Blog Details

ICYMI: The Most Common 4 Inch “Gooseneck” is No Longer Code-Compliant for Dryer Vent Covers

For the application of Dryer Vent dampers (aka covers), there are issues with these goosenecks most especially the small 4-inch goosenecks. For the record, I didn’t coin the term “Gooseneck”, it seems to be the common vernacular that roofers use to reference the product, due to the shape and look of it resembling a gooseneck / goose’s head. The reality of these products no matter that size is that – as far as I know and my research shows they were never designed for dryer vents.

There are different sizes of these products, I’ve personally seen the most common size to be 4 inch (applied to dryer vents and bathroom vents), along with 6 inch and 12 inch (also applied to dryer vents, bathroom vents and oven vents). But because they were never intentionally designed for dryer vents (like the product we recommend) – they come up quite short in it’s application for dryer vents.

Roofers for years have used these goosenecks for the application of dryer vents, thinking they are a suitable and adequate product that can be interchangeably used for various (aforementioned) vents. I don’t necessarily fault roofers for this, because my policy is, “You don’t know, what you don’t know”. So I believe and would like to give the benefit of doubt that the roofers don’t see the after math that we do when it comes to these products not being a good choice for dryer vent application. I’d like to extend that principle to them likely not knowing about THE BEST product on the market for dryer vents – The Dryer Jack, sold by a Jupiter, FL based company and MADE IN AMERICA! But before I go into a little more detail about the Dryer Jack, leading you to the same conclusion that I have, I do need to go ahead and mention and explain how the most common sized gooseneck (4 inch) no longer meets code. The international code on this recently changed (2018) and Florida adopted it and it took effect January 1st, 2021.  

   Check out 504.4.1 It writes:
“The Passage of dryer exhaust duct terminals shall be undiminished in size and shall provide an open area of not less than 12.5 square inches (8065 mm2)

I’m 100% sure those small goosenecks do NOT have an “open area” that is “12.5 square inches” or greater, I’m sure because I spoke with the manufacturer of these products and they sent me the specs which provided confirmation. The 4inch gooseneck has an “open area” of 11sq inches which according to the code change in 2018 is NOT sufficient. 

Aside from the code issue, as you’ll see in the attached pictures they seem to be quite problematic for about 90% or so of our customers. Some vent hoods that the manufacturer tries to pitch as “interchangeable” for bathroom and dryer vents will actually have embossed writing on the vent hood that state “if this is applied as a dryer vent you must remove the screen” – while others do not have that writing on it and of course the screen is still in there and often neglected to be removed (Even with the writing on it, from my experience it’s often not removed, although required to by code).

The design 4inch gooseneck restrict airflow causing back-pressure (which you’ll see a demonstration of below!). Furthermore the 6 and 12 inch sizes don’t optimize the airflow because of 1) the interior size 2) the style of the opening/ mouth of it. Because of the 4 inch size as you can see, lint easily clogs up and depending on usage can start clogging up in as little as 12-18 months.

What can even compound the problem is when you have roofers apply these 4 inch sizes that do not have a high-clearance “neck” to tile roofs creating an EXTREMELY low profile situation that does nothing but compound the problem!

You think an extremely low profile vent hood like this will create sub-par dryer performance/ energy? The answer is absolutely YES. Because not only the inherent problem already mentioned above with the 4 inch gooseneck but because the opening is in some cases less than 3 inches or not even an INCH from actually clearing the tile. I mean, it’s almost acting as a blockage at that point, similar to if a roofer accidentally shingles of the dryer vent and the vent is within 3 inches of clearing the roof. The tile obstruction due to the low clearance creates additional back-pressure.

If your dryer is not running optimally it can and possibly effect the lifespan of your appliance and the parts within the machine. In the case of a clog, it can overheat your dryer, cause heat related stress on the parts causing part failure, (dryer repair ie. Heating element, thermal fuse and thermostat) is very common due to vent issues/ clogs – more on the consequences of a clog in a different article.

This is EXACTLY why we recommend the Dryer Jack, and the latest model the 477 is a real work of art that’s made here in America and sold by a company in Jupiter, FL called Innovate.

Roof Vent Testing by Dryer Jack

The Dryer Jack models are all fantastic. They have models for tile roof (higher profile), flat roofs and of course shingle and metal roofs. We highly recommend incorporating the “Roof Neck” with them also when the sister product is able to used. To view all dryer jack models go to www.DryerJack.com

In closing with some good news, I’ve had a partnership with a Rockledge based Roofing Contractor for several years now who helps us install these for our customers who want them. You may or may not know that Florida and California are (I believe) the only states that require a licensed roofer to do any amount of roof work. Even if that’s not the case we are going to “stay in our lane” and let professional roofers do that work on our behalf (with Nate or a Certified Technician Present), because we excel in any and all things dryer vent related – not roofs.

Please inquire with us if you’re interested about having a dryer jack installed!

Picture of Nathan Cox

Nathan Cox

Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Nathan Cox is a veteran and owner of Nate's Dryer Vent Cleaning serving Brevard County Florida and surrounding areas. Learn more about us and our services here.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *