do tenants perform required upkeep on ventless dryers?

Question

I am considering whether to put in a 240V circuit w/ a vented dryer or a 120V circuit w/ a ventless dryer. The ventless dryer requires a bit more upkeep: you have to empty a water pan every 2-3 loads and clean an additional filter. For those of you who use, or have used, ventless dryers: how likely are the tenants to do the required maintenance? My guess is 'less likely' than w/ a vented dryer since there is more maintenance to do and they are likely not familiar w/ the maintenance that needs to be done, but I'm curious what your experience is. And of course, I would attempt to educate the tenants on how to do the maintenance.

Thanks for the help!

Chris Seveney · Answer

I have installed ventless before and would not recommend having the tenants maintain it, I would get a HVAC company to go out 2x a year to maintain the dryer as well as change filters and perform other HVAC maintenance.

Chris Morris · Answer

Thanks Chris. I am looking to use these in mid-term rentals, actually. So you think maintenance 2x a year is sufficient?

Payton Haight · Answer

Hi Chris,

As someone who currently has a ventless dryer in one of their furnished units, I would recommend putting in a regular 240V vented dryer if you reasonably can. Especially if you plan to hold the property for a while. If it's cost prohibitive, the 120V ventless dryer works but I wouldn't count on any regular maintenance from tenants. If you are doing long-term rentals I wouldn't provide a dryer for a 240V set up in my market. Not providing a dryer for a 120V set up might be trickier since that is less common.

Payton Haight · Answer

That seems reasonable. If guests are staying 3-6 months on average - adding it in as part of your cleaning routine may be the easiest way to do it.

Chris Morris · Answer

Thanks Payton. These will be mid-term rentals and I was considering having maintenance performed by the cleaners every 3-6 months. Do you think that would be sufficient?