Putting a tumble dryer under the stairs can offer practicality, especially as it offers a central location between the rest of your home. Whether you want to air dry some clothes outside or take freshly washed laundry upstairs, you'll never have too far to travel.
Places to avoid when installing your tumble dryer
The garage is a no-go area for installing your tumble dryer. For the appliance to work, the room temperature needs to be at least above 5°C, and this can't be guaranteed in the garage – particularly during winter.
Plan where you want to put your dryer. Normally this will be under a kitchen counter or in a utility room.
To ensure your dryer is comfortable there should be a minimum of 3m² of space with a fresh supply of air around it. This air could be accessing the room in one way or multiple it doesn't really matter as long as the air is present in the room.
The dryer needs to be installed near an external vent that has been fitted into an external wall, allowing the damp air to escape outside. Thanks to the external vent, there is no need to worry about empting water from the machine.
Air-vented dryers draw air from the room in which they are installed, heat it and lead it through the humid clothing in the drum to evaporate the moisture. The humid air is then expelled to the external environment. Air-vented dryers thus require an exhaust to the outside, making them less practical.
Drying Technology
They re-circulate warm air instead of letting it escape, eliminating the need for a hose, so you can place them anywhere in your home. However, avoid garages and outbuildings, as they require a minimum ambient temperature to operate effectively.
Even if you go for a condenser dryer, where there is no need to vent to the outside, your tumble dryer still needs a ready supply of cool air that will allow it to breathe.
Where space is limited, an adjustable offset dryer vent is used. It's also called a periscope dryer vent. Offset vents allow the dryer to be installed closer to the wall than a typical basement installation, using a 90-degree, 4-inch duct elbow on the dryer's discharge vent.
A vented dryer dries clothes faster than a ventless dryer and typically has a larger drum. However, because it needs to vent the air, it must be placed near a window or exterior wall. A ventless dryer doesn't require a duct to the outside and can be installed almost anywhere.
Utilising the space under the stairs is a clever way to integrate a tumble dryer into your small house. However, before doing so, assess the available space and access to ventilation. If there's enough room and proper ventilation can be ensured, this can be an excellent option.
You should avoid carpets as heat pump tumble dryers can get particularly hot which can be a fire hazard.
Vented tumble dryer installation
Vented models are popular for their simplicity, but they do need a way to expel moist air. To install one, choose a location near an external wall or window for easy venting.
Line drying or clothes rack drying will always be the more sustainable and cost-effective way of drying your clothes. Energy Saving Trust says that avoiding the use of your tumble dryer could potentially save you money each year.
If you have a vented tumble dryer, it expels warm and damp air produced by the drying procedure via a hose. For this reason, you will need to install it near a window, door, or have a vent fitted through an external wall to allow the condensation to be released.
Use a washer dryer or tumble-dryer stacking kit: If you have a small kitchen, a washer-dryer stacking kit or a tumble-dryer stacking kit can save you a lot of space. These kits allow you to stack your washer, dryer, or tumble dryer on top of your washing machine, so they take up less floor space.
Equip your dryer with a temporary aluminum hose that can channel warm air, lint, and gases outside the home. In this way, the indoor air remains safe to breathe, and the dryer itself can operate with increased efficiency. A simple dryer hose can make a huge difference! Sometimes a window dryer vent can help too.
Per the requirements of the International Residential Code, Section M1502 (2009-2021 IRC), the clothes dryer exhaust duct should be a rigid or semi-rigid metal duct made of galvanized steel or galvanized aluminum with a smooth interior finish and a duct diameter of 4 inches.
Ensure the window is open enough for hot air to escape, but remember, this isn't a safe long-term solution and can still pose fire and moisture risks. Indoor Venting Option: If you can't vent outside, you can use an indoor vent kit.
The hot moisture-laden air will migrate to the cooler areas elsewhere in your home - perhaps far away from the tumble dryer in upstairs rooms - and cause condensation and mould to appear on clothes, window blind slats and window frames etc.
Do electric dryers release carbon monoxide? No, you cannot get carbon monoxide poisoning from an electric dryer because there's no gas involved. Carbon monoxide and its potential for poisoning cannot be produced by any appliance that do not burn gas.
There's no need to plumb in a heat pump dryer. Instead, you can simply plug it in anywhere in the home. Any water collected from your laundry is stored, to be emptied by hand. Vented tumble dryers, on the other hand, do need to be plumbed in!
A ventless dryer is a type of electric dryer that doesn't require a vent to the outdoors. Traditional dryers use a vent to release warm air outside, but ventless dryers operate differently, relying on a heat exchanger or heat pump instead. They typically come in two types: condenser and heat pump.
Tumble Dryer Cupboard Safety Checklist
In terms of why these aspects are important, ventilation is usually required to expel moisture to prevent the growth of damp and mould. Clearance room is also needed so that hot air can escape which helps prevent the tumble dryer from overheating or catching fire.
Good locations include inside the kitchen or bathroom or directly next to one of those rooms. It will also be easier to route plumbing this way. Buildings usually stack the wet zones in a vertical line. Putting a washer and dryer in your bedroom closet wouldn't be permitted even if there's room for one.