Fires inside your home can be devastating. It is definitely worth it to avoid a fire at all costs. Dryers are one of the appliances in a home that can cause a fire and should be well maintained.
Marty Ahrens, a spokesman for the NFPA said: “Dryer fires are responsible for nine deaths, 420 civilian injuries, and $222 million in property damage annually,”
Following these quick steps to help prevent a dryer fire from occurring in your house.
Change the dryer lint trap
This is the easiest thing on the list to take care of. The lint filter should be cleaned often. The lint filter should be cleaned every other load. Cleaning the lint filter will both help prevent a fire and also keep the machine running efficiently. Using less power saves money!
Clean the dryer vent
When the venting system of your dryer has a build-up of lint your dryer will take longer to dry a load of laundry. You can check if there is a blockage by verifying if the air is coming out of the vent system. If there is no air coming out of the vent pipe then there is most likely a blockage.
Before attempting to clean the vent make sure the dryer has been disconnected. If it is a gas dryer make sure to turn the gas off as well. Once everything has been disconnected you can carefully move the dryer away from the wall and clear the blockage.
Replace Accordion Style Ducts
There is a big benefit in replacing the old accordion-style dryer ducts. These old Accordion Style ducts can begin to sag which causes lint to accumulate. They can also trap lint on the ridges of the duct.
Metal ducts are recommended because they have smooth walls which allows for better airflow and minimizes the risk of lint buildup.
