Need advice on vent and exhaust issues

Originally Posted By: Meghan
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I am having an issue with my dryer vent. I own a condo on the top floor and it seems the dryer vent from the unit below is either directly connected to my vent or there is a larger issue. When my neighbor has his dryer on, a very high pitched whining noise comes up into the wall where the dryer vents are.


I am at a total loss as to how to fix this so that the noise from his dryer is not heard in my house. In addition, he smokes in his house cigarette smoke also seems to be leaking into my house from the dryer vent as well.

Any advice would be helpful!


Originally Posted By: Lee Hammerstein
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.



The simple fix is to install a vent dedicated to your dryer. An appliance dealer should be able to do this. This should stop the noise and odor from your neighbor from migrating to your unit.


Originally Posted By: rcloyd
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Meghan,


Yours and your neighbors dryer should never have been vented into a common vent system. More importantly, there should not be an open vent pipe connecting the two condos. This is a fire hazard and is prohibited by most building codes.

The two dryer vents should be separated and provided with their own vent pipe. The hole through the wall/floor should be sealed (firestopped) to prevent fire or products of combustion from traveling between units.

Regards,


--
Russell G. Cloyd
Intra-Spec Home Inspections
& Code Consulting, LLC
859-586-4591
www.intra-spechomeinspections.com

Originally Posted By: Meghan
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.



Thank you for the suggestions. I think i will have someone come out and take a look. Being that this is a condo, i am very limited to what i am able to do. I do have to wonder if all 32 units have this issue, or if it’s just mine and my neighbor sharing vent space?


Thanks again.....home ownership is great, but can be confusing and exhausting at times.