cover it but surely that would be better than inviting major mold.
This may seem crazy, but is there any way you could add a duct from the closet to a space that does have venting capability, or even the ability to open a window? You install a small bath exhaust fan in the closet and send the air to the other room.
It’a pre-war building that has an interior kitchen and adjacent W/D closet that is COMPETELY inaccessible to exterior walls for venting (it’s a landmarked bldg on top of it. Also, there is no vertical chase up or down to tap into. It’s essentially a kitchen and W/D closet that could never be built “new” under code, but its grandfathered and we’re trying to minimize the moisture problem in place.
Agreed, paint isn’t solving the problem, and we’ve STRONGLY urged the client to consider a condensing dryer (such as the Bosch), but IF they insist on keeping the current conventional dryer they have, our only suggestion was to add the re-circ. fan at the top back of the closet to “pull” in ambient cooler air through the louvers on the bottom of the laundry door to mingle it with the warmer damp air, hopefully to cool it a bit more quickly before it seeps out of te closet in a hot cloud.
Believe, not the way we would do it, but to cover us, we recommended putting in 220V line while we’re doing other work so in 3 weeks when they realize the current W/D just won’t work they have the power to swap it for a condensing unit. That’s the est we can do at this point, unless anyone has some clever ideas.
thanks again, this is a weird one to crack…
Without seeing the plans, it’s hard to understand why you can’t just vent this room.
Whatever W/D they use, there will be heat and moisture to cope with.
It doesn’t sound like paint and little fans are going to solve this one.
Who needs mold problems?
We pushed the Bosch option on them, it def will be better as far as the heat and moisture, but the smaller dryer size (given the heavy laundry loads they do) is a real downer as far as they are concerned. I agree, the lack of vent is the issue, but if they insist on keeping the appliance they have (non-vented, with a lint-pot currently), we’ll have to deal with it as best we can. We’re just trying to minimize the heat being pushed out into adjacent areas and protect the current areas form adverse affects of the moisture.
Thanks for the input!