Is fluff in your tumble drier at risk of catching fire?

Saturday 19 March 2016

Trading Standards and firefighters are urging you to stop drying your clothes in your tumble drier until you’ve found out whether it’s safe to use.

They say a number of local service engineers are already checking out machines after Whirlpool UK issued a warning that millions of condenser and vented tumble dryers manufactured up to 11-years-ago could be dangerous.

The company says there are a lot of Hotpoint, Indesit, Creda, Swan and Proline dryers that were made between April 2004 and September last year at risk of causing a fire if too much fluff comes into contact with the heating element.

Chief Fire Officer Mark James said: “Fire statistics show that large kitchen appliances such as washing machines, dishwashers and tumble dryers are at greater risk of causing a fire than other household appliances such as TVs.

“Such items often have powerful motors and moving parts which can get very hot. In light of recent safety concerns about tumble dryers, the States of Jersey Fire & Rescue Service are adopting similar advice to that given by the National Chief Fire Officers Association, and that is if you own and use a product that has been identified in a safety notice, we would recommend you do not use the appliance until it has been attended to by the manufacturer.

“In order to stay safe, we recommend the following:

• Make sure you follow the manufacturer’s instructions on using and maintaining your electrical appliances;

• Fit smoke and or heat detectors to your home. You should have at least one smoke detector on each level of your home and they should be tested weekly;

• Don’t turn on appliances such as washing machines, tumble dryers and dishwashers when you are going to bed or going out;

• Turn off electrical appliances when they are not in use;

• Never tackle a fire yourself – get out, stay out and call 999.”

They say you should check on the Hotpoint website here to see whether your make and model is affected and register to have an engineer come and fix it and you'll also be able to get advice from the manufacturer on what to do in the meantime.

Trading Standards want to make sure you’re up to speed with all the latest product recalls and safety notices on things like electrical goods, food and drink or nursery products by signing up to States website here.

Director of Trading Standards Alison de Bourcier said: “It is increasingly difficult for consumers and businesses to keep up to speed with product recalls and safety notices.

“Safety is our primary concern. It is really important that you are informed of any potential safety issues and know what to do if you think you have an affected product.

“Older and vulnerable members of society are often the focus of ‘Safe and Well’ visits by many different Departments and volunteer groups. We are asking that you help these people check their appliances and assist them in registering. Older people are more likely to own unregistered appliances that are at least ten years old. They may not have access to the web to register appliances or check on previous recalls or safety notices.

“In the case of the Whirlpool safety notice, you need to take action to minimise the risk of fire. Whirlpool believe that 5.3 million appliances in the UK and Ireland have been affected.”