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Posted by CDET 14 on July 12, 2006, 2:48 pm
nospamtodd@yahoo.com wrote:
> Why exactly is plastic venting a fire hazard? I think we should define
> our terms. Plastic venting can burn during a fire, but it won't cause
> a fire by spontaneously combusting; temps in venting just aren't that
> hot.
True. Plastic venting does not spontaneously combust.
>A combustion source would have to come from the dryer itself.
Lint is the combution source. As lint burns in a metal pipe, the fire
is more easily contained. Lint can burn through the plastic vinyl and
on through the structure.
>So
> here's the truth: poor venting arrangements can make lint back up in
> the dryer, and if there is so much lint that it combusts near the
> element, then the fire could travel to the venting. However, I would
> like to know just how often this really happens.
When the fire department is putting out one of 12,000 dryer fires each
year, it is tough to say just how the flame traveled. Fact is that
lint is highly combustible and you want to reduce your chance of a
structure fire by using the recommended materials. It's just not that
much more expensive.
Every time I read
> about a dryer fire, I never here that the the fire travelled through
> the venting too. So, it is time to put the urban legends away, and
> spend some time with reality. Having a better venting application
> simply allows the dryer to do its thing, which is to get rid of lint.
>
> On the other hand, some dryer designs are notoriously poor lint
> handlers, and will collect lint even under some of the best venting
> applications. That is because they are poorly designed. Does anyone
> know which ones they are?
Good luck finding these statistics. I have never heard of the dryer
design contributing to the lint expulsion issue.
Alisa LeSueur
Certified Dryer Exhaust Technician
http://CleanYourOwnDryerVent.com/
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