Experts say dryers cause more than 15,000 fires every year in the United States. So how do you prevent a disaster from happening in your home? Channel 2 News tagged along with a professional inspecting a dryer inside a home in Northwest Reno to find out.
"Even a small fire contained in a laundry room can be ten thousand dollars easy. The cost of cleaning your vent line, peace of mind, it will save you a lot of time and money," said Jeff Knudtzon, owner of Dryer Vent Wizard.
Dryers make our lives easier. But we tend to take them for granted, leaving them unattended or turned on when we go to bed. Two things Knudtzon says we should never do. "Never leave it unattended, don't overload it. Don't stuff every single pair of jeans and towel you have in it."
Leaving clothes to have room to tumble helps the air flow in a dryer. Otherwise debris and lint can build up inside. If heat and moisture can't get out, it can create a fire hazard. Something Knudtzon has seen first hand.
"Sometimes it's so black that it's actually caught fire. But it's just luckily suffocated out. It will build up inside here. Yeah this is built up pretty good. This is probably this thick."
Most people know to clean out their dryer every single time lint builds up inside of it after they dry their clothes. But experts say there's other steps you need to take, like washing the screen with soap and water.
"The other issues we look for are the transition hose from the dryer to the wall," said Knudtzon.
The hose in the wall and underneath the house leading to the vent outside is the cause of most fires according to experts.
If it's takes a long time to dry clothes or the top of your dryer is not just warm but hot to the touch, those are all signs that you should give the professionals a call.
By Amanda Ketchledge
August 13, 2015
http://www.ktvn.com/story/29775810/fire-hazards-inside-a-dryer
