Home dryer help needed

[albow]

I came across a good deal on a washer dryer pair 2 years ago and bought them, letting them sit new and unused in my shed. Now that I need the dryer, I got it into the house but have run into issues I was unaware of. The biggest of these seems to be that I have a mobile home and the owners manual says I need different exhaust venting for this and also makes it sound like I need to pull air IN through a window for it, whether I use it in gas or electric mode. I had no idea it would do both and have gas at the house, but plan to use it electrically. It didn't even come with a power cord I just now noticed so I'll have to get one. Here is a quote from the installation manual. "This dryer is suitable for mobile home installations" blah blah standards, etc. "metal exhaust system hardware" must be used. "Special provisions must be made in mobile homes to introduce outside air into the dryer. The opening (such as a nearby window) should be twice as large as the dryer exhaust opening."

What exactly does this mean? There is a window in the room, which is actually part of an outside door. It doesn't mention putting a vent from the window into the dryer. Are they talking about for emergency ventilation of the room or something? I mean, neither the original dryer nor the second one, which was installed by Lowes I believe, have had anything special that I am aware of. You would think if some special venting were needed that the laundry room would be made to conform from the get go. As well, I haven't had metal exhaust pipe. I've had the flexible aluminum foil type the whole time and apparently Lowe's didn't care when they set it up. Convince me that I need to do something different rather than buy a cord and wire it in. What's the deal here? I guess there's a safety standard that has changed through the years? I know there are different venting requirements for gas appliances such as water heaters in mobile homes but this will be electric. What do I need to do?

[albow]

Thanks everyone. To answer all of you at once, it's a Crosley and whirlpool made it. I have looked and although the instructions are presented for both gas and electric, I cannot find a nipple for gas so it must just be electric, which makes sense. It doesn't make sense that they don't include a cord, especially since they say don't use the old one but the instructions with a pic are supplied both for a 3 and a 4 prong, which my outlet is. Me and a friend have been talking and came to the same conclusions y'all have concerning airflow in and out for proper gas combustion but that's not a concern now. Thanks for coming through like y'all always do on here.

[Flapper]

1. The dryer is expelling air outside whether gas or electric. If in a smaller space, it can lower the pressure in the area (a bit of a vacuum) and cause air to come in from other places - like your furnace, stove, hot water heater, etc. exhaust vents That runs the risk of carbon monoxide build up in the home, from those other appliances. Problem becomes much more prone in a smaller home - like a mobile home.
2. Most places have changed codes to not allow the pleated dryer vents, although they can't prevent them from being sold. Too much build of of lint, which can cause a fire.

[ernie1]

Most commercial kitchens like restaurants have a roof mounted water cooler that is sized to push out a certain amount of cooled air and it usually exits close to the hood to replace the air that is drawn up into it and expelled outside. This is called "make up air" and it helps also to cool the staff cooking and and sweating over the hot stoves. You can tell when kitchen staff forget to turn on the water cooler because the entrance door to the restaurant is sucked partially open by the hood fans.

[enblethen]

There should be an opening in the bottom for around a 3/4 inch fresh air intake for the dryer. Same is required to install fireplace in mobile homes. For a gas unit only!
Don't confuse this with the 4 inch exhaust vent.

[Edd505]

Dryer venting

[Sjm9911]

Its most likely as stated above for intake air for the gas burner. It needs the intake air to burn clean. Any thing that burns needs intake air. This is so it dosen't deplete the oxygen levels in the room and also so it dosen't pump out co into the room.

[time2roll]

You can't operate a dryer in a closed room with a closed door. The dryer functions by moving hot moist air out the vent and outdoors. The room can create a vacuum and reduce airflow. Usually it is a 4" round exhaust vent so 25 square inches of window opening to allow air into the room. Not meant to be complex.

[BB_TX]

It sounds like they think it needs a window open to some extent to provide an adequate air flow thru the dryer to prevent overheating. A window due to the typically small internal volume of an RV. An RV is not exactly air tight, but still small compared to a house. Must really be some significant air flow.

[dougrainer]

What Brand and Model Dryer? I have never heard of a DUAL Gas/Electric dryer. Doug

[dougrainer]

GAS Dryers require solid Metal (not flexible silver foil type) exhaust tubes, due to the HEAT a Gas burner puts out. 120/240 dryers also request same venting but you can get by with standard accordion type dryer hoses. The air venting is to make sure you have enough intake air INSIDE the home to keep from exhausting the air inside the dwelling and have enough volume of air for the usage of the Dryer Gas Burner. Since it specifies Mobile Home, there must be a history of Mobile homes being more airtight than standard stick homes. Doug

[midnightsadie]

x2 google that and see what pops up.

[Lwiddis]

With all the warnings, I believe you should let a professional install the dryer.

[Boon_Docker]

I would think special venting and exhaust would be necessary only for gas operation. Electrical operation should not need any thing special to be done, same as any standard electric dryer.