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Default PVC pipe as dryer vent

Polyvinyl Chloride or PVC is a flammable material with a melting point of 160 degrees C. Melting begins at about 140 degrees C. The building code does not allow PVC piping to be used as a dryer vent because it can catch fire at fairly low temperatures. The Uniform building code is written for safety considering the worst case scenario...like when the vent pipe gets blocked.....a child shoves a Coke can into the vent...etc. PVC is used on some high efficacy furnaces and water heaters because the exhausting gasses are cool by the time the get to the PVC pipe. Please don'the risk burning your house down by using dryer vent materials that are not code approved and US approved for dryer vent use.
Allen Blaker
Building inspector for 31 years.
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Default PVC pipe as dryer vent

On Thu, 25 Feb 2016 12:50:34 -0800 (PST), wrote:

Allen Blaker
Building inspector for 31 years.


Isn't that special.
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Default PVC pipe as dryer vent

On Thu, 25 Feb 2016 13:34:49 -0800, Oren wrote:

On Thu, 25 Feb 2016 12:50:34 -0800 (PST), wrote:

Allen Blaker
Building inspector for 31 years.


Isn't that special


Building inspector or home inspector??
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Default PVC pipe as dryer vent

On Thursday, February 25, 2016 at 4:35:01 PM UTC-5, Oren wrote:
On Thu, 25 Feb 2016 12:50:34 -0800 (PST), wrote:

Allen Blaker
Building inspector for 31 years.


Isn't that special.


I guess he wasn't confident enough to answer that question when it was
originally asked.

He had only been a Building Inspector for 18 years at that point.
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wrote in message
...

If PVC pipe is so flammable, what about those dryer vent hoses they sell
that are nothing but a coil of steel wire with a very thin plastic on
the outside? I could see those going up in flames long before Sch 40
PVC.

I once bought a dryer that came with one of them, and I did not use it.
I used metal pipe.


Didn't they quit using them for that reason and went to metal pipe.


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Default PVC pipe as dryer vent

On Thu, 25 Feb 2016 19:08:11 -0500, "Ralph Mowery"
wrote:


wrote in message
.. .

If PVC pipe is so flammable, what about those dryer vent hoses they sell
that are nothing but a coil of steel wire with a very thin plastic on
the outside? I could see those going up in flames long before Sch 40
PVC.

I once bought a dryer that came with one of them, and I did not use it.
I used metal pipe.


Didn't they quit using them for that reason and went to metal pipe.


Maybe they did quit selling them... I dont know????
I always use metal, and it's been many years since I had to connect a
dryer vent.
I hope they did quit selling those plastic things. Not only were they a
fire hazzard, but they would break after a few years and make a big
mess, if you didn't notice it immediately.


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Default PVC pipe as dryer vent

On Thu, 25 Feb 2016 23:17:31 -0500
wrote:

I've foaught too often with flex hoses.


Pretty liberal oriented of you, because you don't
want to nobody should be allowed to.

Tsk Tsk!
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On Fri, 26 Feb 2016 11:47:28 -0500, burfordTjustice
wrote:

On Thu, 25 Feb 2016 23:17:31 -0500
wrote:

I've foaught too often with flex hoses.


Pretty liberal oriented of you, because you don't
want to nobody should be allowed to.

Tsk Tsk!

No, because the stuff is USELESS it should not be used. There is a
much greater chance of a drier vent fire when flex ducting is used.
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On Thu, 25 Feb 2016 17:57:36 -0600, wrote:

On Thu, 25 Feb 2016 18:12:08 -0500,
wrote:

On Thu, 25 Feb 2016 13:34:49 -0800, Oren wrote:

On Thu, 25 Feb 2016 12:50:34 -0800 (PST),
wrote:

Allen Blaker
Building inspector for 31 years.

Isn't that special


Building inspector or home inspector??


If PVC pipe is so flammable, what about those dryer vent hoses they sell
that are nothing but a coil of steel wire with a very thin plastic on
the outside? I could see those going up in flames long before Sch 40
PVC.


Metal pipe would be good, but my house came with a hose like you
describe. Would have required moving the dryer (and probably not
being able to put it all the way back) and the washer, and attaching
the other end up between the floor joists. Plus I had loads of
other things to do to the house.

So I left it and I've been using it for 33 years. Last year the
vinyl got a hole so I leaned a towel over the hole

Oh, I never put the heat on hotter than the lowest heat, the one just
above no heat, because I think high heat is bad for the shirts and the
elastic and maybe everything else.

But it's definitely not clogged. Some people have pieces of lint
hanging from the outside, but I have none of that. I clean the lint
filter regularly (it whistles if I don't) and I like polyester so
maybe I don't make much lint.

I once bought a dryer that came with one of them, and I did not use it.
I used metal pipe.

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Default PVC pipe as dryer vent

On Friday, February 26, 2016 at 11:38:03 PM UTC-6, wrote:

What about pop rivets?

Even short pop rivets protrude into the duct, but a real short rivet
is better than a screw.. The rounded end of even a longer rivet isn't
as bad as a sharp sheet metal screw tip - but is not the best idea.


....and the small tapered end of each section should face toward the outside, or lint will catch at the connection.


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On Friday, February 26, 2016 at 11:12:57 PM UTC-6, Micky wrote:

Oh, I never put the heat on hotter than the lowest heat, the one just
above no heat, because I think high heat is bad for the shirts and the
elastic and maybe everything else.


Flue temp would most likely not be affected by drum temp...just the duration of the burn would be shorter.
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On Sat, 27 Feb 2016 03:58:02 -0800 (PST), bob_villain
wrote:

On Friday, February 26, 2016 at 11:38:03 PM UTC-6, wrote:

What about pop rivets?

Even short pop rivets protrude into the duct, but a real short rivet
is better than a screw.. The rounded end of even a longer rivet isn't
as bad as a sharp sheet metal screw tip - but is not the best idea.


...and the small tapered end of each section should face toward the outside, or lint will catch at the connection.

That , I assumed, was a "given" - ductwork is ALWAYS installed "into"
the "downstream" part.by default. The duct out of the trier fits
"over" the stub, and you just keep going. You'd almost have to TRY to
do it wrong - but then again - - - - -
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On Sat, 27 Feb 2016 04:01:20 -0800 (PST), bob_villain
wrote:

On Friday, February 26, 2016 at 11:12:57 PM UTC-6, Micky wrote:

Oh, I never put the heat on hotter than the lowest heat, the one just
above no heat, because I think high heat is bad for the shirts and the
elastic and maybe everything else.


Flue temp would most likely not be affected by drum temp...just the duration of the burn would be shorter.

That is certainly true of a gas drier - they are not sophisticated
burners by any stretch of the imagination - and electric driers , for
the most part, have only a cycling switch to control temperature as
well. SOME higher end units MAY have a 2 or 3 stage heat control -
with the element tapped either in the center for 2 stage, or
off-center for 3 stage. 2 stage would be off, half, or full. 3 stage
wouuld be off, small "half", Large "half" or bothI am not aware of any
current electric drier using either method of heat control.
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On Sat, 27 Feb 2016 14:36:41 -0500, wrote:

On Sat, 27 Feb 2016 04:01:20 -0800 (PST), bob_villain
wrote:

On Friday, February 26, 2016 at 11:12:57 PM UTC-6, Micky wrote:

Oh, I never put the heat on hotter than the lowest heat, the one just
above no heat, because I think high heat is bad for the shirts and the
elastic and maybe everything else.


Flue temp would most likely not be affected by drum temp...just the duration of the burn would be shorter.

That is certainly true of a gas drier - they are not sophisticated
burners by any stretch of the imagination - and electric driers , for
the most part, have only a cycling switch to control temperature as
well. SOME higher end units MAY have a 2 or 3 stage heat control -
with the element tapped either in the center for 2 stage, or
off-center for 3 stage. 2 stage would be off, half, or full. 3 stage
wouuld be off, small "half", Large "half" or bothI am not aware of any
current electric drier using either method of heat control.


Yes. However the temperature in the drum is controlled, the air
exhausted from an electric drier comes from the drum, along with the
humidity evaporating from the clothes -- that's what makes it a
clothes drier -- and output temperature, from the machine and from the
house, is directly related to the temperature in the drum. It will
never be hotter than the temperature in the drum.


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Default PVC pipe as dryer vent

I replaced some of that plastic line with a thin wire in it because it was supposed to be a fire hazard....

curious about how well it would burn i took a piece and tried lighting it on fire with a grill lighter.

it refused to burn how wierd.

so i tried setting it on fire with my mapp gas torch.

it did not burn. it would smoke, but not catch on fire.......

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On Sat, 27 Feb 2016 15:04:47 -0800 (PST), bob haller
wrote:

I replaced some of that plastic line with a thin wire in it because it was supposed to be a fire hazard....

curious about how well it would burn i took a piece and tried lighting it on fire with a grill lighter.

it refused to burn how wierd.

so i tried setting it on fire with my mapp gas torch.

it did not burn. it would smoke, but not catch on fire.......


Good to know.

I think I smell something. I'll get back to you.

Although actually, I thought it was the not-totally smooth nature of
the plastic tubing with the wire in it that was supposed to catch
lint, and that the lint is what would catch on fire. ?? Even though
it is pretty smooth. I would think the lint would blow right by the
wire parts, which are covered with vinyl.

After about 10 years, I bought a 6" box with a flap in it, that would
direct the exhaust air to the outside in the summer and to the inside
in the winter (assuming I moved the flap) so I cut the hose then, and
I didn't look at the whole hose, but at the open ends and I saw no
lint. Again when the tear happened, I looked inside and saw no lint.
But I mostly rely on never running the drier above warm.

I suppose most lint would be just as it comes out of the drier and
bends upwards.

I mentioned that my drier broke a couple months ago. Maybe a bearing.
maybe just something loose and banging when the drum rotates. I've
been drying my clothes on the shower bar, but eventually I will pull
the drier away from the wall, for the first time, to fix it. I'll
check for lint then. I might even replace the hose.
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On Thursday, February 25, 2016 at 3:50:38 PM UTC-5, wrote:
Polyvinyl Chloride or PVC is a flammable material with a melting point of 160 degrees C. Melting begins at about 140 degrees C. The building code does not allow PVC piping to be used as a dryer vent because it can catch fire at fairly low temperatures. The Uniform building code is written for safety considering the worst case scenario...like when the vent pipe gets blocked....a child shoves a Coke can into the vent...etc. PVC is used on some high efficacy furnaces and water heaters because the exhausting gasses are cool by the time the get to the PVC pipe. Please don'the risk burning your house down by using dryer vent materials that are not code approved and US approved for dryer vent use.
Allen Blaker
Building inspector for 31 years.


melting point of pvc is higher than that if it melted ay 120 you gould not use it for you hot water in your house
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On Sun, 17 May 2020 20:32:38 -0400, wrote:

On Sun, 17 May 2020 16:10:01 -0700, RosemontCrest
wrote:

On 5/17/2020 3:08 PM,
wrote:
On Thursday, February 25, 2016 at 3:50:38 PM UTC-5, wrote:
Polyvinyl Chloride or PVC is a flammable material with a melting point of 160 degrees C. Melting begins at about 140 degrees C. The building code does not allow PVC piping to be used as a dryer vent because it can catch fire at fairly low temperatures. The Uniform building code is written for safety considering the worst case scenario...like when the vent pipe gets blocked....a child shoves a Coke can into the vent...etc. PVC is used on some high efficacy furnaces and water heaters because the exhausting gasses are cool by the time the get to the PVC pipe. Please don'the risk burning your house down by using dryer vent materials that are not code approved and US approved for dryer vent use.
Allen Blaker
Building inspector for 31 years.

melting point of pvc is higher than that if it melted ay 120 you gould not use it for you hot water in your house

1) The post to which you replied is more than four years old.
2) 140 degrees C is 284 degrees F. Is your water heater set to 140
degrees C?


Regular white PVC will get soft enough to bend in boiling water. I
have done it many times.

People used to use flexible plastic "duct" for dryers - the stuff
with the wire coil in it. I've seen it wherer basically only the coil
was left intact - with the plastic melted right out. That crap hasn't
been legal for likely 30 years or more (if it ever was) and I'm sure
it has caused more than one dryer fire.
Bending PVC works from 170 degrees up to about 220. Any hotter it
gets way too soft and looses shape.(all temperatures in "Yankee"
degrees)


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On Sun, 17 May 2020 20:51:01 -0400, Clare Snyder
wrote:

On Sun, 17 May 2020 20:32:38 -0400, wrote:

On Sun, 17 May 2020 16:10:01 -0700, RosemontCrest
wrote:

On 5/17/2020 3:08 PM,
wrote:
On Thursday, February 25, 2016 at 3:50:38 PM UTC-5, wrote:
Polyvinyl Chloride or PVC is a flammable material with a melting point of 160 degrees C. Melting begins at about 140 degrees C. The building code does not allow PVC piping to be used as a dryer vent because it can catch fire at fairly low temperatures. The Uniform building code is written for safety considering the worst case scenario...like when the vent pipe gets blocked....a child shoves a Coke can into the vent...etc. PVC is used on some high efficacy furnaces and water heaters because the exhausting gasses are cool by the time the get to the PVC pipe. Please don'the risk burning your house down by using dryer vent materials that are not code approved and US approved for dryer vent use.
Allen Blaker
Building inspector for 31 years.

melting point of pvc is higher than that if it melted ay 120 you gould not use it for you hot water in your house

1) The post to which you replied is more than four years old.
2) 140 degrees C is 284 degrees F. Is your water heater set to 140
degrees C?


Regular white PVC will get soft enough to bend in boiling water. I
have done it many times.

People used to use flexible plastic "duct" for dryers - the stuff
with the wire coil in it. I've seen it wherer basically only the coil
was left intact - with the plastic melted right out. That crap hasn't
been legal for likely 30 years or more (if it ever was) and I'm sure
it has caused more than one dryer fire.
Bending PVC works from 170 degrees up to about 220. Any hotter it
gets way too soft and looses shape.(all temperatures in "Yankee"
degrees)


I have done it with conduit more than plumbing pipe but other than
color and U/V additives, it is the same stuff. One tip, slip a cold
connector over the end as soon as you remove it from the heat if you
did immerse the end in the hot water (or in the tail pipe of the
truck). Then it will retain the shape and size while you are making
the bend. Douse it with water to hold what you have.
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In alt.home.repair, on Sun, 17 May 2020 20:51:01 -0400, Clare Snyder
wrote:



Regular white PVC will get soft enough to bend in boiling water. I
have done it many times.

People used to use flexible plastic "duct" for dryers - the stuff
with the wire coil in it. I've seen it wherer basically only the coil


My house came with that. Counting the 4 years before I got here, it
lasted about 30 years until a rip appeared just above the dryer. I
leaned a towel against the rip to keep te air in and it lasted another 5
years. After that, I had to replace it.


was left intact - with the plastic melted right out. That crap hasn't
been legal for likely 30 years or more (if it ever was) and I'm sure
it has caused more than one dryer fire.


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People used to use flexible plastic "duct" for dryers - the stuff
with the wire coil in it. I've seen it wherer basically only the coil
was left intact - with the plastic melted right out. That crap hasn't
been legal for likely 30 years or more (if it ever was)


Isn't PVC wire hosing still used for portable air conditioner exhaust?
https://amzn.to/3bIAw2U (hose with wire reinforcement)

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On Sun, 17 May 2020 23:20:57 -0500, kelown
wrote:


People used to use flexible plastic "duct" for dryers - the stuff
with the wire coil in it. I've seen it wherer basically only the coil
was left intact - with the plastic melted right out. That crap hasn't
been legal for likely 30 years or more (if it ever was)


Isn't PVC wire hosing still used for portable air conditioner exhaust?
https://amzn.to/3bIAw2U (hose with wire reinforcement)

Portable AC exhaust isn't hot.
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Default PVC pipe as dryer vent


People used to use flexible plastic "duct" for dryers - the stuff
with the wire coil in it. I've seen it wherer basically only the coil
was left intact - with the plastic melted right out. That crap hasn't
been legal for likely 30 years or more (if it ever was)


Isn't PVC wire hosing still used for portable air conditioner exhaust?
https://amzn.to/3bIAw2U (hose with wire reinforcement)


Portable AC exhaust isn't hot.


Obviously. But my question was referring to the material the hose is
made of, to help determine whether such hose material is still being
legally sold.

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