OT/ When's the last time you cleaned your clothes dryer?

Went to the basement/utility room this evening. Had this nasty burnt smell, which I traced to the gas clothes dryer. Popped the front bottom cover, and yup, we"d had a lint fire. Fortunatly it extinguished itself. Got the shop vac and removed several quarts of burnt lint from the bottom of dryer, along with a couple quarters, a dime, and a safety pin. Was only a few short weeks ago that I had the dryer down to make some minor repairs, and cleaned it then....

I STRONGLY SUGGEST YOU POP THE FRONT COVER ON YOUR DRYER AND VACUUM IT OUT NOW, BEFORE YOU HAVE A TRAGEDY. I GOT LUCKY!

tree farm, better watch it though with all the hemp that you smoke it will set it off...just kiddin...

Thats why the pipework from my dryer is all metal. None of the flex plastic foolishness.

I dont like the flex/plastic crap either, but let me ask a stupid question. How in the heck would you hook up solid vent tube?

I guess you would have to cut it to the exact length so an elbow would match up with where the dryer exhaust would be, then try to reach back there and tighten the clamp?

Gene

You are exactly right. From what I hear the most home fires around here that aren't in the kitchen start around the dryer.

Lint is flammable, dryer sheets are flammable and both are in ready supply around most dryers.

A few months ago I was going to work around 4:30 in the morning. I noticed the dryer was still running. That was odd cause we had went to bed 8 hours earlier. It turned out that the dryer receptacle had failed. One leg had resistance and began heating up. When this happened, it melted the phony baloney receptacle cover. I had a fire in the recepatacle that moved outside the recep and onto the wall. The wall was concrete block and the fire stopped there. The bad leg burned out and stopped the timer. The motor was on the other leg and continued to run.

Things working against me. The recep was installed when the house was built (1984). It was a cheap design with alot of plastic. It was not grounded so when the insulation broke down, the breaker did not trip. There had been an abundance of lint and dryer sheets.

In my corner was the concrete wall and the fact that the dryer and dryer area had been cleaned recently.


Now it is a large metal box with a metal cover. The box is grounded, the cover is grounded, and the recep has been changed out for a grounded 4 wire model. Been keeping the lint cleaned up, too.

I got lucky and decided not to tempt fate again.

Aaron

A very good post. Also remember to check your vent ducting as lint can build up in there too. I replace my flexible hose every couple of years as it's cheap. I use the metallic kind, also make sure it's not crushed. I take a shop vac to the rigid pipe that goes out to the vent. I also moved my dryer shortening the lenth by 6' and eliminating an elbow.

And we have people here that tell use they don't need any dang fool fancy expensive four wire cable and plug. To supply their dryer or stove.

> How in the heck would you hook up solid vent tube?

Sometimes you can't. We always had problems with our vent tube plugging up when we had a dryer in the basement. Last summer we remodeled and put the dryer on the ground floor. I put a vent through the wall right next to the dryer (elbow and 18" aluminum tube). I even put a quarter bubble on the tube for good measure. I was so glad that I wouldn't have to do that cleaning job anymore. Guess what? The darn thing plugs up worse than ever because there' s an anti-mouse screen built into the outdoor part of the vent and the new dryer pretty much sucks at trapping lint. Just can't win.

I cleaned mine 2 weeks ago when my roomate moved out and took his washer/drier with him. It was a good time to dig out all that had built up in the pipe that went from the drier to outside.

When I was in high school, my friend's house burned to the ground because drier lint caught on fire.

A few years ago, I had a bird get into the drier vent tube and built a nest. You want to talk about a fire hazzard.........

You can buy flexible metal vent tube. Works good.

Heat sets off my fire alarm on a very hot day.

Aloha,
I made my exhaust outlet in the wall high (below the top of the dryer)so after I attach the bottom, I would slide the dryer in and then connect the top.

Mahalo,
doogdoog

tree farm aren't you concered that someone might get mad !!

Troll Lint Alert. DO NOT REPLY!

Troll Alert, DO NOT REPLY!

Cigar Sucking Troll Alert. DO NOT REPLY!

Idiot.....er ah Troll Alert. DO NOT REPLY!

You mentioned cleaning the dryer just a few short weeks ago and now you have cleaned several quarts of lint from it again.

I have to ask---are you sure you have it together correctly since it is leaking so much lint?

Thanks for the good reminder we all need from time to time. Glad that the lint fire didn't take hold and rage.

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
seems if any one is looking at your post, maybe you should look at your own advice, but you have to be a little smart for that,,, ha ha ha ha

What's the problem Joe, can't say anything more intelligent than "hahahahahahah"?
Don't feed the troll, let him drown in his own ignorance..........

Again with the highly intelligent reply of ha ha ha ha ha ha? Trouble with thinking on your own? Maybe you have too much water in your lungs?
Don't feed the troll, let him drown in his own ignorance.

It's not my alert moron. Evidenty you're family tree is more like a telephone pole.