Fire risks prompt tumble dryer recall.

Fire risks prompt tumble dryer recall.

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Discussion

Laurel Green

Original Poster:

30,770 posts

231 months

Monday 23rd November 2015
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BBC said:
A "significant" number of tumble dryers sold in the last 11 years in the UK may need a repair owing to fears about fires.
Owners of large air-vented dryers and condensing dryers under the Hotpoint, Indesit and Creda brands may need to have them fixed.
Indesit said that excess fluff could catch the heating element in the machine and cause a fire.
It is recalling many dryers bought between April 2004 and October 2015.
Full article

Dave_ST220

10,288 posts

204 months

Tuesday 24th November 2015
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Wow. That's one hell of a date range!!

Steve_W

1,486 posts

176 months

Tuesday 24th November 2015
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The advice seems to be simply "keep the filter clean and don't run it when you're not at home" which sounds like common sense rather than some massive equipment failure.

To be fair, I've always kept the filter clean on ours since reading (not sure if it was on PH) about a fireman who attended, or his watch attended, a tumble drier fire in his own garage! I can imagine the ribbing that he got for that having attended so many similar incidents himself in the past. smile

Allanv

3,540 posts

185 months

Tuesday 24th November 2015
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Just checked ours and it is affected, so filled out the form and we shall see.

I only cleaned the condenser the other day, but I do it a couple of times a year anyway and the filter at every use.

Pints

18,444 posts

193 months

Tuesday 24th November 2015
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Allanv said:
Just checked ours and it is affected, so filled out the form and we shall see.

I only cleaned the condenser the other day, but I do it a couple of times a year anyway and the filter at every use.
You cleaned the condenser? How do you do that? Is that the same as emptying the tank?

Will check ours tonight.
Thanks for the heads up, OP.

Allanv

3,540 posts

185 months

Tuesday 24th November 2015
quotequote all
Pints said:
Allanv said:
Just checked ours and it is affected, so filled out the form and we shall see.

I only cleaned the condenser the other day, but I do it a couple of times a year anyway and the filter at every use.
You cleaned the condenser? How do you do that? Is that the same as emptying the tank?

Will check ours tonight.
Thanks for the heads up, OP.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3L7ZB0bGs4o#t=16

It is in the manual but that link is from the Hotpoint site.

Dogwatch

6,221 posts

221 months

Tuesday 24th November 2015
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Pints said:
Allanv said:
Just checked ours and it is affected, so filled out the form and we shall see.

I only cleaned the condenser the other day, but I do it a couple of times a year anyway and the filter at every use.
You cleaned the condenser? How do you do that? Is that the same as emptying the tank?

Will check ours tonight.
Thanks for the heads up, OP.
I haven't looked at the video but I give my condenser a rinse every so often. Not the easiest thing to get clean!

Another source of fires (in at least two restaurants locally) is stopping and leaving the dryer when the clothes/cloths are still hot and before the cooling down phase. The heat trapped in the clothes builds up and can result in spontaneous combustion.

Pints

18,444 posts

193 months

Tuesday 24th November 2015
quotequote all
Allanv said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3L7ZB0bGs4o#t=16

It is in the manual but that link is from the Hotpoint site.
Thanks. thumbup
Will take a look tonight - haven't done that in 7 years of ownership. paperbag

wseed

1,501 posts

129 months

Tuesday 24th November 2015
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Thanks for the link I'd heard it on the radio but hadn't paid too much attention. I think ours is a hotpoint. Not sure if it's older than 2004 though.

Balmoral

40,659 posts

247 months

Tuesday 24th November 2015
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Check before you buy too.

I bought a tumble dryer on Saturday from Currys, I registered the warranty on line yesterday and was immediately informed by Hotpoint that it's one of the machines at risk.

furious

ChrisR99

452 posts

110 months

Tuesday 24th November 2015
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Pints said:
Thanks. thumbup
Will take a look tonight - haven't done that in 7 years of ownership. paperbag
Surprising the machine hasn't told you to clean it. Our Bosch condenser refuses to start the cycle when the condenser needs cleaning. Just take it out and rinse under the tap, make sure you have a strainer in the sink to collect all the lint!

Worth doing it every 6 months or so, keeps the condenser working more efficiently.

Pints

18,444 posts

193 months

Tuesday 24th November 2015
quotequote all
ChrisR99 said:
Surprising the machine hasn't told you to clean it. Our Bosch condenser refuses to start the cycle when the condenser needs cleaning. Just take it out and rinse under the tap, make sure you have a strainer in the sink to collect all the lint!

Worth doing it every 6 months or so, keeps the condenser working more efficiently.
Ours is affected. frown

Will give it a full clean tonight.

Edit: Gave it a clean - what a ballache!

Edited by Pints on Wednesday 25th November 18:40

Swampy1982

3,305 posts

110 months

Tuesday 24th November 2015
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Steve_W said:
The advice seems to be simply "keep the filter clean and don't run it when you're not at home" which sounds like common sense rather than some massive equipment failure.
this seems to be the soundest advice, i just checked my manual and sure enough its in there about regular maintenance.

V8A*ndy

3,695 posts

190 months

Wednesday 25th November 2015
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I checked my mums and it is affected.

She said it should be OK as she cleans the filter everytime she uses it.

Filter was spotless OK....

Then I took out the condenser to have a look yikes



anonymous-user

53 months

Wednesday 25th November 2015
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Well when I get asked why we do safety I can point to this article and hopefully the person asking the question will have one of these just about to set their house on fire.

jmorgan

36,010 posts

283 months

Wednesday 25th November 2015
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Our indesit went wonky so took the back off to sort the issue. That is when I saw that the heating element is not exactly separated from any fluff that may get around. Not great especially since the exhaust transfer pipe to the rear was displaced and puffing fluff all around the insides. It was quite scary that it is crap engineering allowed off the design desk.

Ours is in that list but it has been consigned to tip for another fault but since I saw what a risk it was, it was destined for the tip one way or the other.

Renovation

1,763 posts

120 months

Wednesday 25th November 2015
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Thanks - just checked, ours is affected.


alfie2244

11,292 posts

187 months

Wednesday 25th November 2015
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Renovation said:
Thanks - just checked, ours is affected.
+1

Mr MXT

7,691 posts

282 months

Wednesday 25th November 2015
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alfie2244 said:
+1
+ £3.42 (found in the filter)

Laurel Green

Original Poster:

30,770 posts

231 months

Wednesday 25th November 2015
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Mr MXT said:
alfie2244 said:
+1
+ £3.42 (found in the filter)
A goodly result! thumbup