Dryer Fires

[supersurgilator]

So I've been doing a little research lately about this topic and I've noticed two trends. I understand that a dryer fire can happen by several different reasons, either spontaneous combustion, lint or possibly by putting some material in the machine that shouldn't be dried.

If you do either a google or youtube search for dryer fires, there are 2 machines in particular that you see REPEATEDLY. For residential machines its either GE or Frigidaire dryers (with the rear heating element) and in commercial machines its the stacked Speed Queen's. The two machines you RARELY see are Whirlpool dryers with the back lint screen and for commercial machines the single pocket Speed Queen's.

I'm wondering if it has anything to do with the airflow design. Both the stacked Speed Queen's and GE/Frigidaire machines have an axle airflow design (heater in the back, air passes from rear of cylinder to the front out the lint screen). I currently have a GE dryer and have used a couple other GE dryers and can say they run HOT!!

I also find it hard to believe that lint would be the cause of so many dryer fires, especially since it tends to smolder more than just cumbust. Just curious about your thoughts on this.

 

[henene4]

Axial air flow

Doubt it. Then the ELux, SQ, LG, Samsung and the WP with the front filter would be affected, and so would be any European dryer (though they are completly different beasts in the selfes).

The Frigidaire problem is related to the location of the heating element. The back of the drum is getting verry hot and clothes get verry close to the element to the point where rouge items could actually touch it.
Further, fluff sucked in can ignite on electric dryer elements. If the element is located a certain distance from the clothing (by an 90° angle in air flow for example), this is less dangerous then if it is in line with the clothing.

The commercial SQs might suffer from some weired lint filter issue. As far as I am concerned the double pocket once have a smaller filter screen, and especially in laundromat conditions these might clogg easier.

 

[combo52]

Dryer Fires I Agree Axial Air Flow

Is not the problem, but rather dryers that have the heating elements directly behind the drum like older WH, most Frigidaire Current , GE-HP and older Maytag HOH dryers. These dryers can get the clothing so hot that the clothes them selves catch fire, and with the exception of FD gas dryers this problem is worse in electric dryers.

 

The lint build-up that many dryers get is not the biggest problem but rather dryers being operated with bad vent systems or dryers that have worn out parts that are very noisy and have to be run for 2 to 3 hours to get a normal load dry.

 

I will try to post a few pictures of a FD dryer we picked up last week that was being operated on a very bad vent system.

 

[combo52]

Pictures of Frigidaire dryer lint

 

[askolover]

Unbelievable!!

 

[mrb627]

Biggest Culprit...?

Lack of maintenance. These aren't maintenance free appliances.
My cousins dryer fire was an LG, btw.

Malcolm

 

[mark_wpduet]

I've opened up the bottom panel

of my Duet Dryer - and there was like an inch of lint on the flat surface. I vacuumed it all out. I keep my vent run clean but it also vents through the roof which I freaking HATE! I've taken steps to keep the vent run clean and clothes dry decently fast - But here's my ?

Won't lint ultimately collect (at least to some extent) inside the cabinet of the dryer even if you have a great vent system? I mean, I know it will be much worse with a bad vent system obviously - but I still think lint will accumulate inside regardless over time.