The next best type of venting is semi rigid. It's flexible like foil but as safe as rigid (you want it to contain any type of dryer fire).

Foil ducting will simply melt if there's a fire in the dryer and will quickly spread to surrounding areas.

When I see the subcontractor signs on construction site fences, the HVAC companies signs often list a bunch of stuff including ducting, so they may do it.

My dryer has a short length of flexible metal ducting (not the thin foil dryer duct but that corrugated aluminum stuff) that provides enough give that the w/d stack can be pulled away from the wall. I'm not sure that is the "right" way to do it but the dryer manual ok'ed it. It's an electric dryer though.

Thanks for the input...now if I could just find someone to install semi-rigid venting. Called a few plumbing/slash heating companies today, no luck.

Could it be a liability issue? Any other suggestions on who to call?

I would try a Handyman service or try calling a mom & pop appliance shop and see if they can at least give you some suggestions who can do it. They may have some tips.

If you have a long duct run you want most of it rigid because it offers less resistance and traps less lint. It only takes a short length of the semi rigid duct at the dryer to allow you to pull it out.

Dryer venting is normally a handyman concept. Will the appliance store where you were buying the dryer from arrange for the venting too? Have you looked at the current venting long enough to see what the connection looks like?

They now sell what looks like a small fence that wraps around the top of your washer and dryer expressly to prevent things from falling down behind there. I don't believe people go behind and clean...

Even if you don't clean behind it you still need access to the back in case it needs service. In some laundry room setups you need to pull the dryer out some to be able to reach behind to unplug it and disconnect the vent duct so it can be pulled out all the way.

My laundry room so small. In order to service the machines one or the other would need pulled out..the washer and dryer both have 2 inches away from the wall with a 6 inch space between them..hubs initially wanted them against each other, I quickly changed his thinking on that.

Practigal, we pull our machines out one at a time every 4 months clean the dryer out, clean behind everything, the walls the floor, ect. A lot of dust will accumulate back there. But I know this isn't the norm for most folks outside of this forum. We helped some people move last year..ya should have seen the laundry room, the washer and dryer were dang near glued to the floor, the floor was rust on top of grime on top of rust the walls and everything covered in filth..yet the rest of their home immaculate. Lol.

So mama and fishcow, how much of the rigid vent do you have to have to be able to pull the dryer out?

To have the shortest dryer run possible, we first back the dryer directly into the vent opening... The washing machine with its longer hoses goes in second.

practigal...huh...so no semi-rigid vent, your dryer just sort of "docks" into the vent? Ours is a first floor laundry room and there is a vent hose that connects to the dryer, goes through the wall and down the basement, between joists and out the back of the house. This is the foil vent hose that I am trying to replace but can't find anyone to do it. My handyman is busy through December, and after watching george's video, I'm anxious to get it done ASAP.

I wonder if I could DIY?

I have like 2 feet of semirigid ducting, just enough to pull the stacked washer and dryer out from the wall to reach behind and disconnect the duct. I only have about 6' of duct total because it vents directly out the side of the house without going into the crawlspace.

If your duct runs down through the wall you can do the semirigid duct until the wall, then rigid in the wall and in the basement. My dad and I installed the dryer venting, and I installed the vent and ducting for my bathroom fan. It isn't difficult at all. I haven't looked but there should be good online instructions. If you DIY it I would start replacing the foil stuff at the outside vent and work your way towards the dryer. That way you if you don't finish it in one day you can hook the old and new ducts up temporarily.

There is the remodeling forum and the appliance forum for help on GW.

The ducting may be easy. If you don't normally do it yourself, it will be more of a challenge but as far as dyi projects go this probably rates a one or two on a scale of 10 in terms of difficulty.. That being said how the vent snakes through your house could be an issue. You'll have to take a look and decide. you should also look on YouTube for some "how to" videos. if you decide to do it, my only real advice is to try to figure out in advance absolutely everything you might need on the project (so many feet of duct, so many bends, the little tighteners that hold everything together, and probably some duct tape, none of that is particularly expensive but be sure and note the size of the duct on the back of the new dryer and and any venting requirements in the instructions and be sure to buy the right size ducts) that way you won't find yourself making endless trips back-and-forth to the store and burn all your free time on the weekend. Buy it from a store that is easy with their returns, use what you use and promptly return everything that you did not use.

Good advice. Thank you all!

Yes to everything practigal said - definitely buy extra supplies and return what you don't use. You will also need tin snips and hanger straps for the duct in the basement. Also, check the exterior vent to make sure it's clean and in good shape.

These instructions from Home Depot aren't the most detailed but look accurate to me:

http://www.homedepot.com/c/how_to_install_dryer_vent_HT_PG_AP