The
DRSNews
January
2005
Happy
New Year!
(a
little late! <grin>)
In this issue:
Top 6 Ways to Set Your House on Fire Using
Your Dryer
One
of the scariest things I see on a daily basis is charred lint
inside dryers and dryer vents. Here in the Northeast, we're in
the middle of 'dryer season', and we're running them really hard,
so I thought this'd be a good time to talk about several ways to
reduce the fire hazard that's caused by making just one or two
common mistakes with clothes dryers. Here are the best 6 ways I
can think of to start a rip-roaring dryer fire (if you're in a
hurry, just combine any 2 or 3):
1) Don't clean your dryer's
lint filter every load (or twice per load when drying towels and
other high-lint fabrics), but only when the lint starts keeping
the filter from seating, or lint starts falling out on the
floor
2) Be sure to leave the house
for extended periods when the dryer's running
3) Use white plastic, flexible
duct (it's really cheap)
4) Make the vent length as
long as possible, looped through cold crawlspaces if possible, to
allow it to fill with condensate and prevent any airflow
5) Don't have the dryer
professionally disassembled and cleaned and lubed every two
years, max
6) Vent it through one of
those screened hoods that's sold to keep birds and other critters
out
OK, if you've read this far
without hitting 'delete' <grin>, you know I'm just having a
little fun here. But I've only done it to get your
attention, because the issue is deadly serious. I see the above
mistakes made way too often, and the consequences are scary - but
can easily be prevented.
Here's the 'skinny':
- DO clean the lint filter
every load, twice when drying terry towels and other heavy
'linters'.
- DON'T rely on that to
prevent heavy lint buildup inside the dryer, where you don't see
it (it won't).
- DO have it thoroughly
cleaned by a pro as often as necessary, at least every two years
(some dryers, 27" wide Whirlpools and Kenmores come to
mind, can need it twice/year on average - depends on usage)
- DO, if at all possible,
install your dryer on an outside wall, to keep the vent run as
short as possible. DO use as much 4 inch aluminum 'smooth wall'
pipe in the vent run as possible, with sections connected with
foil tape (screw points projecting into the duct will catch lint)
with any flexible 'tails' connected with one of the high quality
foil ducts available. I've come to prefer 'Supurr-Flex'
brand, 5-layer foil (The 12/03
DRSNews includes a picture of this material).
(If you have to run any duct
through a cold area like a crawlspace, whether solid or flex,
poke 1/4 in drain holes in the bottom, at about 2 foot intervals,
to keep moisture from accumulating. Believe it or not, a 4" dryer
duct can FILL with water in just a few loads under these conditions!)
- DON'T use any size screen
anywhere in the vent system. Even the popular 3/8 to 1/2 inch
mesh 'bird screens' clog, as hard as that is to believe! I
see this regularly (Here's an article
with a picture of one of these).
So there you have it. There
are probably a few other methods of accomplishing this, but these
are the ones I see most commonly used, so I thought I'd pass them
along <g>.
God
bless,
Dave Harnish
Dave's Repair Service
New Albany, PA
drs@sosbbs.com
www.DavesRepair.com
''The
fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge..."
-
Proverbs 1:7
