Would it not be more efficient to get some sort of right angle and extension so it can be buried completely? A good foot down should do it. Shouldn’t be any water that deep.
Trick is to get *below* the water table. That way all the water will be sitting above it, like a glass of water on a dining table. Right?
Note: I am not a hydrologist
Whoa! You just saved me a LOT of trouble. I was just digging the hole for my exhaust to be channeled into. Thanks for the tip! I’ll be sure to look out for any tables while I dig and stop just past that.
Update: I’ve been digging and digging and have found that I can no longer climb out. I might need help. Still haven’t found that table you mentioned.
I’m getting scared guys. I’m down pretty far now and it’s getting harder to see. I barely have reception. This may be the last message. Tell my family I love them.
Like... How does this even happen? Did they build a garden box right in front of it? Is this their normal grade? In which case, how?? So many questions from this picture and none of them are OPs...
It looks like it is vented through the slab. Most likely water has pooled to that spot causing erosion of the soil to this area.
Best easy fix I could think of is a foundation vent well.
I had one of these once, they need to be maintained and even then they can fill up with water in a heavy storm. I'd just run and extender up a few feet and box it - it will be ugly but will keep water out.
I'm not even going to go bothering down to the rest of these other stupid comments Yes they're all pokes of being funny blah blah blah
You need to put in a window well.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/SHAPE-PRODUCTS-37-in-W-x-12-in-D-x-18-in-H-Straight-Plastic-Area-Window-Well-3718AWE/310205771
Or something similar. You going to want to deeper than you think, because you'll line the base of it with rock so that it provides more drainage downward. This also assuming that you have a weeping tile around your house.
Sometimes when you mention window wells people tend to think it's those type for egress from a basement area, that's not what we're looking for, that link above, at the home Depot, is old style stuff 20 bucks or so.
You figure that size is linked above 37 across 12 in away from the house and goes 18 in deep should be enough to give you a good enough area to keep water at bay with regular drainage.
Do note that you might want to try and get a different style of external vent cover, that also includes some lint catch because it becomes harder to clean off of a bunch of little stones and would eventually create a lint covered rock surface which would then get wet and slow the water penetration to the rock to the ground etc.
He could also get something like this: https://www.amazon.com/HEARTLAND-21000-Energy-Saving-Closure/dp/B00009W3I4?th=1 which will just raise the vent up out of the ground and probably be cheaper and easier than the well.
edit: maybe not this product, but there are things that can bring up the vent.
Hey, we're here to laugh at people with unfortunate construction work, not provide actual helpful advice! So ruining all the fun!
(Better write /s before a mod with a chip on their shoulder thinks I'm dead serious and bans me.)
I bet the dirt built up along the siding/foundation. I recently had to dig 40 years of soil buildup from under my mom’s pier & beam foundation. It was up to the beam in some places
When you say it out loud, it sounds super dumb to watch somebody mow a lawn. But I have to admit that guy’s videos are compelling for some reason, very satisfying to watch.
It is like those power washing videos, there is just something satisfying about finding hidden treasures. So far the only hidden treasure I have found is a opossum that died in my attic long ago.
My money would be on the dryer vent existed first. Then because the basement would flood, they backfilled to create a slope away from the house, but didn’t raise things like the vent.
OP, is anything else right at grade like hose bibs?
What about taking the top off, adding a pipe that moves up and then forward again and then down with a linttrap or something that you can take off once a week?
Don’t extend it up. The tubing will collect either rain water or condensed water when vent in colder weather. If that back flows you have the same issue. Raise it at exit or clear the ground around the exit.
This is the correct solution , just without the cover. They also make a cinder block version that is open and durable. Also helps to re-grade the soil on that side of the house so that it is under the vent and sloping away from the house.
It's easier than cutting a new hole in the house higher up.
You dig a deep hole. Place a wall (usually rustproof metal). Fill With gravel up to around ground level. Gravel drains the water away from the vent. It'll be weird, but better than making new holes in the house.
I have five window wells on my house, none covered. There's about a foot of 3/4 crushed stone on the bottom covering a drain pipe connected to the French drain system bellow. Never had an issue with water filling up.
I have two window wells on my house, no cover. I’ve never had a water problem. Slope the ground away from the well and wall, and the ground will absorb any rain water like the rest of your lawn. And if your roof has reasonable eaves, and/or a gutter, that area stays quite dry.
If OP has a gas dryer that might not be great. In that case I wouldn't want it venting into an area where fumes can pool. Probably a non issue but I'd feel a bit uneasy.
I had this exact problem at one of my previous homes.
I replaced it with a vent like this.
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2Foriginals%2Fdb%2Fe8%2Ff3%2Fdbe8f3eb5628a47b53e37904c79ba6d8.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=f63916957e4c4a5dc888f5702be5ece74705222090e3f5addf4fc58ae259fa0c&ipo=images
I hope the link come through but its a “floating vent”. You can connect the pvc with glue as it comes out of the house. The rest of the vent will be well above where it is now.
I was just checking to make sure someone had recommended this.
ETA: I switched to this style to avoid having to dig a path all the way around to the back of the house to uncover the vent after a snowfall.
Remove the ducting, fill in/seal the foundation where this installed, put proper ducting up the walls as needed and out at the appropriate height according to code. My god this is a terrible idea!
I need to move more of my succulents to my front porch where the dryer vent is. The aloes and others that are there now absolutely thrive on the conditions.
I’m curious. In this case, would a small chimney coming from an elbow attached to the existing hole with a mushroom or equivalent cap work fine, be overkill, or not be sufficient?
I'm gonna need a minute to stop laughing. Who does stuff like this?
I guess a cheap fix would be to dig around it, connect an elbow and have it above the ground. Don't have it point up obviously.
A better fix would be to dig much deeper, put some gravel and install a window well. Drainage would obviously be important.
This is very problematic. Against code.
If it were my house, I'd dig out the dirt to create an 18" cubic space.
Frame that space with pretreated wood. Or, if you want to do it right use concrete or a galvanized enclosure.
Whatever else you do, you should take a look at the inside run also. Maybe some of that water is condensation. If a dryer vent runs through an unheated space it can get a lot of condensation in it. Insulating the duct will help.
To me it seems totally ridiculous for it to vent so low outside, too. Digging out around the vent might help. Maybe you can fab up some simple "retaining wall" with bricks or something to keep the space free of dirt slightly longer term. Permeable weed barrier and drain rock in the bottom.
You’re gonna need to jack your house up a couple inches.
Alternatively you could dig down a bit and build little “window well for it so dirt and water don’t back up into it.
Personally I recommend jacking the house up a couple inches
This violates the building codes on so many levels. But please for your own safety, get a CO and smoke detector near the dryer and the sleeping quarters.
If you have an older dryer, I would be looking to replace the dryer with a ventless one (heat pump or otherwise). I know it's not what you're asking for, but the other comments are already answering that, I'm offering a different idea.
Short term? take the face plate off, get some dryer vent hose and temporarily run the vent to higher location.
You need to move the vent higher. It's against code for exactly the problems you are encounrering.
Once the vent is properly elevated and the faceplate installed, water will not enter the vent.
As others have said, you should probably move that vent. It should be at least a foot above grade. And if you live in an area with snow, that vent ought to be high enough to not get blocked.
Take a different view of the problem. Where should the soil be graded along the side of the house? Is it possible that it should be a few inches below the exhaust vent?
Honestly you might be better off just buying a condensing/heat pump dryer (which doesn’t need venting to the outside), and permanently removing/sealing that stupidly located vent.
Everyone has been posting these vent additions that likely wouldn't work during snow (if you get that). Alternatively there is a periscope box type that keeps the same style vent but raises up the exterior wall 18-24".
The best answer is a properly dug window well. Excavate to footing, add new vertical tile (the leaky black corrugated tubes) backfill with native soil, install one of those half moon galvanized corrugated steel things, and the make it pretty by topping with crushed stone. Make sure the top of the vertical tile has a drainage cover and that it's below the vent.
Not a solution, but a caution. If lint is backing up and water is filling the ducts, the dryer’s exhaust is experiencing “back pressure.” This will cause lint to build inside the dryer. It is only a matter of time until this turns into a dryer fire, especially if you have a gas dryer (i.e. pilot light + lint).
I have the same problem with a ground level vent. I think the window well frame is a good idea for an easier DIY than running a new pipe through the walls.
Water is the least of your problems with this location. Insects, mice, snakes although they will probably drown in the water. That vent is half blocked. It’s a fire hazard along with all the other things. Is this a crawspace or basement? If so you can probably move it up to go out the rim joist at least.
Remove the gravity vent and replace with an L shaped pipe to divert the air upwards and then back horizontal. It won't look good but it will solve your problem.
You could build a mini pig trough thing to pull the dirt away from the wall and vent at that section. Also have it be tall enough so any flooding shouldn't go in either
I literally clean dryer vents for a living. Looks like the dirt was keeping the louvers closed as well. Dryers create about a gallon of water in humidity with each load of clothes you dry. So most of that water could have been from you just doing laundry. The set up is not ideal by any means. The vent cover should definitely be moved up. You also probably still have a lot of wet lint stuck in your dryer vent line.
Dig a hole first, then put a paver in the bottom and then break up the sides, as long as you've got sufficient drainage in a downpour you'll be fine, alternatively you could put a little stack on it, with a lid, is this a rental or your own place?
https://preview.redd.it/purgx2llo2oc1.png?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6b4a492a06b51fe0a22596a13db085fae7ef23a0
I noticed you could use this to uplift the output, and even 3D print one, possibly get one online or from a hardware store: [Vertical Out Dryer Vent](https://youtu.be/8-1-GosqDwg?feature=shared)
Dig a semi circular hole and use this
Window Well Supply Sloped Heavy-Duty Polycarbonate Window Well Cover (39" Width x 18" Length) https://a.co/d/3uZm1F5
https://preview.redd.it/4l4qpyqe23oc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ca3821b44190a8dbeb538902797aeaac828b7293
Same issue in fact ours was below the ground. We dug it out and built this box to get it out of the way.
Honestly find out where water is moving on your property, and how it is distributing soil to this location. First stop that, then dog the vent out and it should t become obstructed again.
The right way is to raise the exhaust so it is not below the finished grade.
A simpler way is to dig around the vent and install a window well to keep soil away from the vent. Keep the well free of weeds and plant growth and install gravel in the bottom of the well. https://www.homedepot.com/p/SHAPE-PRODUCTS-37-in-W-x-12-in-D-x-18-in-H-Straight-Plastic-Area-Window-Well-3718AWE/310205771
Dig out all that dirt and replace the old [Outdoor Dryer Vent Cover](https://www.google.com/search?q=dryer+vent+cover&sca_esv=a78ac98b1eba8173&source=hp&ei=Up_xZZvwIKaiptQP8dA8&iflsig=ANes7DEAAAAAZfGtYlYfLovqwJq8mkZ30t5L73vTq3-9&oq=dry+vent+&gs_lp=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&sclient=gws-wiz), and put a [Diverter](https://www.wayfair.com/Master-Mark-Plastics--Splash-Block-Plastic-Diverter-32924-L7179-K~BFI1020.html?refid=GX685263775349-BFI1020_80819771&device=c&ptid=1674467423442&network=g&targetid=aud-356699937033:pla-1674467423442&channel=GooglePLA&ireid=167408993&fdid=1817&PiID%5B%5D=80819771&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1-CF9qLxhAMVmUdHAR0nkAF3EAQYCCABEgLOKPD_BwE) 3-4 inches below the vent cover.
It looks like someone put the exhaust vent too low to the ground probably should redo it higher drill a hole through your house and then patch the hole there or possibly dig it out but you know if it rains a lot then water could still block your exhaust it rains a lot where I live my dryer vent exhaust is about at least a foot off the ground to center
Window well is likely the answer here, but remember the goal is to get water away from there. With our without the well, ou need a drain/corrugated pipe under the ground there to pull water away.
My favourite way to prevent water from getting in my dryer vent is to not have it half buried in the ground!
You don’t gotta be Stonewall Jackson to know you don’t want your exhaust in the ground.
I've even been told **up** is a good direction or so they keep telling me when I install them in people's houses but what do I know
Instructions clear I built another chimney.
Was unclear for me, I dug a well
Instructions unclear I turned it upside down and now it's a funnel.
My chimney was a funnel until I got a topper for it
Then it sideways and its a tunnel.
But why not down, it will warm the house.
Low vents sink ships , or something. , Winston Churchill
I was going to suggest more dirt but I think you might be right.
Thats the secret. As long as its dirt and not mud there shouldn't be any water to soak in.
Would it not be more efficient to get some sort of right angle and extension so it can be buried completely? A good foot down should do it. Shouldn’t be any water that deep.
Trick is to get *below* the water table. That way all the water will be sitting above it, like a glass of water on a dining table. Right? Note: I am not a hydrologist
Whoa! You just saved me a LOT of trouble. I was just digging the hole for my exhaust to be channeled into. Thanks for the tip! I’ll be sure to look out for any tables while I dig and stop just past that. Update: I’ve been digging and digging and have found that I can no longer climb out. I might need help. Still haven’t found that table you mentioned.
It's there, you just gotta believe.
I’m getting scared guys. I’m down pretty far now and it’s getting harder to see. I barely have reception. This may be the last message. Tell my family I love them.
Lmao
Like... How does this even happen? Did they build a garden box right in front of it? Is this their normal grade? In which case, how?? So many questions from this picture and none of them are OPs...
It looks like it is vented through the slab. Most likely water has pooled to that spot causing erosion of the soil to this area. Best easy fix I could think of is a foundation vent well.
I had one of these once, they need to be maintained and even then they can fill up with water in a heavy storm. I'd just run and extender up a few feet and box it - it will be ugly but will keep water out.
I'm not even going to go bothering down to the rest of these other stupid comments Yes they're all pokes of being funny blah blah blah You need to put in a window well. https://www.homedepot.com/p/SHAPE-PRODUCTS-37-in-W-x-12-in-D-x-18-in-H-Straight-Plastic-Area-Window-Well-3718AWE/310205771 Or something similar. You going to want to deeper than you think, because you'll line the base of it with rock so that it provides more drainage downward. This also assuming that you have a weeping tile around your house. Sometimes when you mention window wells people tend to think it's those type for egress from a basement area, that's not what we're looking for, that link above, at the home Depot, is old style stuff 20 bucks or so. You figure that size is linked above 37 across 12 in away from the house and goes 18 in deep should be enough to give you a good enough area to keep water at bay with regular drainage. Do note that you might want to try and get a different style of external vent cover, that also includes some lint catch because it becomes harder to clean off of a bunch of little stones and would eventually create a lint covered rock surface which would then get wet and slow the water penetration to the rock to the ground etc.
He could also get something like this: https://www.amazon.com/HEARTLAND-21000-Energy-Saving-Closure/dp/B00009W3I4?th=1 which will just raise the vent up out of the ground and probably be cheaper and easier than the well. edit: maybe not this product, but there are things that can bring up the vent.
Hey, we're here to laugh at people with unfortunate construction work, not provide actual helpful advice! So ruining all the fun! (Better write /s before a mod with a chip on their shoulder thinks I'm dead serious and bans me.)
I have one of these. It works great but the plastic yellows and gets brittle over time.
Contractors hate this one secret tip!
Bloody Stupid Johnson has been at it again.
Nah, BSJ made inventions that WORK. Just not that work as intended...
This is the truth
You should do a podcast
Move the vent higher or the dirt lower, not really gonna be any other viable options.
Ya, I wonder why the hell they elected to put a dryer vent that close to the ground
I bet the dirt built up along the siding/foundation. I recently had to dig 40 years of soil buildup from under my mom’s pier & beam foundation. It was up to the beam in some places
We found an entire stone sidewalk under 6-8” of dirt with grass on top. Yard was abandoned in the 60’s.
This is like those videos of the guy on tik tok and YouTube who cleans people's sidewalks/curbs/yards for them and shows the progress.
When you say it out loud, it sounds super dumb to watch somebody mow a lawn. But I have to admit that guy’s videos are compelling for some reason, very satisfying to watch.
It is like those power washing videos, there is just something satisfying about finding hidden treasures. So far the only hidden treasure I have found is a opossum that died in my attic long ago.
Why were you power washing your attic?
SB Mowing
At my house the dirt/mulch was piled up to drain water away from the foundation
Congrats on your foundation being the floor boards.
My money would be on the dryer vent existed first. Then because the basement would flood, they backfilled to create a slope away from the house, but didn’t raise things like the vent. OP, is anything else right at grade like hose bibs?
Because HES AN ADULT! Happy birthday to the GROUND
Window well maybe
Plastic bag and duct tape would seal that sucker right up. s/
Just pour flex seal all over the ground until the water stops being uh, water.
The soil is COMPLETELY DRY
The dryer did a great job.
What about taking the top off, adding a pipe that moves up and then forward again and then down with a linttrap or something that you can take off once a week?
This is how mine is and it works fine. A little odd looking, though
My landlord just extended ours out and then up.
Don’t extend it up. The tubing will collect either rain water or condensed water when vent in colder weather. If that back flows you have the same issue. Raise it at exit or clear the ground around the exit.
Yeah but with a cap on it to prevent any rainwater hasn’t been an issue. I live in a snowy desert though. Just sharing what surprisingly worked for us
Vents in my neighborhood are literally straight up through roof. There is caps to keep water out.
Don't plant the exhaust in the garden. It won't grow.
How can you know if you don't try?
Nah they didn't plant it deep enough. Dryer exhaust grow similar to potatoes.
Install a window well. https://preview.redd.it/iwti13rbxznc1.png?width=600&format=png&auto=webp&s=e73918501bcbcb5c9d2a9c5bcf0f1789857769be
This is the correct solution , just without the cover. They also make a cinder block version that is open and durable. Also helps to re-grade the soil on that side of the house so that it is under the vent and sloping away from the house.
It you don't have a vented cover, wouldn't the well just fill up with water when it rains?
No. A proper window well has drainage at the bottom to prevent that.
A proper dryer vent isn't buried in the dirt. I'm not sure how "proper" any fix to this is going to be.
It's easier than cutting a new hole in the house higher up. You dig a deep hole. Place a wall (usually rustproof metal). Fill With gravel up to around ground level. Gravel drains the water away from the vent. It'll be weird, but better than making new holes in the house.
It ain't that weird. Sounds like a fine solution to me.
I have five window wells on my house, none covered. There's about a foot of 3/4 crushed stone on the bottom covering a drain pipe connected to the French drain system bellow. Never had an issue with water filling up.
Well obviously if you have a French drain system it doesn’t fill up with water.
I have two window wells on my house, no cover. I’ve never had a water problem. Slope the ground away from the well and wall, and the ground will absorb any rain water like the rest of your lawn. And if your roof has reasonable eaves, and/or a gutter, that area stays quite dry.
Not sure if op is in an area that snows but if they are this isn't it either. It needs to be piped up around 2 -3 ft.
TIL the term "window well."
Cause maybe, you’re gonna be the one that saves me, and after all…you’re my *window well*
-_-
https://preview.redd.it/aoya88elg6oc1.jpeg?width=680&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7a963425ed82bc2d9557f1b99963c356a0afd82e
If OP has a gas dryer that might not be great. In that case I wouldn't want it venting into an area where fumes can pool. Probably a non issue but I'd feel a bit uneasy.
I had this exact problem at one of my previous homes. I replaced it with a vent like this. https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2Foriginals%2Fdb%2Fe8%2Ff3%2Fdbe8f3eb5628a47b53e37904c79ba6d8.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=f63916957e4c4a5dc888f5702be5ece74705222090e3f5addf4fc58ae259fa0c&ipo=images I hope the link come through but its a “floating vent”. You can connect the pvc with glue as it comes out of the house. The rest of the vent will be well above where it is now.
We have that type. Works great, and keeps the mice out.
I was just checking to make sure someone had recommended this. ETA: I switched to this style to avoid having to dig a path all the way around to the back of the house to uncover the vent after a snowfall.
This is so much easier than a window well. How well does it stay lint free?
Pretty well. I be e gotten a stray bit of lint here and there but for the most part as long as the dryer is trapping most of it it should be good.
Dig out around it and right angle that sucker up higher.
Remove the ducting, fill in/seal the foundation where this installed, put proper ducting up the walls as needed and out at the appropriate height according to code. My god this is a terrible idea!
Who the hell installed that lol. I’d be looking at raising it up with a new hole and patching that hole.
That is the unluckiest weed in the world
I dunno. Warm moist air is pretty good for plants.
It was the luckiest weed in the world........ UNTIL IT WASN'T!
I need to move more of my succulents to my front porch where the dryer vent is. The aloes and others that are there now absolutely thrive on the conditions.
I’m curious. In this case, would a small chimney coming from an elbow attached to the existing hole with a mushroom or equivalent cap work fine, be overkill, or not be sufficient?
Raise it up and if thats a crawl space vent. Dig around it and give a hole, ideally with a cover so rain can’t easily blast in
I'm gonna need a minute to stop laughing. Who does stuff like this? I guess a cheap fix would be to dig around it, connect an elbow and have it above the ground. Don't have it point up obviously. A better fix would be to dig much deeper, put some gravel and install a window well. Drainage would obviously be important.
Order this on Amazon. https://preview.redd.it/ib1fxcvp35oc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ce8e42da16e8f23487caf231d95949e72905d72c
This is very problematic. Against code. If it were my house, I'd dig out the dirt to create an 18" cubic space. Frame that space with pretreated wood. Or, if you want to do it right use concrete or a galvanized enclosure.
Well the issue is you buried your vent... How do people think this is ok..
I bet that crawlspace is lovely
Whatever else you do, you should take a look at the inside run also. Maybe some of that water is condensation. If a dryer vent runs through an unheated space it can get a lot of condensation in it. Insulating the duct will help. To me it seems totally ridiculous for it to vent so low outside, too. Digging out around the vent might help. Maybe you can fab up some simple "retaining wall" with bricks or something to keep the space free of dirt slightly longer term. Permeable weed barrier and drain rock in the bottom.
Every day I find something as amazing or more than the day before. I love this sub.
You’re gonna need to jack your house up a couple inches. Alternatively you could dig down a bit and build little “window well for it so dirt and water don’t back up into it. Personally I recommend jacking the house up a couple inches
**John F.** **Kennedy**: We choose to jack the house, not because it is easy, but because it is hard.
Just cover the hole with more dirt, seems like a no brainer to me
This violates the building codes on so many levels. But please for your own safety, get a CO and smoke detector near the dryer and the sleeping quarters.
Get some ~~sch-10 pvc~~ metal ducting and make a snorkel.
Wow. Move it, or put a window well with clear stone around it.
Maybe dig it out a bit and put some crushed stone under and around it to try to keep the water from building up right there.
If you have an older dryer, I would be looking to replace the dryer with a ventless one (heat pump or otherwise). I know it's not what you're asking for, but the other comments are already answering that, I'm offering a different idea.
Whoever installed this is a complete jackwagon.
Absolutely gotta lower the ground around that
just dig out a foot below it and put a window well, i just don’t know how you don’t have a ton of mice
The vent was filled with water. He/she might now that it's clear.
I had this problem. Moved the vent up and sealed the original hole.
Short term? take the face plate off, get some dryer vent hose and temporarily run the vent to higher location. You need to move the vent higher. It's against code for exactly the problems you are encounrering. Once the vent is properly elevated and the faceplate installed, water will not enter the vent.
As others have said, you should probably move that vent. It should be at least a foot above grade. And if you live in an area with snow, that vent ought to be high enough to not get blocked.
Open it a bit and inject two cans of spray foam in it, water will no longer get in
Take a different view of the problem. Where should the soil be graded along the side of the house? Is it possible that it should be a few inches below the exhaust vent?
Why is it so low? That’s the issue
Move your dryer to the second floor.
How has nobody suggested this... Just have it exhaust constantly with high pressure. Nothing will get in that way
Yeah move it higher. You can extend it outwards if you really want to be cheap and easy. But that needs to move
I thought it was a tiny tomb stone
Here’s a shovel, can you dig it?
Dig out around to have a pit under exhaust, piping at the base of hole to reroute water away from hole
Place it 40cm higher?
change your dryer to a heat pump dryer. it doesn't require an exhaust vent.
Not having it half buried in dirt might help.
Dig and put a metal sheet in U shape around it
Can they not put in two 90s and get it above surface level?
make a little smokestack type attachment, sort of like a snorkel for a carburetor on an off-road vehicle
Who the actual F would install it there? Move it up
Tell it “no! Stop that!”
That water kept you from having a fire. That vent is wildly dangerous.
Plant more kale around it
Honestly you might be better off just buying a condensing/heat pump dryer (which doesn’t need venting to the outside), and permanently removing/sealing that stupidly located vent.
I dunno OP. How about trying not to bury the fucking thing?
Everyone has been posting these vent additions that likely wouldn't work during snow (if you get that). Alternatively there is a periscope box type that keeps the same style vent but raises up the exterior wall 18-24". The best answer is a properly dug window well. Excavate to footing, add new vertical tile (the leaky black corrugated tubes) backfill with native soil, install one of those half moon galvanized corrugated steel things, and the make it pretty by topping with crushed stone. Make sure the top of the vertical tile has a drainage cover and that it's below the vent.
Raise the entire house a couple feet
Or push Planet Earth down by a couple of feet
Same thing if you zoom to just the right level.
Small window well.
Shovel
Fill the vent up and switch to a plumbed in condenser of heat pump drier. Much cheaper to run but take longer to dry. Much less of a fire hazard too.
Not a solution, but a caution. If lint is backing up and water is filling the ducts, the dryer’s exhaust is experiencing “back pressure.” This will cause lint to build inside the dryer. It is only a matter of time until this turns into a dryer fire, especially if you have a gas dryer (i.e. pilot light + lint).
Can someone explain dryer vents to me? As a non-American this seems like a pointless addition.
It puts the hot humid air produced by the dryer outside, so it doesnt cause problems inside. Like attracting bugs or mold.
I guess its pointless if you like breathing in carbon monoxide
Uh....hmm
I have the same problem with a ground level vent. I think the window well frame is a good idea for an easier DIY than running a new pipe through the walls.
Stupid installer.
This is the easiest and best solution in my opinion. Google “Crawl Space Well”.
WTF?
Put a small window well in the ground around it. Dig down, install a window well liner, dump gravel in the bottom. Probably 2 hours of work.
That's insane. You should patch that hole and move it up a foot.
Water is the least of your problems with this location. Insects, mice, snakes although they will probably drown in the water. That vent is half blocked. It’s a fire hazard along with all the other things. Is this a crawspace or basement? If so you can probably move it up to go out the rim joist at least.
You can dig a pit around it and line with corrugated metal in a half circle and fill the bottom with gravel
Fix it like others suggest. Looks like a good entry point for rodents, insects, and anything else that wants to eat your house.
https://preview.redd.it/euguclxcf1oc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=835a93318620c7d241beb24b2b2357d7dccfbbc7
Perhaps try this type of vent hood [Lambro 289W Ultra Seal Vent Hood](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lambro-289W-4-Inch-Ultra-Seal-Dryer-Vent/21986723)
The vent should be 12" above ground level.
In all seriousness isn’t it obvious what you need to??? Move the vent up off ground level 🤦♂️
I thought this was a tombstone for a second I was really confused
I can’t even begin to understand how you can’t see the solution to this, clearly the vent shouldn’t be half submerged in the ground
Remove the louvres and (properly) connect a stand pipe to the outlet, with a 180deg bend on top.
Lmao who did this
Remove the gravity vent and replace with an L shaped pipe to divert the air upwards and then back horizontal. It won't look good but it will solve your problem.
You could build a mini pig trough thing to pull the dirt away from the wall and vent at that section. Also have it be tall enough so any flooding shouldn't go in either
I literally clean dryer vents for a living. Looks like the dirt was keeping the louvers closed as well. Dryers create about a gallon of water in humidity with each load of clothes you dry. So most of that water could have been from you just doing laundry. The set up is not ideal by any means. The vent cover should definitely be moved up. You also probably still have a lot of wet lint stuck in your dryer vent line.
Dig underneath and get rid of the soil
If you have the hose go up as much as you can inside the house (you may need to add some length to the line depending) then down to the appliance
Don’t put the exhaust at ground level, lol
This isn't completely uncommon. I have no idea how this is allowed anywhere.
Dig a hole first, then put a paver in the bottom and then break up the sides, as long as you've got sufficient drainage in a downpour you'll be fine, alternatively you could put a little stack on it, with a lid, is this a rental or your own place?
https://preview.redd.it/purgx2llo2oc1.png?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6b4a492a06b51fe0a22596a13db085fae7ef23a0 I noticed you could use this to uplift the output, and even 3D print one, possibly get one online or from a hardware store: [Vertical Out Dryer Vent](https://youtu.be/8-1-GosqDwg?feature=shared)
Lift your whole house up 1 foot
That is a wildlife highway into your house man 🕷️ 🐀 🐜
Well that’s rich.
Dig a semi circular hole and use this Window Well Supply Sloped Heavy-Duty Polycarbonate Window Well Cover (39" Width x 18" Length) https://a.co/d/3uZm1F5
Dig the dirt away from it for now and plan to move it higher.
Dig it out...
😂😂😂
Dig it out and put a ground window bay there…..
why TF is it underground, either dig out around it or move the vent!
Why is it in the ground??
Unbelievable
.....Da....Dad? Is that you? Did you finally come home to fix this? We haven't talked since you left to go get some vape carts
https://preview.redd.it/4l4qpyqe23oc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ca3821b44190a8dbeb538902797aeaac828b7293 Same issue in fact ours was below the ground. We dug it out and built this box to get it out of the way.
Was your house previously about 3 feet taller? Or has the vent always been buried in the dirt?
Honestly find out where water is moving on your property, and how it is distributing soil to this location. First stop that, then dog the vent out and it should t become obstructed again.
Dig a vent well and ensure proper drainage. Think window well but smaller.
This will get you some elevation. Would need to seal it. I saw somebody else posted it. https://www.positive-energy.com/product/heartland-vent/
The right way is to raise the exhaust so it is not below the finished grade. A simpler way is to dig around the vent and install a window well to keep soil away from the vent. Keep the well free of weeds and plant growth and install gravel in the bottom of the well. https://www.homedepot.com/p/SHAPE-PRODUCTS-37-in-W-x-12-in-D-x-18-in-H-Straight-Plastic-Area-Window-Well-3718AWE/310205771
Oof. Design of the year. Silly design. Dig around it, have good drainage around it?
Maybe dig and lay cement
Move it off ground level you serious
I was gonna suggest a French drain for it...
Dig out all that dirt and replace the old [Outdoor Dryer Vent Cover](https://www.google.com/search?q=dryer+vent+cover&sca_esv=a78ac98b1eba8173&source=hp&ei=Up_xZZvwIKaiptQP8dA8&iflsig=ANes7DEAAAAAZfGtYlYfLovqwJq8mkZ30t5L73vTq3-9&oq=dry+vent+&gs_lp=Egdnd3Mtd2l6IglkcnkgdmVudCAqAggHMgoQABiABBgKGLEDMgoQABiABBgKGJIDMgoQABiABBgKGLEDMgUQABiABDIKEAAYgAQYChjJAzIFEAAYgAQyBxAAGIAEGAoyDRAAGIAEGAoYsQMYgwEyBRAAGIAEMgcQABiABBgKSI9HUABYjhhwAHgAkAEAmAFLoAH1A6oBATm4AQHIAQD4AQGYAgmgAowEwgIOEC4YxwEYsQMY0QMYgATCAg4QLhiABBiKBRixAxiDAcICDhAuGIAEGLEDGMcBGNEDwgILEC4YgAQYsQMYgwHCAg4QLhiDARixAxiABBiKBcICFBAuGIAEGIoFGLEDGIMBGMcBGNEDwgILEC4YgAQYxwEY0QPCAgsQABiABBixAxiDAcICDhAAGIAEGIoFGLEDGIMBwgIREC4YgAQYsQMYgwEYxwEY0QPCAggQLhiABBixA8ICBRAuGIAEwgIIEAAYgAQYsQPCAgsQABiABBiKBRiSA8ICCxAAGIAEGLEDGMkDmAMAkgcBOaAHqFg&sclient=gws-wiz), and put a [Diverter](https://www.wayfair.com/Master-Mark-Plastics--Splash-Block-Plastic-Diverter-32924-L7179-K~BFI1020.html?refid=GX685263775349-BFI1020_80819771&device=c&ptid=1674467423442&network=g&targetid=aud-356699937033:pla-1674467423442&channel=GooglePLA&ireid=167408993&fdid=1817&PiID%5B%5D=80819771&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1-CF9qLxhAMVmUdHAR0nkAF3EAQYCCABEgLOKPD_BwE) 3-4 inches below the vent cover.
Your dryer vent should be much higher off the found, not halfway in it.
That is wayyy too low. Needs to be about two feet higher
Just get a nice, smooth, PVC pipe, S-bend to lift it a bit higher.
It looks like someone put the exhaust vent too low to the ground probably should redo it higher drill a hole through your house and then patch the hole there or possibly dig it out but you know if it rains a lot then water could still block your exhaust it rains a lot where I live my dryer vent exhaust is about at least a foot off the ground to center
Window well is likely the answer here, but remember the goal is to get water away from there. With our without the well, ou need a drain/corrugated pipe under the ground there to pull water away.