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Dryer Vent Fires - Hidden Dangers

12 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 

 

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12 Comments

Add a Comment

1

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.

2

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.

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7

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.

8

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

9

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>

10

Dino

February 4, 2022 at 9:16 AM

Make sure to have your dryer vent cleaned annually.

https://dryerventcleaningraleigh.com
For North Carolina Areas

11

Hedge

June 23, 2022 at 6:48 AM

Good post! This will ensure people to take care of their homes by having it professionally inspected and cleaned annually.
https://durhamdryerventcleaning.com/dryer-vent-cleaning-rougemont-nc/

12

Sherwin Alvarez

June 29, 2022 at 5:04 AM

Sad but great article. This will surely alert everyone here that has a dryer about the risks if they won't take care of it properly.
https://durhamdryerventcleaning.com/dryer-vent-cleaning-carrboro-nc/

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