The 2020 National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) statistics show there are between 15,000 and 17,000 fires every year caused by washers and dryers in the United States. Clothes dryer fires injure around 380 people and are responsible for around 50 deaths per year. The leading cause of these fires (34%) is a failure to clean or replace defective dryer vents. As home inspectors, we see a lot of dryer vents that are plugged, damaged, incorrectly installed, or unsafe due to the use of improper materials.
Personal Story
Several years ago, before I became a home inspector, my wife complained that our dryer was starting to take way too long to dry clothes. Sometimes it took two cycles to dry jeans. She wanted a new dryer. The home was only two years old; how could the dryer be giving us problems already? I did some troubleshooting; the dryer was fine, but the dryer vent was badly clogged with lint.
In my past homes, the dryer was at an outside wall, and basically less than a foot from the exterior. In this 2-year-old home, the dryer is in the middle of the main floor. While convenient, it creates a problem. The vent pipe goes into the wall, turns downward to the basement, turns horizontal for about 8 feet, turns horizontal again, and extends about 20 feet to where it exhausts to the exterior.
I disassembled the dryer vent and cleaned it with a dryer vent brush. The result was about one and a half 5-gallon pails full of lint! Needless to say, the dryer started to work perfectly again, and the vent is now cleaned annually.
Other Contributors
During the course of our home inspections, we come across a variety of issues that can contribute to a potential dryer fire.
Improper Materials
There are a couple of products on the market for venting dryers that should be used with extreme care. One is a “slinky” type made of shiny mylar materials. These can be a problem because they’re corrugated, which doesn’t allow for the smooth flow of air. The disrupted air flow typically results in accumulated lint and plugging.
Another product is the flexible aluminum dryer vent. While easy to use, it doesn’t have a smooth inner surface, and this will lead to accumulated lint and plugging.
Damaged or crushed
Unfortunately, the materials discussed above can easily become damaged. When performing inspections, we often find these types of vents have become crushed or torn.
In reality, these materials are meant to be used as a transition piece. This means that if you have a short run where a solid metal dryer vent doesn’t line up, these materials are okay to use. Unfortunately, these products come in packages of several feet, and instead of cutting what’s needed for the transition, people just connect the ends and leave an 8-foot “anaconda” stuffed behind their dryer.
Summary
Through proper installation, cleaning, and maintenance, you can do your part as a homeowner to prevent a dryer fire in your home. Even if you feel your dryer is running perfectly fine right now, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Use only UL-approved materials, use them properly, and follow your local codes when replacing dryer vents.
Clean the lint trap in your dryer after every load, and occasionally check the dryer vent exhaust on the exterior of your home. Pay attention to dryer cycle times and, most importantly, have your dryer vents cleaned at least annually.
Visit our website to learn more or to schedule your home inspection in the Rochester, Owatonna, and Faribault, MN areas. You can contact us today at (507) 202-8942 or utilize our online “Schedule Now” feature to set up an appointment.