Most people assume that their dryer is one of the more safer appliances to use. This may be true, it doesn’t mean that dryers can’t be dangerous. In fact, there are roughly 15,500 fires caused by dryers every year, according to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. How exactly do dryers cause fires? It’s usually a result of an accumulation of lint that blocks the airflow of your dryer. Fortunately, there are several ways in which you can prevent dryer fires.
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Source: Shutterstock Clean the vents – Back in the day, washer and dryer units were located in the basement, where the vents were more easily accessible. Now they tend to be in kitchens, bathrooms or closets. This usually results in the dryer vents being installed to accommodate the home’s structure, making them harder to reach. A dryer vent booster is a good solution to this. You should also consider dryer vent cleaning in Atlanta from a professional service to ensure that your vents are cleaned out.
- Clean inside the dryer – Odds are you take the lint out of the lint trap either after you use the dryer or before. However, the trap doesn’t catch all of the lint. Check underneath the lint trap as well as the heating element, where lint can build up. Lint that’s gathered on your heating elements is especially dangerous because it can heat up and catch on fire.
- Ensure proper clearance – There needs to be space between the dryer and the wall. Don’t put your dryer up against the wall as you’ll not only reduce the airflow, you’ll also crush the venting material by doing so. This can lead to lint building up and temperatures increasing, making a fire more likely.
- Check the dryer duct material – Your dryer ducts should be made out of a solid metallic material and not foil or vinyl, which are not only combustible, but usually consist of spiral wound surfaces, which makes it easier for lint to build up.
Follow these tips to prevent a dryer fire and don’t forget to invest in dryer vent cleaning in Atlanta.
