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Laundry room door with weather stripping and door sweep?

B

brokenMotor

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Joined
Nov 12, 2024
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15
Location
California
I am planning for a remodel of an old house in the San Francisco Bay Area, California.

The house has a detached garage. Washer, electric dryer and gas water heater are placed indoor next to each other. The water heater is currently in a closet with a louvered door.

https://imgur.com/wfDeKJX

I would like to keep the appliances where they are but would also like to enclose the space with walls to make it a laundry room to minimize noise impact to other area. The result looks like the following:

https://imgur.com/gowIkh1

I have visited a number of new construction townhouses or condos and they either have a louvered door for the laundry room/closet or have a louvered opening in the wall above the door to provide makeup air for the dryer.

To minimize noise, I prefer to not have any opening in the wall. Thinking along the same line, I would like to add weather stripping and door sweep to make the laundry room door air tight.

To provide combustion air for the water heater, I plan to make two openings, one at the ceiling and one at the floor. I am not sure if I can use the same openings to provide makeup air for the dryer.

I did some homework and found the following code provisions:

2021 UPC 506.4.1 "Two Permanent Openings Method" says two openings, one at the ceiling and one at the floor can be used to provide combustion air for the water heater.

2021 IMC 504.7 "Makeup Air" says "Where a closet is designed for the installation of a clothes dryer, an opening of not less than 100 square inches (0.065 m2) for makeup air shall be provided in the door or by other approved means".

The quoted IMC code does not list some options for "other approved means".

In the proposed plan, water heater and dryer are located in the same room. Can the openings intended for water heater combustion air also be used to provide makeup air for the dryer? If this is an acceptable practice, I am wondering why I do not see my proposed plan in someone else's home since it obviously leads to a quieter laundry experience.
 
You will need an opening providing at least 100 square inches for make-up air for the dryer, PLUS the two openings for the gas water heater. You have to assume that the water heater may be operating at the same time as the dryer.

What's the point of making the door air-tight if you're going to be cutting holes in the wall next to the door? When you say you will provide openings "one at the ceiling and one at the floor," do you mean one IN the ceiling and IN the floor?
 
Yankee Chronicler said:
You will need an opening providing at least 100 square inches for make-up air for the dryer, PLUS the two openings for the gas water heater. You have to assume that the water heater may be operating at the same time as the dryer.

What's the point of making the door air-tight if you're going to be cutting holes in the wall next to the door? When you say you will provide openings "one at the ceiling and one at the floor," do you mean one IN the ceiling and IN the floor?
Click to expand...
My thought is that an air-tight door would reduce noise leakage from the laundry room. Yes I do mean one opening in the ceiling and one opening in the floor. No openings will be made in the wall.
 
Last edited:
Yankee Chronicler said:
You will need an opening providing at least 100 square inches for make-up air for the dryer, PLUS the two openings for the gas water heater. You have to assume that the water heater may be operating at the same time as the dryer.

What's the point of making the door air-tight if you're going to be cutting holes in the wall next to the door? When you say you will provide openings "one at the ceiling and one at the floor," do you mean one IN the ceiling and IN the floor?
Click to expand...
Another purpose of having an air-tight door is to reduce the contact of unconditioned air in the laundry room with conditioned air in the rest of the house.
 
Just a note related to noise. I've designed theatres and similar noise sensitive spaces for over 40 years. When forced to have air transfer between a noise source (usually a loud humming dimmer room in my case) and the stage, we use a lined duct. Metal duct with fiberglass lining and a couple of in 90 degree bends. Often attached to a door and in the small room - gasketed of course - in an S shaps. Through the door low, up the back side of door, and a bend into the room. The longer the better. Most often this is for return air transfer from the dimmer room with just a supply duct into the dimmer room - also usually lined.

Just another possibility for air transfer without noise.
 
Have you considered a heat pump water heater for energy efficiency, clean energy, and avoiding combustion air complications?
Also I was surprised how much our front loading washing machine was quieter than our old top loading. Check the noise levels of quality appliances and you may be able to keep things simple with a louvered door.
 
danSAA said:
Have you considered a heat pump water heater for energy efficiency, clean energy, and avoiding combustion air complications?
Also I was surprised how much our front loading washing machine was quieter than our old top loading. Check the noise levels of quality appliances and you may be able to keep things simple with a louvered door.
Click to expand...
I have found heat pumps not quiet. Though a good idea to avoid the air issue and save energy dollars and maybe get a rebate.
 
Are they going to be buying a new washer/dryer? Many other parts of the world use "ventless condensation dryers". They're more expensive, but require no ducting, thus no make-up air. They even make units that are washer and dryer all in one.
 
Joe makes a great point. Go to heat pump dryer or combo washer dryer and heat pump water heater and you've solved your venting issues, perhaps in less space. Could gain half the utility room back for living space. Just use a weatherstripped door, add some insulation in walls, perhaps install drywall on resilient channels on one side. And better with 5/8 drywall or thicker.
 
Paul Sweet said:
A heat pump water heater needs air circulation in such a small space. Otherwise it will chill the room to the point that it won't work.


Other manufacturers might require a larger room - 700 cu. ft. or so.
Click to expand...
Very true, but they can be direct vented. If they switch to an unvented dryer, they will now have both intake and exhaust available (exhaust out the old flue, intake through the dryer vent, or visa-versa).
 
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