5 ms·

Clothes dryers - please elaborate. Why are they dangerous? (serious question)

by perfopt 5y ago

knodi123 5y ago
Fire risk, largely from people who don't know there's a lint trap and that they're supposed to clean it.
- ndsipa_pomu 5y ago
  Well, that sounds like a design flaw if lint is being deliberately held where a heater can set it on fire. (Disclaimer - my HotPoint tumble dryer got recalled due to this kind of design flaw burning down a few houses)
- Kalium 5y ago
  There's also a fire risk from the vent getting clogged with tiny bits of lint that weren't caught by the trap.
cyounkins 5y ago
I'm guessing fire risk - https://www.nfpa.org/News-and-Research/Data-research-and-tools/US-Fire-Problem/Home-fires-involving-clothes-dryers-and-washing-machines https://www.nfpa.org/News-and-Research/Data-research-and-too...
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
Supermancho 5y ago
Calling it a serious question doesn't put the onus on someone else to bring up a google search for you SMH.
- stronglikedan 5y ago
  Please don't do that here. All questions are welcome here, and this community is happy to share their knowledge.
bearcobra 5y ago
Beyond the fire risks mentioned by others, front loading washers and dryers are sometimes used as a hiding place by children which has led to serious injury and deaths
- throwaway0a5e 5y ago
  Acting like a child climbing into a device that needs to be loaded with something before being used (and therefore is likely to be found) is even remotely dangerous is just fear peddling. How many kids hide in ovens? They're all front load and you routinely turn them on without putting anything in.
  - chucksta 5y ago
    I'm sorry but it's just not that rare an occurrence for a child to die in a washing machine. I don't know why it's different then other machines but its a thing. https://www.google.com/search?q=child+dies+front+load+washing+machine https://www.google.com/search?q=child+dies+front+load+washin...
    - cochne 5y ago
      Im not disputing your claim, but the link you provided doesn’t really give evidence. Most results are for one incident and I don’t see any statistics
  - dragonwriter 5y ago
    Front loading washers typically lock, ovens usually don't (except for self-clean cycles.) Also, you’d usual need to take the rack(s) out of an oven for a child to get in.
    - gunapologist99 5y ago
      Worse yet, there is NO WAY to unlock most front-loading washers! You will literally have to smash the front glass window (which is at least two layers thick) in order to pull your drowning child out across the broken shards of glass, or have a prybar handy. This might sound like an imaginary scenario, but it's not at all. It happens every year, and no agency has stepped up to mandate "An big red emergency unlock manual handle seems like a good idea, even if the water pours all over the floor", even though we have mandated emergency trunk pulls from inside vehicles (another place where kids like to hide.)
timeon 5y ago
climate change

Clothes dryers - please elaborate. Why are they dangerous? (serious question)

knodi123 5y ago

Fire risk, largely from people who don't know there's a lint trap and that they're supposed to clean it.

ndsipa_pomu 5y ago
Well, that sounds like a design flaw if lint is being deliberately held where a heater can set it on fire. (Disclaimer - my HotPoint tumble dryer got recalled due to this kind of design flaw burning down a few houses)
Kalium 5y ago
There's also a fire risk from the vent getting clogged with tiny bits of lint that weren't caught by the trap.

cyounkins 5y ago

I'm guessing fire risk - https://www.nfpa.org/News-and-Research/Data-research-and-tools/US-Fire-Problem/Home-fires-involving-clothes-dryers-and-washing-machines https://www.nfpa.org/News-and-Research/Data-research-and-too...

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

Supermancho 5y ago

Calling it a serious question doesn't put the onus on someone else to bring up a google search for you SMH.

stronglikedan 5y ago
Please don't do that here. All questions are welcome here, and this community is happy to share their knowledge.

bearcobra 5y ago

Beyond the fire risks mentioned by others, front loading washers and dryers are sometimes used as a hiding place by children which has led to serious injury and deaths

throwaway0a5e 5y ago
Acting like a child climbing into a device that needs to be loaded with something before being used (and therefore is likely to be found) is even remotely dangerous is just fear peddling. How many kids hide in ovens? They're all front load and you routinely turn them on without putting anything in.
- chucksta 5y ago
  I'm sorry but it's just not that rare an occurrence for a child to die in a washing machine. I don't know why it's different then other machines but its a thing. https://www.google.com/search?q=child+dies+front+load+washing+machine https://www.google.com/search?q=child+dies+front+load+washin...
  - cochne 5y ago
    Im not disputing your claim, but the link you provided doesn’t really give evidence. Most results are for one incident and I don’t see any statistics
- dragonwriter 5y ago
  Front loading washers typically lock, ovens usually don't (except for self-clean cycles.) Also, you’d usual need to take the rack(s) out of an oven for a child to get in.
  - gunapologist99 5y ago
    Worse yet, there is NO WAY to unlock most front-loading washers! You will literally have to smash the front glass window (which is at least two layers thick) in order to pull your drowning child out across the broken shards of glass, or have a prybar handy. This might sound like an imaginary scenario, but it's not at all. It happens every year, and no agency has stepped up to mandate "An big red emergency unlock manual handle seems like a good idea, even if the water pours all over the floor", even though we have mandated emergency trunk pulls from inside vehicles (another place where kids like to hide.)

timeon 5y ago

climate change