How to Install a Dryer Vent Cap

Venting a dryer can be very simple or very complicated, depending on the construction of your home. If you live in an all-brick house with no clear way to bore a hole for a vent, you may have to consult a professional to figure out what to do. If, on the other hand, you're in a wood-frame house and the dryer is in the basement, near walls that are open at the top to the back of the exterior sheathing, there's no reason not to do it yourself.

Instructions

1

From inside the house, choose the location on the exterior wall where you want the dryer to vent. Pick a spot between studs and away from electrical lines. Drill a hole with your 1/4-inch drill bit at the spot.

2

Switch out your 1/4-inch bit for your hole-saw bit. Go outside and locate the hole you drilled. Use the hole-saw to bore out a full hole at that spot.

3

Slide the circular tube section of your vent cap assembly into the hole. The cap itself will remain outside the hole.

4

Press the cap flush against the exterior wall, with the open portion facing down. Secure it to the wall using the screws provided with the cap. Caulk around the edges of the cap.

5

Go back inside the house. Caulk around the hole where the vent tube comes in from outside. Slide the vent hose from your dryer around the vent tube and secure it with duct tape.