Headlines Six tumble dryer fires in seven weeks but what type?

[ericmark]

The BBC report says "Do not leave appliances unattended – do not turn the tumble dryer on before you leave the house or go to bed." however when one has a night tariff one will want to set the drier to run over night.

"No trend had been identified as yet with make or models." However is it so hard to say resistive or heat pump types? My tumble drier uses about 600 watt, this is not a huge amount, but it does run for around 2.5 hours per load, so very likely some thing will happen during that time which means we go out.

Clearly we would not set washing machine, dishwasher, or tumble drier to run when we know we are going out, but big question, is why fit a delayed start option to a device which should not be left unattended?

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

The main cause would seem to be lint, from the drying clothing, building up in the heating duct, where the hot elements are located. I would be less concerned about heat pump types, providing no electrical elements are involved.

All electrical equipment has potential to start fires, nothing much that can be done about it, in this modern world.

 

[Alec_t]

nothing much that can be done about it, in this modern world.

Increasing the number of thermal cutouts in a machine would be a start.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Increasing the number of thermal cutouts in a machine would be a start.

Motors and transformers have them built in, the heater duct has them - the problem is, once the lint is ignited, switching off doesn't really help. A linked smoke detector, in the room might be more approprate.

 

[jurassic sparkk]

Had a washing machine before that would emit smoke during the spin cycle. Turned out the bearings were gone. While waiting for a new machine, I would have someone to unplug it before it reached the spin cycle.

 

[ericmark]

I think the chance of a heat pump drier going on fire are slim, but not impossible.

But head lines which when one reads the text tells on nothing about why the fires started are just scaremungry. They don't help one bit.

Clearly driers with programmable delay start are designed to run unattended. There would be no point in having a delayed start unless they were.

If a manufacturer has omitted to include over temp outputs then they need naming and shaming. My old drier was to simplist one could get, timer, and option of 1 kW or 2 kW vented, but even that one had an over temp cut out.

 

[Geddyboy]

"Clearly we would not set washing machine, dishwasher, or tumble drier to run when we know we are going out, but big question, is why fit a delayed start option to a device which should not be left unattended?"

I wasn't aware of not leaving washing machines or dishwashers unattended is this common practice? I often put the dishwasher on deliberately when we go out as I don't like the noise. Similarly, I don't like the noise of the washing machine but tend to be in as the clothes need to be taken out to dry.

 

[ericmark]

I note the picture seems to show a concrete weight, so one would assume a washer/drier not just a drier, I note you can get heat pump washer/driers but not cheap at £750, but my cheap washer/drier has no option to select 1 or 2 kW for drying cycle, but my cheap vented drier did. And the washer/drier does run rather hot, when compared with the stand alone driers.

Pictures like this as scarey, and in this case the drier was not left running when the fire started, it had finished the drying cycle and the door had been opened before the lady went to work. This shows two drains, so the drier clearly was not a vented type, but lack of to my mind important information means it is just scaremonger, the reports do not help avoid the problem when they don't say what type and make of machine was involved.

Yes the blame not emptying of the lint catchment filters, but my heat pump drier starts to cycle on/off well before it gets really hot, I simply can't see how it could get hot enough to ignite any lint. Can't say same for washer/drier however that does not have anything to catch the lint, so it seems there are some rouge machines on the market, and it is time they were named and shamed.

 

[JohnD]

Headlines Six tumble dryer fires in seven weeks

In a population of 60 million, is that a lot?

We have far more fatal road accidents, people falling down stairs, domestic violence.

 

[ericmark]

In a population of 60 million, is that a lot?

Looked it up, population of North Wales 70,073 (2019), and the report is about North Wales only. Clearly I am OK as I live in Mid Wales! So with an average of 2.4 children so 4.2 people per house hold, that brings it to 1 in 2383 chance, so yes that is a lot.

 

[JohnD]

Looked it up, population of North Wales 70,073 (2019), and the report is about North Wales only. Clearly I am OK as I live in Mid Wales! So with an average of 2.4 children so 4.2 people per house hold, that brings it to 1 in 2383 chance, so yes that is a lot.

Show me your working.

 

[ericmark]

70,000/4.2 members of household average/7 as number of fires.

However my main point is lack of info, if 9 out of 10 fires are vented, or 9 out of 10 condensate, or 9 out of 10 heat pump although I suppose heat pump also condensate driers, then we can assess the risk.

If further sub devided into 9 out of 10 British manufactured or 9 out of 10 were Turkish then again we can assess the risk.

But it is like saying there have been 10 accidents this year at this black spot, without saying all were exceeding the speed limit so no point in reducing it.

 

[JohnD]

4.2 members of household average

Nearer half that, actually.

Population and household estimates, Wales - Office for National Statistics

Census 2021 rounded population and household estimates for local authorities in Wales, by sex and five-year age group.

www.ons.gov.uk

 

[opps]

The main cause would seem to be lint, from the drying clothing, building up in the heating duct, where the hot elements are located. I would be less concerned about heat pump types, providing no electrical elements are involved.

All electrical equipment has potential to start fires, nothing much that can be done about it, in this modern world.

Our £750 Hoover heat pump dryer stopped working after about 2.5 years. I dismantled it and was surprised at how much lint had made its way into the lower part of the machine. I had to "hoover" it out.

Our previous vented tumble dryer never had any lint hanging around.

 

[Tigercubrider]

To be honest, I’d never leave a dishwasher/washing machine/tumbler (mine is a combo) on while I was out.
Dishwashers/clothes washers also have the ability to cause floods.
All of my stuff is quiet