Dryer Fire. NYC public Laundromat.

[fisherpaykel]

cigarette lighter

Haha, possibly, friends bought a house and the dryer that was left there was making clicking noises, I removed filter and reached way down and found both a Bic lighter and a credit card, how they got past the filter who knows, noises gone!

 

[toggleswitch]

In my friend's new apartment building there are 2 SQ front-load washers, and two SQ dryers.

I tugged at the bottom of the boot/gasket and found a treasure-trove of ick.

Toothpicks, plastic flossers, coins, gum wrappers, bobby-pins, toy glass marbles.

"Empty your pockets" doesn't seem to register with the tenants.

 

[cfz2882]

dryer fire

i.d say a LiPo battery -in a vaping pen -possibly caused the dryer fire.

 

[circlew]

During the time I was going to the washateria, they had two dryer fires. The first did little damage, but the second resulted in a visit by the fire department, and necessitated closing a few days for a thorough cleaning. Not sure what caused either fire.

 

[launderess]

Fires in NYC laundromat, commercial laundries and even multi-family housing laundry rooms are not uncommon.

https://news.yahoo.com/attendant-tr...kx8c13i7ZOoPo0mQ&_guc_consent_skip=1706046985

https://abc7ny.com/fire-brooklyn-new-york-city-laundromat/5212013/

https://abc7ny.com/queens-fire-long-island-city-fdny-industrial/12341020/

https://thevillagesun.com/smoky-fire-in-lower-east-side-laundry

https://nypost.com/2022/10/18/2-firefighters-hurt-in-massive-blaze-at-queens-laundromat/

https://www.nydailynews.com/2009/02...in-fire-at-long-island-coin-operated-laundry/

Indeed fires in laundries of all sorts are not uncommon nation or world wide and have been so for ages.

Even before advent of tumble dryers (and lint produced) you still have same conditions that caused such events as Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire; large amounts of textiles which in of themselves are often combustible.

Cellulose fibres, like cotton, linen and viscose, easily catch fire, and the flames spread rapidly if the textile has not been impregnated with a flame retardant. The thinner the fabric, the more easily it burns.

Then you have various substances used to clean or treat washing or dry cleaning that often themselves are flammable. This not only to where things are stored but items that have been treated with said chemicals.

Despite warnings on all washing machines and dryers to contrary people still put items treated or wholly immersed in flammable substances into such machines.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Hi Toggles! Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2024.
Tom

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

Empty your pockets is something my wife needs to do, and I think my daughter also needs to do...

 

Mostly used wads of tissue that explodes everywhere and candy/gum/ cough drop wrappers are what make it to the dryer, maybe along with coins are spotted in the washer...

 

Worst yet are my daughter's guniea pig linen... The hay/grass she won't shake out clogs up the washer, especially the drainage...

 

And my main concern is of course a dryer fire I'd feared the old one we'd parted with didn't have any hazardous lint/grass residue left in the venting as much as I'd thought, so an abundance of linen remains on the laundry room floor waiting to be washed... I'm refusing to take chances...

 

Though we'd gone to a commercial laundry and somehow it looked as though there was no problem with that there... However there was the boredom of stuff waiting to be done, and it was painfully expensive to wash and dry stuff we could do a lot more productively and economically at home...

 

Let me also echo:

 

Happy Two-Thiusand-Twenty-Four!!!!

 

 

 

-- Dave

[this post was last edited: 1/24/2024-05:01]

 

[gelaundry4ever]

stupid people doing laundry

GEE, what is wrong with people these days? I suspect there's more to this story. I suspect somebody was stupid enough to put their stuff that shouldn't have been in there to begin with. I've said it before, and I'll say it again until I turn blue in the face. Most people are just too stupid to be doing laundry. No need to explain. Now we have this. SMH.

 

[launderess]

SCT80: http://www.washcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/SpecSheet_SCT080.pdf

This SQ top loader with Quantam controls has cycles one is used to from local laundryette. Why washers at place Toggles went to omits "Permanent Press" cannot imagine.

http://www.washcycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/SpecSheet_SCT080.pdf

Soil level can also be done by scrolling down a range of options.



SQ dryers with coin slots. Those at our local use cards.



Wish more laundromats in USA would go with mobile apps via smart phone.

https://go.speedqueencommercial.com/insights-for-laundromats



Personally think the SQ laundromats in Europe are much nicer than many have seen on this side of pond. However these are franchise license operations not individually owned, that may not be up every mat owner's street.

https://speedqueeninvestor.com/news...e-to-berlin-with-new-store-in-alexanderplatz/



On the other hand because these are licensed franchise operations mat owner/investor has to keep things to certain standard. SQ laundromats across Europe are known for being clean and hygienic. This right down to dispenser compartments which are near immaculate.

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

I can't believe my post didn't say what I had originally intended which I'd just now edited:

 

Wads of used TISSUE that explodes everywhere, not in the washer but unfortunately in the dryer, filling up the lint trap to boot!

 

 

 

-- Dave

 

[combo52]

Spontaneous clothes, dryer, fires

Most caused when clothing had cooking oil in it, and people laundered it, as the oil breaks down in the nearly dry clothing. It will catch fire spontaneously, even sometimes after the dryer stops, and the clothing is sitting in a basket, waiting to be folded.

John

 

[gelaundry4ever]

Cycles

So what cycles are available?

 

[Chetlaham]

Interesting thread. I remember on the 90s there were all these paranormal shows on television that would dive into bizarre or unexplained phenomenon. One of which were supposed cases spontaneous human combustion. The shows would come across as nothing natural could ever explain documented reports however I think this actually what might be behind the claimed phenomenon. Clothes with residual oil or grease, over dried or in a low humanity climate, exposed to a static spark in turn igniting the fabric. I could see how or why someone would find it so unsettling or bewildering to have your pants or shirt suddenly start smoldering.

 

[launderess]

Yesterday was coverlet/quilt wash day. As these are items that won't go in any of our front loading washers, and one didn't wish to faff about with Maytag wringer, off to local launderette one went.

Much as one dislikes the place it was lesser of two evils...

Thinking of this thread decided to take a peek at rating plate inside washer doors to see what Speed Queen series washers are installed. Apparently they are the "SCN" and happily lovely Florence Ballard has done us a video on YT.



Mind you as noted previously wash time is horribly short. For so called "Heavy" soil with "Normal" cycle and "Hot" water comes to over $11 USD for largest washer (IIRC 50lb capacity, maybe larger.

Of total cycle of 33 minutes (again this is less than displayed because at end of cycle there are several minutes left in display, but machine goes to "zero" and shuts off.

Pre-wash is about two minutes.

Main wash on "Heavy/Normal" is barely 6-7 minutes (machine began filling for main wash at 27 minutes, dumped wash water at about 23 or 24 minutes. Balance of time is spent on drains, fills, rinses, pulse spins, lather rinse and repeat until final rinse.

Place only has the one large machine and it's one those in the know go to because it has longest cycles and seems to rinse better. Smaller machines started at same time with same cycle selection finish sooner. Go figure.

As have said with such short wash time forget about using turbo charged enzyme technology or whatever detergents. There just isn't enough time. Less so because chlorine bleach is dispensed about one minute into wash.

One spends considerable amount of time either pre-treating or pre-soaking anything but the lightest soiled laundry before using these machines. That and coupled with commercial/industrial detergent in one's stash (yesterday was Ecolab Solid Super Star loaded with phosphates), seems to do the trick Will also use industrial laundry sour in final rinse (Ecolab Navisour).

For lightly soiled items find vintage powdered detergents work well enough. Have that stash of Cheer Bright Clean in coin vend sizes so that's me for you.