I do thank you for your concerns, they were things that I hadn't really thought of in a large way. I was looking at it a little more over the weekend, and I won't be putting it RIGHT in front like I thought was a good idea. It'll be near it by necessity, but I'll put it next to my basement doors instead - about 3 feet to the left of the vent. The vent points towards the backyard, and I'll be mounting the unit on the front side, so it'll actually be blowing away from the unit.
I wonder if I can move my dryer vent underground and heat my garage with it....?