Mcginnis points out on the early show that dryers cause more than 15,000 house fires every year. Because of the danger posed by electric clothes dryer fires, action should be taken to reduce their potential harm to. Informational report on dryer lint fires ab 1411, chapter 530. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. Fire administration recommends the following organizations as trusted and reliable sources for free outreach materials you can use to help increase awareness about home clothes dryer fires in your community.
Clothes dryers are a major source of structural fires. An investigation by scripps sister station wews in cleveland found that a major cause of clothes dryer fires which spike during winter months is often ignored until fire breaks out. Two lowlevel dust fires and explosions occurred in rotary dryers in one of e. In an average year in the uk, dryers cause one explosion and 30 serious fires. Four simple steps you can take to prevent dryer fires from the pros at consumer reports. Consumer product safety commission, 15,500 fires are caused by clothes dryers annually in the united states. The risk of fire is slightly higher for natural or propane gasfueled dryers than. For the purpose of this report, the term clothes dryer fires is synonymous with clothes dryer fires in residential. Explosion isolation and suppression is a suitable option for dryers located inside buildings where explosions may not be released outside into a safety zone or for locations where toxic material is handled. President, south east fire prevention, consulting and engineering. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Proper design and operation of the pulverized coal burners protects the pulverizing system from ignition from the furnace fire. Nov 19, 2015 dryer lint built up in the system could ignite from the superheated dryer air or even the smallest of sparks. Clothes dryer exhaust vent installation, dryer temperatures, dryer fires research click to enlarge any image the clothes dryer safety sketch at aboveleft us cpsc 2 illustrates a typical clothes dryer installation and outlines a number of fire and safety recommendations.
The risk of dryer fires and how to prevent them across america, us dont make this common mistake. Prevention of fire and explosion in spray drying plant. Prevention of fires and explosions in dryers a user guide 2nd. This is as close as youre going to get to the dryer manufacturers admitting that they cannot design electric clothes dryer to prevent fires.
The second leading cause was mechanical failure 32. The iep technologies explosion solution uses pressure detectors and highrate discharge suppressors. Oct 12, 2005 mcginnis points out on the early show that dryers cause more than 15,000 house fires every year. Part 1 deals with the essential theory of the hazards of fires and explosions in dryers. Case study summary of dryer explosion and venting design. Uncontrolled and unplanned fires and explosions in the plant are obviously undesirable. It is vital therefore, that adequate consideration is given to explosion prevention and protection. Screens shall not be installed at the duct termination. Protection against fire and explosion in spray dryers springerlink.
Prevention of fires and explosions in dryersa user guide. Expertise protecting all types of drying, grinding, pelletizing, shredding, pulverizing, sanding, pressing, extruding, storage, conveying and dust collection systems from fires and explosions in various industries since 1979. Over time, the lint from your clothes collects in the vent and blocks the passageway. The fires usually start in the dryer vent which looks like a long tube. In the operating theatres, different team members have control over each limb of the fire triangle hence good teamwork is paramount to prevent and restrain a fire. This standard required that electric clothes dryers manufactured after march 29, 20 pass four aggressive fire containment tests. Although there was no significant damage, the potential for safety. The vent connects the dryer to the outside of the house and serves as a passageway for hot air to escape safely. Clothes dryers accounted for 12,700 fires, 300 injuries and 15 deaths in the u. Generally, dryers are equipped with a 4inch vent in.
Safetytips portland fire rescues prevention division. The science of dryer fires a clothes dryer works by forcing hot air through a turning drum. Gbhepegdry004 fire and explosion hazards in dryers information contained in this publication or as otherwise supplied to users is believed to be accurate and correct at time of going to press, and is given in good faith, but it is for the user to satisfy itself of the suitability of the information for. How to prevent dryer system fires and explosions 201502.
Ducts for exhausting clothes dryers shall not be connected or installed with sheet metal screws or other fasteners that will obstruct the flow. There was damage to the dryers and to the walls in the laundry room, said fire department lt. Mar 20, 2014 common causes of dryer fires and how to prevent them according to the u. Keep your clothes dryer from catching fire fire 9 prevention. You can read online prevention of fires and explosions in dryers here in pdf, epub, mobi or docx formats. Prevention of fires and explosions in dryersa user guide icheme by j. Prevention of fires and explosions in dryers a user guide icheme by j. Every year, approximately 4,600 fires occur in residential buildings as a result of electric clothes dryers. The hose or pipe is held in place by a clip or a steel clamp that can be loosened with pliers or a screwdriver.
Hence there is the continual danger of fires and, under certain conditions, explosions. Prevention of fires and explosions in dryers a user guide. Strategies to manage the risk of fire and explosions inside drying equipment when using a process dryer to dry powders, care must be taken to manage the risk of fires and explosions inside the dryer. Most dryers feature white vinyl or foil accordiontype exhaust pipe. Lint can block the flow of air, cause excessive heat buildup, and result in a fire in some dryers. Dryer fires a real hazard that can happen at a moments notice theres a potential fire hazard lurking in your home that you may have not even considered. This is as close as youre going to get to the dryer manufacturers admitting that they cannot design electric clothes dryer to. Learn how to optimize your powderdrying operation for safety. Jan 17, 2020 explosion isolation and suppression is a suitable option for dryers located inside buildings where explosions may not be released outside into a safety zone or for locations where toxic material is handled. Apr 04, 2012 this paper describes the investigation into the cause of the explosions and severe negative pressure events. As my experience showed, the leading cause of dryer fires was operational deficiency including failure to clean the dryer 43.
With the decline in use of flammable anaesthetic agents such as diethyl ether and cyclopropane there has been a decrease in the incidence of fires and explosions in the operating room. Pdf download prevention of fires and explosions in dryers free. Fm global, an industrial property insurance company, has seen numerous explosion and fire losses in these units that. Normographs for the sizing of vent relief explosion. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle coronavirus. While these are some scary statistics, the good news is that most clothes dryer fires are entirely preventable if all families take the proper precautions to prevent these fires. Standard on explosion prevention systems, 2014 edition. Buy prevention of fires and explosions in dryersa user guide icheme on. How to protect the biomass drying process from fires. Processes for drying powders hazards and solutions aidic. The use of spray dryers has increased significantly over the last ten years in the food. Consumer product safety commission cspc, clothes dryers result in. Mdl petition filed for electrolux dryer fire lawsuits. Fire and explosion prevention in coal pulverizing systems.
The most important reason to take measures to reduce and, hopefully, eliminate fires and explosions in a dryer system is personnel safety. Fires and explosions require three elements in order to occur the fire triangle. Washing and drying laundry may very likely be a part of your everyday routine. In schleswigholstein germany alone four garages experienced large fires between 2009 and 2010 and one had to close down afterwards. This will emphasize fm global loss prevention guidelines. Its easy to procrastinate on laundry, especially when you have a busy schedule.
Small workshops like garages have a high risk of fires and explosions because they use highly volatile hydrocarbons for spray painting and cleaning purposes. It is very common for a clothes dryer to build up lint inside and eventually catch fire. This paper describes the investigation into the cause of the explosions and severe negative pressure events. Whirlpool, owner of hotpoint and indesit, defends failure to change its consumer advice until. This edition of nfpa 664, standard for the prevention of fires and explosions in wood processing and. Consumer product safety commission cspc, clothes dryers result in an estimated 15,00016,000 house fire each year. Standard for the prevention of fires and explosions in wood. Each year, dryers are responsible for over 15,000 fires. Abbott and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Also, dryer fires involving commercial dryers have a 78% higher injury rate than residential dryer. Pdf the statistics of industrial accidents show that drying should be regarded as a. In addition, desc was used to identify deficiencies in and provide necessary remediation measures to this dryer vent design. These fires result in an estimated 10 deaths, 140 injuries, and 63.
Part 2 applies this theory of some common types of dryers. Pdf 48 safety aspects of industrial dryers researchgate. Aug 23, 20 mdl petition filed for electrolux dryer fire lawsuits august 23, 20 written by. Daily mail reports that firefighters believe it started after george left a justused hair dryer lying next to a can of hairspray in a wicker basket. Aug 03, 2011 clothes dryers accounted for 12,700 fires, 300 injuries and 15 deaths in the u. Most appliance manufacturers recommend that you replace that material with rigid or semirigid metal piping, it is less likely to trap lint and increases air flow. Unsurprisingly, the leading cause of these fires, at 34%, is the failure to clean dryer vents. A user guide by john abbott editor online at alibris. From preventing of fires and explosions in dryersa. The dryers heat may ignite anything left too close to the dryer. Common causes of dryer fires and how to prevent them according to the u. The cfd tool desc was used to help determine what conditions exacerbate the negative pressure events in the dryer. Strategies to manage the risk of fire and explosions inside. In these cases, a highrate discharge system hrd that suppresses explosions should be installed along with hrd barriers.
This revised second edition, explains the circumstances which are likely to produce fires or explosions, and what the engineer should do to reduce the risk of them happening. Many types of ignition source are to be found in dryers. Most of the time the lint burns itself out inside the machine leaving a burning smell and damage to the appliance. If a material is classified as flammable or explosible then consideration must be given to prevention of a dangerous dust explosion. This article describes fire hazards at clothes dryers or in the clothes dryer exhaust vent or duct or fires due to lint filters, long dryer vent runs, clogged dryer vents, or lint clogged dryers themselves. Commercial dryers should be cleaned out regularly because of their frequent use and shared venting system. At least once per year, unplug the dryer and check the area where the exhaust vent connects to the dryer. There are approximately 15,600 structure fires, 400 injuries, and 15 deaths reported annually as a result of dryer fires. Nevertheless, surgical fires still occur and cause significant morbidity and mortality. Most dryers and ancillary equipment contain dust clouds, dust deposits and flammable vapors at some time during processing. This is the first in a series of broadcasts on fire safety during national fire prevention week.
Oct 31, 2017 1m tumble dryers posing fire threat still in uk homes, mps told this article is more than 2 years old. Prevention of fires and explosions in dryers by john abbott, 9780852952573, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. The risk of fire is slightly higher for natural or propane gasfueled dryers than for electric clothes dryers due to the pilot ignition light. Spray dryers present explosion and fire hazards due to the processing of combustible. Dryer lint built up in the system could ignite from the superheated dryer air or even the smallest of sparks.
Prevention of fires and explosions in dryers ebook, 1990. Feb 12, 2014 an investigation by scripps sister station wews in cleveland found that a major cause of clothes dryer fires which spike during winter months is often ignored until fire breaks out. Standard for the prevention of fires and explosions in. Some loss prevention rules and protection systems may limit the. After removing the pipe, reach inside the dryer opening or use a vent brush to remove as much lint as possible. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search. Did you know that over 15,000 fires a year are associated with clothes dryers. Two weekend fires blamed on lint in dryers by shaw israel izikson, north adams transcript 112105 north adams two fires that occurred within the span of 24 hours both started from household dryers, firefighters said. The dryers heat can ignite the chemical residue on mop heads. Apr 01, 2016 strategies to manage the risk of fire and explosions inside drying equipment when using a process dryer to dry powders, care must be taken to manage the risk of fires and explosions inside the dryer.
The fire protection research foundation expresses gratitude to the report authors. In the 2002 edition, nfpa 664, standard for the prevention of fires and explosions in wood processing and woodworking facilities, was expanded to include all the fire hazards associated with wood processing facilities the occupancy, not just the dust the commodity. Dryer fires a real hazard that can happen at a moments. Judicial panel on multidistrict litigation jpml will hear oral arguments next.