Dryer Vent Fires - Hidden Dangers
Sep 19, 2011 at 9:25 AM 10 Comments
Last week, a residential fire in SW Portland caused over $20,000 in damage. The fire was determined to be caused by a build-up of lint in the dryer vent. Thankfully, the quick actions of firefighters prevented the house fire from spreading to nearby home and causing further damage.
Clothes dryer fires are one of the most common causes of house fires. The National Fire Protection Administration (NFPA) estimates between 2003 and 2006, one out of every 23 home fires was caused by the dryers or washing machines. In 2006, the NFPA estimated firefighters responded to 17,700 fires caused by the household appliances.
The leading cause of these fires according to NFPA is failure to clean the lint from the dryer. The NFPA recommends regular cleaning of the lint vents, making sure the air exhaust vent pipe and outdoor vent flap are not restricted.
A few simple safety tips you can help prevent a clothes dryer fire:
- Have your dryer installed and serviced by a professional.
- Do not use the dryer without a lint filter.
- Keep the area around your dryer clear of things that can burn, like boxes, cleaning supplies and clothing, etc.
- Make sure you clean the lint filter before or after each load of laundry. Remove lint that has collected around the drum.
- Do not restrict the air exhaust vent pipe and make sure that the outdoor vent flap is opening when the dryer is operating.
- Once a year, or more often if you notice that it is taking longer than normal for your clothes to dry, clean lint out of the vent pipe or have a dryer lint removal service do it for you.
For more clothes dryer safety tips, click here.
Portland Fire & Rescue
We Respond: Always Ready, Always There
September 19, 2011
Follow Portland Fire & Rescue on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube
10 Comments
Add a Comment
ROY ALLEN
September 20, 2011 at 11:29 AM
I UES TO WORK FOR GOVERMENT HOUSING, I HAD TO INNSTALL DRYER IN THE ELDERY TENNETS'S APPERTMENT.
SENCE I COULD NOT VENT THE DRYER THROUGH THE
WALL I WENT TO A LOCAL HARDWARE STORE, THEY GAVE
ME SOMETHING THAT FIT BEHIND THE DRYER THAT DID
NOT HAVE TO BE INSTALLED IN THE WALL, IT WAS MOUNTED ON THE WALL AND DID NOT COME UP ABOVE
THE DRYER, IT HAD A WATER CONTAINER AT THE TOP
THAT WAS USED TO CATCH THE LINT FROM THE DRYER.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT II AM TALKING ABOUT,PLEASE REPLY, THANKS.
Cliff
September 21, 2011 at 12:05 PM
These stories are far to common, yet quite preventable. New products like the LintAlert (www.lintalert.com) actually help prevent dryer fires by letting homeowners monitor how safe and efficient their dryer is venting.
Sneha Sahu
April 18, 2016 at 3:29 AM
For Reliable Packers and Movers Hyderabad visit
http://www.movers5th.in/packers-and-movers-hyderabad/
For Authentic Packers and Movers Pune visit
http://www.movers5th.in/packers-and-movers-pune/
For Definitive Packers and Movers Bangalore visit
http://www.movers5th.in/packers-and-movers-bangalore/
Sneha Sahu
April 18, 2016 at 3:31 AM
For Valid Packers and Movers Mumbai visit
http://www.movers5th.in/packers-and-movers-mumbai/
For Genuine Packers and Movers Delhi visit
http://www.movers5th.in/packers-and-movers-delhi/
For Faithful Packers and Movers Gurgaon visit
http://www.movers5th.in/packers-and-movers-gurgaon/
Sneha Sahu
April 18, 2016 at 3:35 AM
For Trustworthy Packers and Movers Noida visit
http://www.movers5th.in/packers-and-movers-noida/
For Loyal Packers and Movers Chennai visit
http://www.movers5th.in/packers-and-movers-chennai/
For Principled Packers and Movers Thane visit
http://www.movers5th.in/packers-and-movers-thane/
For Staunch Packers and Movers Navi Mumbai visit
http://www.movers5th.in/packers-and-movers-navimumbai/
For Best Packers and Movers visit
http://www.movers5th.in/
Omkar Ji
April 18, 2016 at 3:36 AM
Packers and Movers Hyderabad @
http://www.moveby5th.in/packers-and-movers-hyderabad.html
Packers and Movers Bangalore @
http://www.moveby5th.in/packers-and-movers-bangalore.html
Packers and Movers Pune @
http://www.moveby5th.in/packers-and-movers-pune.html
Packers and Movers Delhi @
http://www.moveby5th.in/packers-and-movers-delhi.html
Packers and Movers Mumbai @
http://www.moveby5th.in/packers-and-movers-mumbai.html
Packers and Movers Gurgaon @
http://www.moveby5th.in/packers-and-movers-gurgaon.html
Cameron
November 13, 2021 at 10:22 PM
I had a dryer fire this weekend. Thank you for posting this because my laundry is an internal room so my dryer vents into a pipe that runs through a wall, into my garage, and out the other side, so I'm going to need to use your technique to do a good cleaning like this.
I'm also going to need a new fire extinguisher because after sitting around for years and years, in my hour of need my little fire extinguisher did what it's made to do.
Cameron
November 13, 2021 at 10:22 PM
I had a dryer fire this weekend. Thank you for posting this because my laundry is an internal room so my dryer vents into a pipe that runs through a wall, into my garage, and out the other side, so I'm going to need to use your technique to do a good cleaning like this.
I'm also going to need a new fire extinguisher because after sitting around for years and years, in my hour of need my little fire extinguisher did what it's made to do.
Thank you https://ventprevent.com
Yvette Martin
November 17, 2021 at 7:15 AM
The more lint that a dryer vent collects, the less efficiently the dryer will run. Sure, it will still get the job done, but it will take much more energy in order to do so.
But it's not only wasting energy. It will take more time as well. In fact, in some cases, it could prevent clothes or bedding from being dried fully in a single cycle. This may force you to monitor your dryer carefully and run it in quick succession—for if you fail to do so, your clothes and bedding may take on a musty odor and dingy appearance.
Don't want to monitor your dryer for several hours straight? No problem. Just have your dryer vent cleaned instead, and you'll be able to forget about your wash load until the end of the day.
Have <a href="https://dryerventcleaningraleigh.com"> clean dryer vent services </a>
Dino
February 4, 2022 at 9:16 AM
Make sure to have your dryer vent cleaned annually.
https://dryerventcleaningraleigh.com
For North Carolina Areas
Please review our Code of Conduct rules before posting a comment to this site.
Report Abuse (Please include the specific topic and comment for the fastest response/resolution.)