DIY Dryer Pedestal

74-911 · 11-23-2010, 06:15 AM

Wife decided putting the clothes dryer on a pedestal would make it much easier to load/unload. After checking out the pedestal prices at the local big box, I wandered over to the shelving department and purchased some 1" x 12" melamine shelving.

Cut a square base with the dimensions of the dryer, a couple of pieces for the top, put 2 1/2 nails in the finish nailer, nailed it all together and the DIY pedestal was ready to install.

The existing vent went straight out the wall behind the dryer into the garage, a 90 degree elbow then a 25' run to the exterior wall vent. The pedestal required using 2 additional 90 degree elbows to hook up to the existing vent.

Caveat:
When testing, it was obvious the air flow volume was greatly reduced at the outside vent and the first dryer load of wet towels took a lot longer than usual to dry. Three 90 degree bends back to back and a 25' run were a definite no go. Depending on how your dryer is vented, this could be a problem if you have to add 90 degree elbows.

My solution was to make a new vent cutout at the height of the raised dryer vent, raise the vent pipe in the garage to the new height and go back to 1 - 90 elbow.

Setup looks a bit strange as the dryer controls are at the top rear of the dryer and the dryer is much higher than the washer but it is functional and the dryer is much easier to load/unload.

Zeke · 11-23-2010, 07:36 AM

That would have saved me the cost of 2 front load machines and pedestals.

BTW, to those reading this, if one were to make a pedestal for a front load washer out of the materials used here for the dryer, it will shake it apart in a week. Perfect for dryers.

With a little engineering you could have made some storage space down under. Much needed around here.

emcon5 · emcon5's Garage

Looks like the perfect application for milk crates.

Green 912 · 11-23-2010, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milt

That would have saved me the cost of 2 front load machines and pedestals.

BTW, to those reading this, if one were to make a pedestal for a front load washer out of the materials used here for the dryer, it will shake it apart in a week. Perfect for dryers.

With a little engineering you could have made some storage space down under. Much needed around here.

Glad you did not tell me that 5 years ago when I built mine from melamine covered chip wood. Mine is still holding up just fine and the washer gets daily use. I used to build a lot of kitchen cabinet cases and the like. I used 3/4 material with an internal grid of the same material and put it together with biscuits. No fastners showing two 4X8 sheets, some biscuits some wood glue and iron on edging.
Modern household front loaders don't have much low frequency vibration compared to a top loader. I used to service big commercial front load washers. 50 and 75 pounders. They would shake almost anything apart unless mounted right. I used to build the frames from 3/8 steel H beam and fill it with concrete to help dampen the vibration.

azasadny · azasadny's Garage

Good job!

VaSteve · 11-23-2010, 05:59 PM

What a neat idea, I hate unloading that thing....I wish I could do that for the dish washer as well!

Quote:

Originally Posted by emcon5

Looks like the perfect application for milk crates.

Stay classy, San Francisco!

74-911 · 11-23-2010, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milt

That would have saved me the cost of 2 front load machines and pedestals.

With a little engineering you could have made some storage space down under. Much needed around here.

Fortunately, storage is not an issue in the laundry room. Besides the full cabinets above the washer/dryer, to the left of the washer is a 6' counter with a double sink, two drawers and double cabinets for additional storage.
Unfortunately, wife uses all this storage space to store crap that would otherwise be thrown away if we didn't have the storage space.

A930Rocket · 11-23-2010, 06:44 PM

As I read all the ductwork and 90's, I was thinking, rut-roh. Doesn't meet code iirc.

My wife wanted the factory bases for our W and D, but the cost was crazy high. Maybe she will go for the DIY models?

aigel · aigel's Garage

I saw one of those pedestals at Costco and thought it would be neat. Only until I saw the price! WTF?

George

Green 912 · 11-24-2010, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VaSteve

What a neat idea, I hate unloading that thing....I wish I could do that for the dish washer as well!

Just tell Babs to get to it.

Zeke · 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Green 912

Glad you did not tell me that 5 years ago when I built mine from melamine covered chip wood. Mine is still holding up just fine and the washer gets daily use. I used to build a lot of kitchen cabinet cases and the like. I used 3/4 material with an internal grid of the same material and put it together with biscuits. No fastners showing two 4X8 sheets, some biscuits some wood glue and iron on edging.
Modern household front loaders don't have much low frequency vibration compared to a top loader. I used to service big commercial front load washers. 50 and 75 pounders. They would shake almost anything apart unless mounted right. I used to build the frames from 3/8 steel H beam and fill it with concrete to help dampen the vibration.

Well, how about you? Sure, an internal "grid" would be a different animal. Good job.

Quote:

Originally Posted by VaSteve

What a neat idea, I hate unloading that thing....I wish I could do that for the dish washer as well!

Some kitchen designers are doing just that.

tcar · 11-24-2010, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VaSteve

What a neat idea, I hate unloading that thing....I wish I could do that for the dish washer as well!

I've done that for years with kitchens I've designed... works great. Not as high as that dryer, though.

widgeon13 · 11-25-2010, 03:19 AM

You need two wives, one tall one to load the washer and a short one for the dryer, she can also do double duty on the dishwasher.

VaSteve · 11-25-2010, 04:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by widgeon13

You need two wives, one tall one to load the washer and a short one for the dryer, she can also do double duty on the dishwasher.

And other duties....

Scuba Steve · 11-25-2010, 05:46 AM

Great idea! I was expecting to see something that involves angle iron knowing this place, but whatever works.

I have a Kenmore that looks a lot like that plus a couple more knobs. It's only 6 years old and still looks new but it's not pretty enough for the wife. I told her she'd better get used to it because it's probably got 26 more years left before its time is up!