Dryer fire hazzard

Richard · Jan 14, 2006

My clothes dryer quit producing heat on last Thursday. Took the lower panel off and WOW, there was a TON of lint in there that had accumulated over the years.

Took shop vac to the lint, replaced the thermocouple & thermostat and all is well HOWEVER, I never realized just how much lint can accumulate INSIDE the dryer.

Do yourself a favor & take the 30 minutes needed to pop the cover off and (if needed) take your shop vac to your innards.

I told my wife to try to remind me about doing that every six months or so. I don't know how high that is on the "risk of fire" scale but it sure was visually bad enough for me to think I was lucky.

/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Cliff_Johns · Jan 14, 2006

Good reminder.

Another good idea with dryers is to replace the plastic vent hose they used to sell with the metal hose that is required in most places now. A flash fire in the metal style hose will likely not leave the hose. The plastic melts quickly and "fooont."

Cliff

JSUnlimited · Jan 14, 2006

Rich,

It also amazes me how much crap accumulates in and around the dryer. I dismantle and clean the entire vent pipe and also the dryer itself at least once a year, sometimes sooner. I can't ever remember going to a residential fire where the dryer was the cause but it could happen easily!

Thanks for the reminder.

silo36 · Jan 14, 2006

You guys are on the right track. Clean that dryer out at least once a year and preferrably twice. I've been a firefighter for 23 years and have witnessed at least a dozen "Dryer Fires" only one caused extensive damage.That was because the folks left the house with the dryer running. Just a hint, but refrigerators collect lint on the coils and can overheat as well.

rswyan · Jan 14, 2006

We just got a new washer and dryer (I had replaced the belt on the old dryer this past year and the inside was full of lint) and I noticed that they specifically recommended to NOT use the aluminum foil flex hose, FWIW.

Cliff_Johns · Jan 14, 2006

( We just got a new washer and dryer (I had replaced the belt on the old dryer this past year and the inside was full of lint) and I noticed that they specifically recommended to NOT use the aluminum foil flex hose, FWIW. )

Odd, the code requires it here, that is in situations where pipe is not an option, of course.

The plastic kind has ribs which catches the lint, then it melts easily if there is a fire. The metal hose is not ribbed, but is flexible none-the-less. I can't imagine why they would say the plastic was better.

Cliff

rswyan · Jan 15, 2006

Cliff,

I realized after I hit the post button that my post was probably not entirely clear - but I was too tired to remedy it last night. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

They don't recommend the plastic either - as I recall it was strictly pipe or one of those periscope type units.

Cliff_Johns · Jan 15, 2006

( as I recall it was strictly pipe or one of those periscope type units. )

Ah, then we're talking about the same stuff. It's expandable metal duct that I would call semi-rigid. It expands out or can be bent around a corner, but once expanded, you can't really put it back very easily.

Cliff

454shooter · Jan 15, 2006

As a Fire Marshal, I second the hint on not leaving any dryer run while you are not home. Most fires started in a dryer can be caught early and extinguished if an adult is home at the time.

Shooter

keeney · Jan 17, 2006

I have also heard that its not a great idea to start the dryer and go off to sleep.

If I was to pick the rooms I would most want to have fire spinklers installed in my house, the laundry room would be in the top three. The other two being the garage and the workshop.

I wonder if there are any good stats on what rooms house fires usually start in. I would imagine that ashtrays, candles, and fireplaces have to be a big part of the distribution as well.

- Rick