When it comes the different possible causes of house fires, you’d probably think of wood stoves, overloaded extension cords, space heaters and unattended kitchen ranges as common culprits. You might not realize that your clothes dryer is a potential fire hazard too. In fact, dryers are the cause of about 2,900 household fires every year, resulting in five deaths and 100 injuries.
What Makes Clothes Dryers a Fire Hazard?
The two main causes of dryer fires are complicated vents and accumulations of fabric lint. Dryer lint is highly combustible, and it’s a fire just waiting to happen when it collects in a flexible vent where airflow is limited due to twists, turns and corners.
How to Reduce the Risk of Dryer-Related Fires in Your Home
To lower the danger of dryer fires, have yours installed by an experienced professional. A pro knows to install a rigid-metal vent pipe instead of the flexible, coiled-wire type, and to make it as short as possible, without turns or sharp bends.
You should also take these steps to further reduce your risk of a dryer fire:
- Clean the lint filter after every load dried, and thoroughly clean the vent every three months.
- If the lint filter no longer fits into its slot snugly, or it’s broken, cracked or missing completely, don’t use the dryer without replacing it.
- Have the dryer and vent professionally inspected and cleaned every year. With a gas dryer, make sure that the gas line and connection are inspected as well.
- Clean the outdoor vent cover regularly, and check that nothing is blocking its airflow. Start up the dryer too, and make sure the vent cover louvers open fully so hot air can escape.
- Don’t overload the dryer, and never leave it running and unattended when you go to sleep or leave the house.
- Never put fiberglass, foam or rubber items into the dryer, or any fabric with flammables like gas, oil or alcohol on it.
Contact us today at Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning to learn more about the fire hazard posed by the clothes dryer in your Lorain-area home.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Lorain, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about fire hazards and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 440-201-2959.
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Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning
1 (440) 246-5440
Serving the Lorain, OH Area