Mobile home dryer vent does not vent outside?

Question

I just bought an used mobile home a month ago. The underbelly looked great- no major tears or rips. I had the skirting put on right away. Then when we hooked up the dryer, we realized the dryer does not vent outside the house. There is a hole in the floor for the dryer vent tubing that seems to maybe go between the floorboards and the underbelly. I can't figure out if the air flows between the floor and the underbelly. I want to vent the dryer to outside the skirting. I'm just confused because if the vent is going into the underbelly why isn't there any damaged to the underbelly. This house is a 1988 and was owned only by one owner. The house is in "great" condition for being so old. Has anyone ever heard of a dryer vent system like this before? I'm so confused I thought all mobile home dryer vents should be vented to outside the skirting. I know we will have to go under the home to eventually fix the "problem". I just can't figure out where the airflow is going.

Answer 1

Hard to say what you've got without being there, but I would definitely want the dryer vent to go to outside the walls or skirting. So much moisture comes out of a dryer vent. Is it possible that the dryer vent goes up and out the roof somehow? Any way to ask the previous owner where it goes?

Answer 2

Never, never have the dryer vent just under the flooring. Too much moisture will rot floor and walls.  This happened to my childhood home and my parents had to end up replacing floor.  Here's what they told me to do with my dryer vent.  If your skirting has places where it can "breathe" you can place dryer vent towards it with a wire clothes hanger.  Or you can purchase dryer vent kit at local hardware store.

Answer 3

It may be that the vent goes directly under the trailer. Our first mobile home was this way. It actually seemed to help keep the pipes from freezing in the winter. At some point you will probably want to get it corrected though. You can do it yourself with cheap materials from the hardware store. Probably twenty bucks or so. Hint: Flat out ask the hardware guy how to do it and he'll give you step by step on it!!!

Answer 4

You said you "had the skirting put on right away".  The vent vented to the outside.

Any handy man, for about $25, will install a vent in the skirting and attach the flexible hose to it.  The kit is about $20 at a big box store.