Blog Highlights:
- Clothes dryers that are not maintained properly can easily catch fire
- Thousands of homes are burned each year as a result of faulty clothes dryer systems
- Some of these fires have caused death, injuries, as well as poisoning by gas fumes
- The dryer’s lint trap has to be cleaned regularly, and vinyl or plastic parts must be replaced with semi-rigid metal transition ducts
- The dryer vent pipe can easily be obstructed by bird’s nests and debris, causing the dryer to overheat and catch fire
It is very important for homeowners to get a reliable clothes dryer. Unfortunately, if it is not maintained properly, the dryer can become a fire hazard.
Data from the U.S. Fire Administration’s National Fire Data Center, has confirmed that almost 16,000 structure fires in the country per year are caused by faulty clothes dryers. Most of the structure fires caused by dryers are due to clogged dryer vents, many of these fires have also resulted in death or serious injuries. Aside from that, there are thousands of people each year who need to be treated for having been poisoned by gas fumes due to blocked dryer vents.
These fires and fumes can be avoided simply by cleaning the lint trap in your dryer on a regular basis. You should also replace vinyl or plastic transition ducts found in between the main vent and the dryer just to be sure. You can use a semi-rigid metal transition duct since plastic or vinyl ones can easily melt or catch fire.
Homeowners should also check the dryer vent pipes from time to time to see if it has not been obstructed by bird’s nest, trash, and other debris. Keep in mind that if the entire system cannot exhaust properly, it can easily overheat, and it can put your property, and even your family at risk.
Cleaning the dryer vent system can be done on your own, but if you do not know how to do it, we highly suggest that you get a professional dryer vent cleaning service to do it for you. These service providers can give you expert advice and they can also help make sure that your house stays safe from fires that can be caused by the clothes dryer system.
