The National Fire Protection Association reports approximately 14,100 fires per year that are caused by improperly venting a dryer or careless maintenance procedures.
Tips for dryer safety:
- Prevent fires with proper dryer duct installation. The dryer duct should vent directly outdoors - never to a room inside the house. Venting a gas dryer inside is especially dangerous because the air discharge can contain a combination of combustible gases.
- Avoid using plastic duct work because it could ignite or melt. Instead, install a hard metal duct from the dryer to the outside of the house.
- Keep the duct free of lint to help reduce the chance of fire spreading outside the dryer and into the vent. Never attempt to dismantle a dryer to clean the line between the dryer drum and the heat element. Contact a professional to do that type of work.
- Use dryer vents constructed of non-flexible metal that contain as few bends as possible.
- Clean the lint trap after every use.
- Call a professional if your dryer is not working properly.
- Install a smoke detector near your laundry room.
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