Dryer vent fires are a common cause of many house fires in the United States. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), there was an average of nearly 16,000 house fires annually between 2010 and 2014. The NFPA determined many were caused by residential laundry appliances.
So, to answer the question “Are dryer lint fires a real threat?” The answer would be “YES”.
In August of 2012 the USFA (U.S. Fire Administration) and FEMA produced a publication stating that between 2008 & 2010, nearly 3,000 clothes dryer fires in residential buildings were reported to US Fire Authorities each year. These fires caused loss of life and many injuries.
The most common cause of a lint fire is a build up of lint in the dryer vent ducting. Buildup in the ducting reduces air flow. A reduction of air flow across the heating element of an electric dryer can cause it to overheat which can lead to the combustion of lint inside the dryer itself. It doesn’t take much from there for fire to spread into the ductwork where there the buildup is. Within minutes, the entire home could be engulfed.
Cleaning of the dryer vent ducting within a home should be part of an annual home maintenance schedule. Many people forget to clean the lint screen in the dryer itself after every load. Failure to do so can lead to excessive build-up around the heating element. Even if you do, lint still manages to make it’s way into the ducting, thus the need to clean the ducting. This task can be completed safely by the homeowner if the vent discharges a ground level, but if the dryer vents out of a second story wall or through the roof where your personal safety could be in question, you just might want to bring in a professional.
Duct cleaning kits can be found in many large home improvement stores. They contain a round brush that connects to a series of short handles or rods. The handles/rods can be attached to a cordless drill so the brush can be spun inside the ducting. If you don’t own a drill, you can simply work the brush manually, although it doesn’t clean quite as well. There will need to be airflow through the ducting while cleaning, so you can connect a shop vac to one end of the duct or turn on your dryer using an AIR ONLY / NO HEAT setting, pushing the brush in from the outside of the home. This method can be messy though…. Keep in mind, many of these brush kits I mentioned have threaded connectors. When using a drill be sure to spin the drill so the handles or rods stay connected. Changing the direction of the drill can cause the handles/rods to become disconnected inside the ducting which could be, well . . . . not good…
