15,000 Dryer Fires Happen Every Year

[Ben J. Gromicko]

Believe it or not, this is proof...http://youtu.be/2U1caNuhgnI

[Gary Farnsworth]

Boy, if all of you young people out there believe advertising commercial TV junk, we are all in trouble. Blame it on mayhem.

[Jeffrey R. Pope]

Another one from my new-construction inspection yesterday. The dryer duct ran through a crawlspace for about 40 feet. Up and down, twists and turns, with only about the last 10 feet made of appropriate materials.

[Buck Hartley, CMI]

Gary, I have seen several dryer vent fires in my day!!!

[David C. Macy]

Originally Posted by jpope

Another one from my new-construction inspection yesterday. The dryer duct ran through a crawlspace for about 40 feet. Up and down, twists and turns, with only about the last 10 feet made of appropriate materials.

Seems like the dryer vent was not the only concern, how many other issues did you find on this new build?

[Jeffrey R. Pope]

The big one was with the staircase. The intermediate rails were spaced nearly 5 inches apart. The builder came unglued when I called it out. He said the railing and installation cost him over $7k. I said "for that much, you would think they'd get it right"

[Gary Farnsworth]

Me, too, Buck. I had a good friend get burns when his dryer caught fire when he was asleep. Lost weeks of work.

Buck, did an inspection the other day on the home on 75th Ct. that burned last May and was rebuilt. Spooky. You know the rest of the story.

[David C. Macy]

Originally Posted by jpope

The big one was with the staircase. The intermediate rails were spaced nearly 5 inches apart. The builder came unglued when I called it out. He said the railing and installation cost him over $7k. I said "for that much, you would think they'd get it right"

Any pics of the staircase?

[Jeffrey R. Pope]

Already deleted. Sorry.

[Joe Funderburk, CMI]

Originally Posted by jpope

Another one from my new-construction inspection yesterday. The dryer duct ran through a crawlspace for about 40 feet. Up and down, twists and turns, with only about the last 10 feet made of appropriate materials.

Jeff, did you say anything about the length of the duct?

[Ben J. Gromicko]

Dryer Vent Safety

[Gary Farnsworth]

My friend's fire started in the vent screen of the dryer. Even though it was cleaned with lint before he started it, a film developed on both sides of the screen and blocked the venting of the dryer. Periodically, you need to scrub both sides of the dryer vent screen with soap and water, even when it appears clean, and you can see through it. Article needs review.

[Jeffrey R. Pope]

Originally Posted by jfunderburk

Jeff, did you say anything about the length of the duct?

Absolutely. It was odd that they ran it this way when it could have exited the building in less than 10 feet if done "properly."