Dryer Fire Tonight!!!!!

[combo52]

Dryer Fire

This fire was most likely spontaneous combustion from the heat and left over oils etc left in the clothing. It likely started AFTER the dryer shut off, there are many cases of this happening even when the dry laundry has been removed and is just sitting in a basket or pile [ which is really scary because you have no metal dryer to contain the fire at all.

 

Spontaneous Combustion does not happen often but it can. Everyone here including myself have washed and dried loads that we probably should not have. If you are ever tempted to dry questionable loads of old cleaning rags etc I would suggest drying them on a cooler temperature, and also don't try to dry them bone dry, leave them a little damp. A gas dryer is probably a little safer as well as you can't get things quite as dry because of the moisture put off by burning gas.

 

It would be interesting if WP could put in a fire detection feature that would turn on the mister of dryers that have the steam system with a cold water connection, as this could easily put out a fire like this.

 

It will be interesting to see if WP replaces this dryer, they might do it as a good-will gesture, but it is not likely a dryer fault, the good news is the insurance company will have to take care of all the damage which will likely include replacing the dryer.

 

[dustin92]

I would love to post pictures, but no one is allowed in the house until they come out to investigate the dryer on monday. We can't touch the dryer until after they have looked at it. We did have to save all the rags that were inside when the fire started, even the ones that could be salvaged. There were a few that were burnee beyond all recognition, some that were burned but still intact, and some were fine, but obviously smell like smoke. I was allowed in for just a minute to save my laundry products yesterday, and all I saw was the plastic panel around the door was browned along with the sides and top of the cabinet. The basement still reeks, and they have all the doors and windows open with fans going to help air the smell out. No fire damage outside of the dryer, but there will most likely be smoke damage.

 

[tomturbomatic]

I guess a good lesson is to never leave a dryer running and go away or to bed. I am quite surprised with all of the cold water washing and other poor laundering practices going on that there have not been more dryer fires.

As far as the spontaneous combustion, I remember reading an article in Reader's Digest in the late 50s or early 60s about the foam padding in bras causing fires. It was generally not while the bra was in the dryer, but after the bundle of laundry had been wrapped in brown paper and put on the shelf waiting for the customer to come pick it up. The bundle of clothing held in the heat, not letting the rubber cool and the rubber stayed hot and chemically generated enough heat to cause it to start burning.

Do any of y'all remember the discussion we had some time back about the standards for dryers to contain fires?

 

[mark_wpduet]

I never go to bed or leave the house

with clothes drying. Speaking of keeping your vent run clean, mine vents through the roof and I HATE that. The first few years, I was constantly cleaning it. On another forum a long time ago I was posting about how I hated it and some lady posted a similar situation and resolution she and her husband had, which was to put a paint strainer in the short vent that connects the dryer to the wall, sort of like lining it like you would a trash bag in a trash can before you connect the vent from wall to dryer. I did this about 2 or 3 years ago and all lint that escapes the first filter gets caught in the paint strainer keeping the entire vent run clean for over 2 years now. I have easy access behind my dryer so I clean it every 2 weeks religiously. Clothes dry fast too. It's a PAIN but not nearly the pain of cleaning an entire vent run. This wouldn't work for most people but it seems to work great for me. But I'm always right here when clothes are drying and I'm the only one that touches the machines.

 

[frigilux]

I put a fire alarm in the laundry room as I do sometimes go to bed while the dryer is running. The faucets and hoses for the washer are over the dryer, so I always hope that the flames would melt the hoses and water would spew forth and help contain the fire.

 

[lordkenmore]

Sorry to hear about this incident. I hope it all works out somehow.

 

[lordkenmore]

never leave a dryer running

Good advice, and I think I've seen this suggested in years gone by in Dear Abby. It's something I try to be careful of, although I have to admit there have been times I've fallen asleep while waiting for a dryer to finish. Having read the above, I'll be trying to avoid naps like this in the future!

Then, I suppose in our rush-rush-rush world, there is a temptation to fling clothes into a dryer, hit start, and dash off to do the week's grocery shopping, watch the kid's sports team, whatever. Usually, one is OK...but if there is that one time in a million event, it can be a real mess. As this thread shows.

 

[lordkenmore]

never leave a dryer running

My post above lost some words in the "Subject drift" due to too much haste... I was referring to the idea of leaving a dryer running when going away.

 

[henene4]

I really started to wrap my head arround it now.

Why does this happen in the US so frequently, however, barley over here?

I know of 1 dryer ever catching fire here in the town, and that was 2007 or 2008, just arround the corner up the road. And that dryer was later discovered to be short circuted by dripping wet clothes in it. Several fire trucks had to come and the whole basement burned out, but wasn't even that badly damaged for being completly on fire. (I think I read about 40k€ the insurence paid, which is - given that the brand new heating system, as well as laundry applainces, food storage and other goods of 4 partys in that home were destroyed, on top of the general renovation needed - not even that much!)

So, what is it that makes the US more likely to have a dryer burning? The majority of vented dryers? The bigger heating elements? Or just bare the basic size if the dryers?

Any ideas?

 

[gusherb]

Seems it's electric dryers

That catch on fire more frequently.

The only dryer fire I've heard about around here in the last 10 years is the local Humane Society, which uses two Speed Queen 30 pound gas tumblers (and two 20 pound washer/extractors). The reason it caught fire was because it was stuffed full, and the lint filter had been neglected (knowing the inner workings of how that place is run they probably ignored it for weeks).

They actually had a second fire in the laundry room about 3 years ago, said it wasn't the dryer again but started in a pile of laundry this time...

They're lucky that place is all solid brick including the interior walls or it would've burned to the ground twice already...

But back onto what I was originally getting at, I've heard of more electric dryer fires then gas. I almost never hear about dryer fires around here and one thing I do know is that gas is the choice here instead of electric.

 

[DADoES]

 
Three dryer fires come to immediate mind in my circle of acquaintances.  The most recent was gas.  One many years ago was electric.  3rd I don't know.

 

[combo52]

Dryer Fires

Remember that this type of fire can happen long after the dryer stops or even when the clean laundry is sitting in a basket, so it may make little difference whether you run the dryer while you are asleep or gone, BUT if you are going to wash and dry questionable loads you probably should stick around and remove and fold items immediately when they finish drying.

 

Why do we have more dryer fires in the US compared to Europe?

 

Who knows for sure but it probably has something to do with the fact that Americans actually have dryers and dry almost everything in their dryers that we wash. Dryer ownership and usage of dryers in Europe is a small fraction of what we have in the US.

 

John L.

 

[philr]

I'm wondering if static electricity can ignite a fire if there's a presence of a solvent in the machine?

 

Also, I'd think clothes impregnated with solvents or oil would be more likely to start a fire in a condenser dryer, since it recirculates the air and dries at higher temperatures (I'm not talking about the heat pump type!) than a vented dryer.

 

But then, isn't that kind of dryer much more popular in Europe than it is here?  

 

[dustin92]

Well, another update... Apparently all we had to save for evidence were the burned items. This afternoon, another employee brought a basket of rags into the kitchen, and I asked where they came from. She said that they were the ones salvaged from the dryer, and the director had her wash and dry them at their house. (they have TOL LG front loaders). I replied with "Oh.. Okay.." and sorted them into their proper baskets. There were a couple of the oven mitts that had survived, but they smell horrid, probably will need to be thrown out, and I would imagine the towels and dish cloths will also... I thought they were ok until they got wet, then they smelled like smoke. I was a bit less than thrilled. Also, according to the same person that brought them in, we aren't allowed to use any bleach in the washer, and if the dryer is repaired or replaced, everything is to be dried at the lowest heat setting. That should work out well.... Guess I will be taking the kitchen linens to the Laundromat or home on weekends to be washed. Maybe our dryer will catch fire... or most likely not! It just baffles me that people follow far worse laundry practices, cold water, no bleach, short cycles etc, and most likely wash and dry far worse things, but almost never hear of a fire, and even then, it is most likely caused by lint rather than chemicals in the laundry. I honestly hope that when the service person comes out Monday, they find some catastrophic failure in the dryer, whether it be the control board, thermostats, broken belt, SOMETHING that will prove the fault wasn't mine. I have not been confronted as guilty, but feel I'm being blamed, even without words. Yes, I started the dryer, and yes it was at the highest heat setting, but no dryer should set clothes on fire without some failure. The latest addition to the story was that at 11pm when the daughter got home, the dryer was still running with 58 minutes to go... she was getting ready for bed around 11:30 and the dryer was off, but she had smelled smoke for 15 minutes- she thought it was a campfire outside, and went to shut the back door only to discover the basement full of smoke. She told me there was a lot of smoke coming from the back of the dryer, and when she opened the door, a cloud of smoke came out and flames started. She said the dryer was very hot, and she threw a bucket of water inside, ran upstairs and got the kids out to the car. She came back and threw the still smoldering rags outside, and they caught fire again on the sidewalk. I'm starting to wonder if the story is true, or if it may have been intentionally set. She had climbed all over me that afternoon while I was doing my laundry for using too much bleach and stinking her house up, using too long of cycles on the washer and dryer, and washing too small of loads. I tried to explain that the load sizes didn't matter, the washer automatically set the water levels, and the rags needed to be sanitized, but she got an attitude and stomped upstairs. Just to clarify, she holds no position to give me or anyone else orders, I am the kitchen manager and she is a lifeguard. She doesn't pay any bills, so the water and electricity use is not her business either.. The director, yes, but I hadn't heard any complaints from him or his wife. I just respectfully and politely told the daughter I would take care of the kitchen laundry, and she could continue to do hers. Do I think there is a possibility the fire was intentionally set? Yes. We will see the outcome after the investigation has been done though.

 

[iheartmaytag]

Starting to sound Conspiratous

I would stick to hand washing and line drying to be safe. If they burst into flames while on the line I would suspect that a young Drew Barrymore is hanging around your parts.

 

[mark_wpduet]

@ combo52

It sounds like you're saying these things can catch fire long after they are finished drying, but they won't catch fire as long as you fold them quickly?

 

[harpon]

I had an older style 220 volt receptacle catch fire a couple of years ago out in the detached shed I have set in.. I had fair warning, it had been crackling when I first turned the machine on just a bit, but as it hadn't worsened I hadn't paid it much mind. I think I did check it a little more frequently, and it was as I was checking it that I saw it had in fact sprung to flames and was melting down the plug and receptacle as the machine ran on. It was obviously some kind of grounding problem with the plug and outlet. The receptacle was attached to a bare wooden stud in the shed, so it may have caught that on fire and the whole shed-

When I replaced the cord and receptacle with a newer four pronger, I also made sure I got a heavy coat of latex paint on the wall stud. Aluminum foil would help too I guess, but not a peep of a problem with it since..

So anyway ,I never leave the dryer unattended for long now, and I'll never let the one in my house bathroom running if I leave even though it's only a 110 volt converted Space Saver- I'm sure the lower voltage is less capable of starting a fire as fast, but it's just not worth the risk.

 

[mrb627]

Perhaps...

They can replace the dryer with one of the Whirlpool Heat pump dryers.

Malcolm

 

[combo52]

Electric Dryer Outlet Fires

The reason electrical outlets sometimes fail and heat up or burn on electric dryers and other constant high draw appliances is poor connections between the prongs of the cord and the mating female contacts in the outlet or loose or poor connections where the house wiring attaches to the outlet.

 

This type of failure can result in a home fire if there is enough flammable material very close to the outlet or outlet box, but usually it just burns itself out and the appliance stops running, Note; this type of poor connection fault will almost NEVER trip a circuit breaker since while the outlet is burning the electrical draw is actually less than when the dryer is operating properly.

 

This type of event is not a grounding issue, it would probably not help much to paint the wood next to the outlet box or add aluminum foil near the box. The best way to make this type of electrical connection safe is to use a large enough STEEL box and make connections carefully and be sure they are tight. The other thing that can be done for a 240 volt electric dryer is to use the heavier 50 Amp outlet and cords that electric ranges use while still using a 30 Amp Circuit breaker in the main panel. A 120 volt electric dryer is probably even more dangerous and likely to have this type of over heating event at its outlet for several reasons.

 

1, a 120 volt dryer has to run much longer while drawing a near maximum load on the plug and outlet.

 

2, 120 volt outlets are often even more poorly constructed and assembled, often cheap 15 amp outlets are used instead of heaver duty 20 amp type. Every year there are thousands of home fires due to overheated outlets and cords from using portable electric heaters, luckily 120 dryers are not that common in the US, but we still regularly see overheated outlets on 120 volt dryers. Just last week I ran a service call on a 120 volt WP 24" Thin Twin that stopped running due to a burned up outlet.

 

[yogitunes]

well that sort of makes sense at what JohnL says.....when you take clothes out of the dryer, sometimes theres a static charge still there.....once you pull them out to fold, all that static is gone....

stuff you don't give much thought to, until something like this arrives, and then there are possibilities of stuff like this happening....

same could be said for fueling your vehicle, not just stop smoking, but any sort of spark can start an explosion......how many times have you grabbed the handle of your vehicle, and got a shock?

certain floor materials when you walk across them, and then to grab the sink or fridge, not realizing you built up a charge on yourself....

like rubbing a latex balloon against your hair......wait, this brings up a fast question of latex and static build up from ones body.....but I can't ask that here...