With the build up of lint in your dryer lines, efficiency
becomes reduced, requiring longer drying periods.
This could mean that your spending more of your
hard earned money on drying laundry. More importantly,
a fire hazard becomes evident as lint is a highly
flammable substance.
If your noticing that it is taking longer for
your clothes to dry, then it may be time to have
your dyer lines cleaned. Regular maintenace will
also increase the life span of your dryer by preventing
your fan motor from being overworked. We also
offer the replacement of old plastic lines to
new, perfesssionally installed aluminum flex so
that you have that extra peace of mind knowing
that if as spark ever occurs, it will be contained
within the line and not spread into your home.
Proccess
Dryer hose is disconnected from the dryer.
Dryer is precisely cleaned using air powered
instruments.
Flexible air rods are inserted along the entire
dryer line with special fittings that loosen the
lint from the walls of the line.
A large vacuum draws out all of the debris.
All components are then reassembled and the
dryer is turned on and inspected to ensure proper
cleaning. If required an aluminum flex line would
then be installed in place of the pre-existing
plastic line.
FIRE HAZARDS ASSOCIATED WITH HOUSEHOLD CLOTHES
DRYERS
(External Distribution)
Last year, 340 household clothes dryer fires
were reported in Ontario. Almost one third of
these incidents were due to a lack of maintenance.
Provincial statistics indicate that, on average,
300 clothes dryer fires are reported annually.
Although there have been no fatalities within
the past ten years, up to 15 injuries and a few
million dollars in property damage result each
year.
The design and internal mechanism of most clothes
dryers are similar. The majority come in two sizes:
full and compact. (Compact dryers are commonly
found in apartments stacked above the washing
machine to save space.) Heat for clothes dryers
is provided by an electrical, natural gas or propane
source, with electrical being the most common.
At this time, fire hazards do not appear to be
associated with any particular brand of clothes
dryers.
Normal clothing is dried at an air temperature
of about 60°C while permanent press
clothing is dried at about 50°C. Clothing
made of cotton fabric or man-made plastic material
when combined with the accumulated lint in the
dryer has an approximate flash ignition and auto-ignition
temperature above 200°C. Safety features
built into clothes dryers include two or three
high limit switches at the heating elements which
stops any thermal runaway condition by cutting
off the power at about 120°C. Under
normal conditions, there is a considerable margin
of safety before the ignition point of clothing
is reached. In addition, the dryer drums within
the dryer cabinets are designed act to as a fire
barrier to slow the spread of fire.
Major fire hazards associated with clothes dryers
include:
lack of maintenance;
improper installation (venting);
drying flammable materials;
accumulation of lint;
use of plastic ducts.
The lack of maintenance/care and improper installation
(i.e. incorrect venting) are the leading causes
of fires in clothes dryers. Fires also occur when
flammable materials are inadvertently put into
these appliances. If a fire occurs, it will often
start within the drum of the dryer and be fueled
by lint that has accumulated in the dryer cabinet.
In the event that plastic ducting is used to vent
the dryer instead of metal ducting, the fire will
not be contained within the dryer if the plastic
ducting ignites or melts.
The attached information has been prepared
to help minimize the fire hazards associated with
clothes dryers. To enhance public awareness, fire
departments are encouraged to distribute this
information within their communities.
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