Audrey Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 earlier today. We knew it was on its last legs, but now it's toast. :lol: One of the heating elements was not turning off. We clean the lint trap after every load, so while I know that is a common cause, it was not a factor here. I had thought it was running hot when I was doing laundry today, but it's a dryer. They're hot. I figured it was just me being overly sensitive. I put in a load of kitchen towels, went upstairs to make salad for supper and after about 15 minutes I smelled... something. I thought to check downstairs and it was a strong smell down there. Before I even opened the dryer door, I saw a lick of flame shoot out the side of the door area. I yelled for dh, then unplugged the dryer. The towels are, of course, kaput, but they're no huge loss. I'm just glad the good laundry wasn't in there! Thankfully, the weather is hot and dry, so line drying will suffice until I can look into a replacement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkInTheBlue Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 Oh my goodness! I've always been mildly paranoid about this. Would you guess the smell was pretty obvious pretty soon? So sorry it happened but so glad everyone and everything (except towels) are okay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoVanGogh Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 Do you clean out the pipe from the dryer to the outside? I ask because we just burned up our dryer, too. :tongue_smilie: While we clean out the lint trap every load, we had only had the pipe cleaned out twice in 16 years. I found out we were suppose to have that cleaned at least once a year. Lovely. We have owned a home for 16 years and I never knew that. :001_huh: DH did, but he loses track of time and didn't realize it was way past time to have it cleaned. Now I know and have the handy-dandy business card of a dryer pipe cleaner-outer and will be calling him once a year. I am so sorry for your dryer. Thank goodness you were home! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinE Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 I'm glad you're safe! My husband is so paranoid about this happening; he hates when I let the dryer run when we leave the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted August 7, 2012 Author Share Posted August 7, 2012 Oh my goodness! I've always been mildly paranoid about this. Would you guess the smell was pretty obvious pretty soon? So sorry it happened but so glad everyone and everything (except towels) are okay. It was an odd smell. It didn't really smell like burning cloth. It smelled almost metallic, but not electrical. Sorry to be confusing, but it was such an unusual smell and it's hard to describe. I did smell it within about 15 minutes of starting the load of towels. I think I smelled it very soon after the towels ignited and possibly before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted August 7, 2012 Author Share Posted August 7, 2012 Do you clean out the pipe from the dryer to the outside?I ask because we just burned up our dryer, too. :tongue_smilie: While we clean out the lint trap every load, we had only had the pipe cleaned out twice in 16 years. I found out we were suppose to have that cleaned at least once a year. Lovely. We have owned a home for 16 years and I never knew that. :001_huh: DH did, but he loses track of time and didn't realize it was way past time to have it cleaned. Now I know and have the handy-dandy business card of a dryer pipe cleaner-outer and will be calling him once a year. I am so sorry for your dryer. Thank goodness you were home! Dh usually does that in the spring and he says he did, although I don't remember him doing it. We did check the hosing that goes from the dryer to outside and it was quite clear and unaffected. We're pretty sure the element was shorting or at least not reacting properly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkInTheBlue Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 It was an odd smell. It didn't really smell like burning cloth. It smelled almost metallic, but not electrical. Sorry to be confusing, but it was such an unusual smell and it's hard to describe. I did smell it within about 15 minutes of starting the load of towels. I think I smelled it very soon after the towels ignited and possibly before. No, that's helpful. Thank you :) Within 15 minutes? Wow! It really was finished , huh? Was it your first load? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawana Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 Yikes! I'm glad you didn't panic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted August 7, 2012 Author Share Posted August 7, 2012 I'm glad you're safe! My husband is so paranoid about this happening; he hates when I let the dryer run when we leave the house. Oh thank you! We're quite alright, and actually having a bit of a nervous laugh over it now. I am a bit paranoid about such things myself and I never leave the house with a dryer or oven running. When I was a small child we had a home fire and it was very scary. I'd rather not go through that again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 Do you clean out the pipe from the dryer to the outside?I ask because we just burned up our dryer, too. :tongue_smilie: While we clean out the lint trap every load, we had only had the pipe cleaned out twice in 16 years. I found out we were suppose to have that cleaned at least once a year. Lovely. We have owned a home for 16 years and I never knew that. :001_huh: DH did, but he loses track of time and didn't realize it was way past time to have it cleaned. Now I know and have the handy-dandy business card of a dryer pipe cleaner-outer and will be calling him once a year. I am so sorry for your dryer. Thank goodness you were home! You can easily do that yourself. Also, take the back of the dryer and vacuum it out. You would be amazed at the lint that collects in the back of the dryer. If you have a long dryer hose, you can install a secondary lint trap on the hose itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoVanGogh Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 Dh usually does that in the spring and he says he did, although I don't remember him doing it. We did check the hosing that goes from the dryer to outside and it was quite clear and unaffected. We're pretty sure the element was shorting or at least not reacting properly. That's good that the hosing was clear.Ours was, um... packed tight. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted August 7, 2012 Author Share Posted August 7, 2012 No, that's helpful. Thank you :) Within 15 minutes? Wow! It really was finished , huh? Was it your first load? No, I had been doing laundry on and off all day. I did hang 2 loads (of my dresses and slacks) out on the line, but I had dried 2 loads in succession prior to the blazing one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancer67 Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 My DH is an electrician. Doesn't sound electrical. But he was wondering. By any chance did you put something in the dryer that had gas or oil spilled on it? Or even prior loads that you dried? And the dryer usually needs to be thoroughly vacuumed at least once a month. Oh my goodness, so glad that you and everyone is okay.:grouphug: On a side note. I was mowing the lawn with the rider and it caught on fire. Must be one of those weeks.:tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted August 7, 2012 Author Share Posted August 7, 2012 My DH is an electrician. Doesn't sound electrical. But he was wondering. By any chance did you put something in the dryer that had gas or oil spilled on it? Or even prior loads that you dried?And the dryer usually needs to be thoroughly vacuumed at least once a month. Oh my goodness, so glad that you and everyone is okay.:grouphug: On a side note. I was mowing the lawn with the rider and it caught on fire. Must be one of those weeks.:tongue_smilie: No. No gas or oil spills. Dh and ds are planning to dissect the dryer tomorrow, though. At least it will have some value as an educational tool! And goodness! Your lawn mower fire sounds much scarier. I wasn't sitting on mine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancer67 Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 No. No gas or oil spills. Dh and ds are planning to dissect the dryer tomorrow, though. At least it will have some value as an educational tool! And goodness! Your lawn mower fire sounds much scarier. Mine wasn't right underneath my caboose! Oh my goodness...I shut down that mower and ran for my life!!!! Yelled for DH and looks like the wet grass got clogged and engine overheated. And the SMELL!!!! He salvaged it believe it or not, but now I am afraid to get on the stupid thing! And yes, think of your dryer dissecting as Science, Life Skills, and Math. How much electricity can we save by drying our clothes outside. And Science, well lets hang the towels outside in 0 degree weather and see if they really do freeze. See? Education all around us:lol: Sorry that happened. And true story. My DH went on a call to a basement fire. Same thing happened to their dryer. Only the women freaked out and she had a jar of kool aid and dumped it on the fire. Needless to say, the whole basement was toast. So electrical 101, never use kool aid to put out an electrical fire.:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyof4ks Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 Wow, how scary! Glad no one was hurt and your house is ok too! The only appliance I have had flames shoot out of was my oven, twice when heating elements went out lol. You would think I would learn after the first time not to open the door when I hear that noise. :glare: Our dryer sparked when it got a short, but thankfully the electrical outlet did what it was supposed to and cut power so no fire. Fire threats are so scary! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomsintheGarden Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 Yikes! Glad you were home and caught it! I have been paranoid about this since Quiver posted years ago that hers caught on fire. She advised against running the dryer at night when you are asleep or when you are going to be away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink Fairy Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 This is so timely, because my washing machine started smoking today. We got a nicotine patch for it... (rim shot) But seriously folks, yeah--smoking. And when my husband opened the door (it's a front loader) the smoke poured out and filled up our entire laundry room and kitchen, so I think if we hadn't been home or were running it at night it might have burned down the house. Sounds like your dryer and my washer would make a great pair. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denisemomof4 Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 :iagree: I'm sorry about the fire! I need to keep this in mind because I have left the dryer and dishwasher going whi,e away. Too many times. Are your windows smokey?:tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink Fairy Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 :iagree: I'm sorry about the fire! I need to keep this in mind because I have left the dryer and dishwasher going whi,e away. Too many times. Are your windows smokey?:tongue_smilie: I have a friend whose dishwasher started smoking late, late at night. Her husband happened to be up and smelled it, but the sides were all blackened and I'm pretty sure it would have caused a fire too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denisemomof4 Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 I have a friend whose dishwasher started smoking late, late at night. Her husband happened to be up and smelled it, but the sides were all blackened and I'm pretty sure it would have caused a fire too. Gosh! I always run it at bedtime, too! I need to change the way I do things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyforlatin Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 Good reminder to clean out the hose again. DH says he did it a few months ago, but with his sense of time, I'm thinking he did it a year ago. I bought this kit that attaches to the vacuum cleaner and sucks the link out. I like the idea of a second lint catcher. Good thing we don't have a dishwasher or electric lawn mower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted August 7, 2012 Author Share Posted August 7, 2012 :iagree: I'm sorry about the fire! I need to keep this in mind because I have left the dryer and dishwasher going whi,e away. Too many times. Are your windows smokey?:tongue_smilie: No, they're fine. The washer/dryer is in the basement, which only has the one little crawl window. The fire was confined to the towels in the drum and it was put out with the handy dandy fire extinguisher PDQ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jpoy85 Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 wow, glad everyone is ok. I would be scared! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
besroma Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 Glad you are okay! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted August 7, 2012 Author Share Posted August 7, 2012 It was the thermostat. Dh asked around and the co-op can get one for about $90 and he can do the repair himself, but there is still the matter of the scorched drum. He also said the co-op had a dryer on sale for $160. It is new but has a small dent below the door and a long scratch on the side. I don't care about a dent and a scratch. No one ever sees my dryer anyway. But I don't have room for $160 in my budget this month --- unless I can sell a LOT of produce at the Market this week and next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
besroma Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 Audrey, Did you get the dryer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted August 14, 2012 Author Share Posted August 14, 2012 Audrey, Did you get the dryer? Not quite yet. I put it on lay away. I should have enough after Wednesday's market to pay it off. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatieJ Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 We had a dryer that missbehaved that way too. We had a smoke detector in the laundry room and it would go off almost immediately, so I never lost any clothes. It actually only happened twice. I learned that if I let the cycle finish, the dryer was fine. But if I stopped it to pull something out, it wouldn't restart correctly. Wierd. Eventually we replaced it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 Gosh! I always run it at bedtime, too! I need to change the way I do things. While I'm not saying this is a bad idea if you can manage it, I wanted to emphasize that dryer fires are not nearly as common as we imagine sometimes. All appliance fires together are pretty far down on the list of causes for home fires, and a big chunk of dryer fires can be easily prevented with proper cleaning and maintenance. Cooking is the biggest culprit, followed by heating sources. For example, a typical year ight see 15,000 caused by dryers vs. 150,000 caused by cooking; with 20 deaths vs 410 deaths. I think washers/dryers account for about 4% of house fires. I'm going by memory, but it doesn't vary much year to year. Again, nothing wrong with being extra safe, but people will sometimes put effort into a lesser threat at the expense of a greater threat. Focus attention on the biggest factors first, and move on down the line. I personally choose to let my dryer run at night or when I am gone, but I am a maniac about smoke detectors. Working smoke detectors, preferably dual sensor, in the assigned places will keep you alive if you are home. We have some that are hard wired into our alarm system, so that, along with the low overall risk and our keeping it clean, increases my comfort with using the dryer when I'm not at home. This has been a free public safety announcement :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusicMama Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 Glad to hear you are all safe! Sorry about the dryer and those towels. What a way to go... :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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