How safe is your new clothes dryer?
Are new clothes dryers a fire hazard? Probably not, but the dryer vent most likely is.
If you purchased a new clothes dryer in the last couple of years, you probably expect that you've got the latest in safety features for an appliance that you never really thought might be a danger anyway. In reality, you probably got exactly what you expected - a safe new clothes dryer. And you also likely spent a fair amount of money making sure it was properly installed by a professional.
However ... when it was installed, did you have the retailer arrange and/or perform the installation? If so, did you read the dryer's instruction manual to make sure it was installed according to the manufacturer's specifications? Probably not, because we all assume that the paid professional knows what he (or she) is doing.
The fact is that very few professional clothes dryer installers ever bother to read the instruction manual before they place the appliance in your home. Moreover, the common industry practice is for them to either re-use your old dryer vent, or install it with a new flexible vent because it's easy, cheap, and less time-consuming to place than the type always recommended in the instruction manuals - i.e., the rigid steel vents.
It is important to understand that the common dryer vent installed in most homes is the flexible vent which is basically a coiled wire around which a vinyl or aluminum coating is placed. This creates a ribbed interior surface onto which lint can and does collect. When the inside of the vent become stuffed with lint over a period of time, this allows heat to build up and creates the situation where the lint acts literally as tinder when the overworked exhaust system of the clothes dryer begins to emit air at an extremely high temperature. Every year, over 15,000 fires result from lint-clogged dryer vents - something which no one ever expects.
The hidden hazard of dryer vent fires is demonstrated and discussed in the links provided below. Hopefully, you'll watch the videos and take action to prevent such a tragedy from ever occurring to your home or family.
If you purchased a new clothes dryer in the last couple of years, you probably expect that you've got the latest in safety features for an appliance that you never really thought might be a danger anyway. In reality, you probably got exactly what you expected - a safe new clothes dryer. And you also likely spent a fair amount of money making sure it was properly installed by a professional.
However ... when it was installed, did you have the retailer arrange and/or perform the installation? If so, did you read the dryer's instruction manual to make sure it was installed according to the manufacturer's specifications? Probably not, because we all assume that the paid professional knows what he (or she) is doing.
The fact is that very few professional clothes dryer installers ever bother to read the instruction manual before they place the appliance in your home. Moreover, the common industry practice is for them to either re-use your old dryer vent, or install it with a new flexible vent because it's easy, cheap, and less time-consuming to place than the type always recommended in the instruction manuals - i.e., the rigid steel vents.
It is important to understand that the common dryer vent installed in most homes is the flexible vent which is basically a coiled wire around which a vinyl or aluminum coating is placed. This creates a ribbed interior surface onto which lint can and does collect. When the inside of the vent become stuffed with lint over a period of time, this allows heat to build up and creates the situation where the lint acts literally as tinder when the overworked exhaust system of the clothes dryer begins to emit air at an extremely high temperature. Every year, over 15,000 fires result from lint-clogged dryer vents - something which no one ever expects.
The hidden hazard of dryer vent fires is demonstrated and discussed in the links provided below. Hopefully, you'll watch the videos and take action to prevent such a tragedy from ever occurring to your home or family.
Dryer Vent Fire - CBS News Report
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