Installing tumble dryer question - DIY

Posted by: frog51

Installing tumble dryer question - DIY - 20/05/2007 12:25

As the condensing dryer that came with our house finally died in a nasty 'letting out the magic smoke' kind of way for the second time, I don't trust it not to burn the house. Time for a normal venting dryer.

I have had a trawl for info regarding installing a vent through my walls and reckon I can do it, but figured at least one of you would have done this before and may be able to warn me of potential gotchas. I don't have the option of passing it through a window or door, but at least will be above ground - just got to get through a standard two layer breezeblock wall.

Thanks in advance.
Posted by: andym

Re: Installing tumble dryer question - DIY - 20/05/2007 13:29

Just make sure you don't end up with a moisture trap anywhere along the run of the vent, it seems best to keep the vent level along the entire run. My parents found that out the expensive way.

As for cutting the hole, hire a meaty SDS drill and buy a couple of holesaws from Screwfix.
Posted by: Cris

Re: Installing tumble dryer question - DIY - 20/05/2007 19:17

Quote:
just got to get through a standard two layer breezeblock wall.


I wouldn't use your standard drill for this, go and hire one along with the correct size of core bit you need, diamond tipped is best. Most hire companies will charge a set fee plus extra for every mm of wear on the bit, but in your case this should be minimal. It is likley that unless you have a very good drill already you could burn out the motor of a standard B&Q hammer type drill.

Drill a pilot hole first through both layers of the wall using a 12mm drill as a minimum (don't use SDS unless you really have to, you want a nice clean exit hole if you can), making sure it's level, then drill form each side with the core bit. You can go the whole way but it could get messy where the bit exits the wall on either side, better to have this on the inside cavity where is can't be seen.

Make sure that the vent is well sealed, as Andy says you really really don't want mositure being pumped into the cavity.

Most important of all, and take it from a man with experience in this (didn't bother checking and flooded a customers ground floor when I hit their central heating pipe!) CHECK FOR PIPES & CABLES. Sorry for shouting that, but the extra 5 mins making sure is well worth it!

Cheers

Cris.
Posted by: frog51

Re: Installing tumble dryer question - DIY - 20/05/2007 20:15

Thanks - yes, I think hiring the kit is the plan. My old B&Q drill is definitely not up to it. And I got myself a good pipe/wire detector...so hopefully I won't mess that up.

I'll try and keep everything horizontal and short - Total distance should be about 2 feet from exit of dryer to outside, so I should be able to keep all of it straightforward.

Cheers guys
Posted by: LittleBlueThing

Re: Installing tumble dryer question - DIY - 21/05/2007 06:33

yep, I've done it. Hiring a diamond core bit and a core-drill is the way

Hire for a half-day or less; the actual drilling job should take about 15 minutes.

Thoughts (from experience):

Make sure you measure the pipe (don't laugh)
If you drill a pilot hole then go outside and drill in a cm to minimise breakout. [edit - oops, missed Cris' advice - what he says is true but if you are tight on tolerance you need to make sure both holes are aligned or you won't get a rigid pipe through]
Drill pretty horizontally with a slight drop towards the outside.

If it's just blockwork then, as you drill, you'll find it very easy but don't get cocky as it is possible to hit wall ties - be careful to be braced when you hold the drill as you can get a fair wrench. It won't hurt the bit, just keep going - gently.

When you are done you may be able to line the hole with a bit of rigid tube and fit the flexi hose inside it. Makes a neater finish.

It's an easy job.

HTH
Posted by: pca

Re: Installing tumble dryer question - DIY - 21/05/2007 09:10

Quote:
CHECK FOR PIPES & CABLES. Sorry for shouting that, but the extra 5 mins making sure is well worth it!


Pity even professionals forget this sometimes. Like when I moved in to this house, several years ago, and left the cable bloke installing the line while I popped down to the shops. Came back 15 minutes later to a strong smell of gas, two Transco vans, a pale-faced cable engineer, and much excitement as they sorted out the gas leak he'd produced by drilling through the gas main which was installed inside the cavity wall Pretty good shot, he had more than a meter of wall to pick a spot on, and managed to hit a 15mm copper pipe with an 8mm drill bit on the first try

Cost Telewest about £600 to gave a real professional come out and replace all the gas piping.

Not as funny as the IEEE member electronics engineer father of a friend of mine who managed to drill dead center through the water main into the power feed to the house BEFORE the distribution board, thus dumping 240V at 100A or so into the pipe and drill bit before the riser fuse blew! Didn't harm him, much (more damage caused from falling over in surprise than from electrocution) but made one hell of a bang. It also shortened a 2 foot 10mm masonry bit by about 8 inches, blew a fist sized hole in the breezeblock wall, the water main, and the riser, and covered everything with water

Took him years to live that one down...

pca
Posted by: wfaulk

Re: Installing tumble dryer question - DIY - 21/05/2007 12:02

Not that it's dangerous, but I once managed to drill a screw directly through a wire for our rear doorbell while installing the strike plate for a new lockset once. For days after, I couldn't figure out why our doorbell kept half ringing without anyone pressing the button.
Posted by: lectric

Re: Installing tumble dryer question - DIY - 22/05/2007 00:02

Something quite common in post-Katrina life is buildings spontaneously reflooding. As footboards are being installed with nail guns, sometimes they hit a water pipe. Cool thing is that they don't leak. After several months, the nail finally rusts away and all of a sudden water starts spraying in the wall cavity. Apparently it usually happens at 4:30-5:00 on a Friday afternoon. That way it has all weekend to totally flood the ground floor.
Posted by: julf

Re: Installing tumble dryer question - DIY - 22/05/2007 06:17

My neighbour had a slowly increasing leak inside his wall. Turns out it was from a screw that had punctured the pipe something like 10 years ago - took it this long to rust enough to let water through.
Posted by: mlord

Re: Installing tumble dryer question - DIY - 22/05/2007 12:45

One important tip: use metal ductwork for the dryer, not the vinyl stuff that is commonly marketed as suitable for the same purpose. Dry output is a fire hazard, and you really don't want the ducting to also be combustible.

Cheers