E.G. from Middlesex, New Jersey writes:
Dear Mister Condo,
I own this Condo for 10 years I just found out this year after having my dryer vent cleaning every other year that there Is no exit to my dryer vent – All the lint is gathering in my attic I have contacted the HOA on July 5 advising them this matter and as of today I still haven’t received an answer because I need their permission to either put a hole in the siding of the building or on the roof who can I go to to get them to approve this matter would that be something I should contact the fire department. Thank you for your help
Mister Condo replies:
E.G., I am sorry for your disappointment and I understand your concern. Venting a dryer into an open area in the roof is an unfortunately common solution taken by condo developers to avoid the expense and unsightliness of exterior vents. However, there may be nothing illegal or worthy of alerting your local fire department. That being said, you could certainly ask the Board to consider allowing a vent to the exterior for your condo and even the entire association. It would be a large project that would ideally involve all units so that the architectural integrity of the units could be managed. In other words, having one unit vent through the roof while another vents through the side might look terrible. Having only some unit with vents while others had none would look strange as well. My guess is that the Board will decide to keep things well enough alone but it is worth asking. All the best!
You can check with your municipality building dept to see if the 2018 International Mechanical Code section 504.1 applies “…Dryer exhaust systems shall be independent of all other systems and shall convey the moisture and any products of combustion to the outside of the building.”